KASAI ALLSTARS

at the core of Alain Gomis’ movie "Félicité"




Inspired by the music of Kasai Allstars and by their vocalist Muambuyi (whose voice is heard in the soundtrack), director Alain Gomis created the main protagonist of his film, a proud woman named Félicité who works as a singer with the band, and sets out on a breakneck race through the streets of electric Kinshasa in order to save her son. The movie just earned the Silver Bear Grand Jury Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and the Golden Stallion at the FESPACO (Panafrican Film Festival).

The band wrote and performed most of the soundtrack, and appears onscreen playing their own part. Muambuyi’s voice is omnipresent, and is being heard everytime Félicité (played by Congolese actress Vero Tshanda) sings in the bars of Kinshasa, backed by Kasai Allstars.

The Around Félicité album includes the film’s main pieces, performed by Kasai Allstars and by the Kinshasa Symphonic Orchestra (who specially arranged three works by composer Arvo Pärt), alongside new tracks by Kasai Allstars, as well as interludes consisting of fragments of dialogues and sound bites taken from the soundtrack.

The album comes with a companion piece: Félicité Remixes, a collection of 10 remixes of Kasai Allstars tracks by electronic music producers from Europe, North America and Africa, including reworks by Clap! Clap!, Daedelus and Africaine 808.

Around Félicité and Félicité Remixes - LP/CD/Digital
Out in France now - elswhere on April 28th

“Yambadi Mama”

Les Inrocks premiere new music video by Konono N°1 meets Batida, just ahead of K1's new tour.




Directed once again by Catarina Limão, who’s also responsible for the Bom Dia and Nlele Kalusimbiko music videos, Yambadi Mama was premiered by Les Inrocks, who aptly described it as “rhythmic trance”.



Tour dates:

31/03 VILLENEUVE-LA-GARENNE, VIRTUOZ CLUB (FR)
01/04 COPENHAGEN, GLOBAL COPENHAGEN (DK)
02/04 BERLIN, FESTSAAL KREUZBERG (DE)
05/04 VILLEFRANCHE, THEATRE DE VILLEFRANCHE (FR)
06/04 SAINT ETIENNE, LE FIL (FR)
07/04 BOURGOIN-JALLIEU, LES ABATTOIRS / FESTIVAL ELECTROCHOC (FR)

“The United States is a cult, but sometimes people break away”

says McCloud Zicmuse. Listen to his new Le Ton Mité album...





...a treasure trove containing 50 gems, "a sprawling record that refracts the American experience through layers of re-interpretation.... with pieces of jazz, country, roots rock, exotica, R&B and tejano... (Tiny Mix Tapes).

"The Residents' Commercial Album remade at Muscle Shoals...[with] Moondog-influenced stompers" (MOJO) 

An itinerant musician, poet, puppeteer, archer, showman and poet, and American exile in permanent residence in Brussels, McCloud Zicmuse conceived "Passé Composé Futur Conditionnel" during a trip on which he revisited the United States after an absence of 15 years.

Watch Gabriela Gonzalez' video for "Mystery Trail", a track recorded with Deerhoof's John Dieterich on guitar

Face To Face with Aquaserge

Watch the new music video by the brilliant experimental pop band




Aquaserge present the music video for "Virage sud", the first single off their new album "Laisse ça être" to be released on Feb. 3rd.

The video was directed by the band’s bassist Audrey Ginestet and in her own words, "There's something magical watching people listening to music. The face is the reflection of the soul." 

Have a look for yourself…

New video by Lula Pena

"Archivo Pittoresco" released on January 27th. Here is one of the songs, in a new video beautifully directed by Catarina Limão.




We're very happy to announce Lula Pena's new album Archivo Pittoresco will be released on January 27th.

Pes Mou Mia Lexi was written by illustrious Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis: "The title means Give me the Word. I adopted it a few years ago, when Greece was the first EU country to experience economic collapse, and so we were all Greek, in a lexical world.” Lula Pena.

Archivo Pittoresco wonderfully reflects Lula Pena’s inspired wandering: the album’s thirteen tracks often flow seamlessly into one another, as she sings (in Portuguese, French, English, Spanish, Greek, Italian) lyrics and poems by writers as diverse as Violeta Parra, herself or the Belgian surrealist Scutenaire, among others...

HOLIDAY GOODIES FROM CRAMMED DISCS

GET A FREE CRAMMED DISCS TOTE BAG !!!

MINIMAL COMPACT "One (Statik Dancin')" ON VINYL AGAIN!

The vinyl reissue of Minimal Compact's debut mini-album (1981) comes out on Nov 18. It's been remastered from the original tapes, pressed on 180 gr vinyl, and contains a download code.




Fronted by vocalist Samy Birnbach (aka DJ Morpheus, freestyle DJ extraordinaire and compiler of the Freezone series), Minimal Compact were one of the most inspirational bands of the '80s. They blended funky rock rhythms and incisive guitars with flavours from their native Middle East. The band were active from 1981 to 1988, and released 6 studio albums and a live album. They had a large and fanatic following all across Europe and the USA, where some of their tracks became underground club favourites.

The band's line-up consisted of Samy Birnbach (vocals), Rami Fortis (vocals, guitar), Max Franken (drums), Berry Sakharof (guitar, vocals, keyboards) and Malka Spigel (bass, vocals).

Pre-order here

Aksak Maboul 'Revue' show in London

Feat. Laetitia Sadier, Aquaserge & Jaakko Eino Kalevi, this Saturday!
The last show by the Aksak Maboul 'Revue' takes place this Sat. Nov 5. at Kings Place, London. 2h30 of music by Laetitia Sadier, Aquaserge, Jaakko Eino Kalevi & Aksak Maboul, performing each other's music, together & separately. 

Plus DJ sets by Bullion, Capitol K and Hello Skinny.

Tickets & info here

To celebrate this, Jaakko Eino Kalevi has concocted a mixtape with music by all the artists involved. Click here to hear the mixtape

KONONO N°1 & BATIDA say "Bom Dia"!

Les Inrockuptibles premiere the new video by Konono n°1 & Batida, and are dubbing them "Purveyors of Joy"....




The joyful music video illustrating this track from the new Konono n°1 album was shot by Catarina Limão (who is a.o. the VJ in the collective around Batida), during rehearsals for the common live show by the Congolese band and the Angolan-Portuguese electronic musician.

In the lyrics of the song, which mix Kikongo, Portuguese and French, Konono n°1 leader Augustin Mawangu imagines that he fortuitously meets some of his partners (his manager, the boss of his label…) in the streets of Brazil or Australia, reconverted into fish or banana vendors, following the collapse of the music industry… Premonitory vision, warning or plain fun? Future will tell…  



Konono N°1 are on tour in Europe NOW!

DATES here