Congotronics.Congotronics by Konono No 1 (Crammed cram v. crammed, cram·ming, crams v.tr. 1. To force, press, or squeeze into an insufficient space; stuff. 2. To fill too tightly. 3. a. To gorge with food. CRAW 27 CD) Once the likembe was, like its mbira mbira or thumb piano African musical instrument consisting of a set of tuned metal or bamboo tongues attached to a board or resonator. The tongues are depressed and released with the thumbs and fingers to produce melodies and song accompaniments. cousin, a thumb piano thumb piano n. An African musical instrument, such as the kalimba or mbira, that has a small sound box fitted with a row of tuned tabs that are plucked with the thumbs. producing a bluntish sound which in the hands of a virtuoso was a versatile instrument. Mawangu Mingiedi, founder of Konono No 1, was such a musician. But, on moving to Kinshasa, he soon realized that his likembe needed a little more oomph if it were to cut through the urban noise. Which is how Konono came to make a heap of resonators and speakers out of old cars, microphones and much else besides. Oh, and a percussion section Noun 1. percussion section - the section of a band or orchestra that plays percussion instruments rhythm section, percussion section - a division of an orchestra containing all instruments of the same class of pots and pans, too. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But behind this technical inventiveness, there's a music that, in its mix of old and new, is vibrant and (stand close to the speakers) vibrating vibrating, v using quivering hand motions made across the client's body for therapeutic purposes. . Its roughshod electrification e·lec·tri·fy tr.v. e·lec·tri·fied, e·lec·tri·fy·ing, e·lec·tri·fies 1. To produce electric charge on or in (a conductor). 2. a. literally hums. Congotronics is, bar the megaphone-equipped lance-voix ('voice-throwers'), mostly an instrumental affair. Likembes hammer along, whistles shrill and the percussive per·cus·sive adj. Of, relating to, or characterized by percussion. per·cus  sive·ly adv. patterns get closer in tempo, replicating the raw,
elemental quality that made the first electronic dance records so
exciting. As the band play live in front of a wall of speakers, the
congotronic experience must be formidable, as gut-hitting as a dub
reggae event.
Sympathetically handled by Vincent Kenis, the producer behind a quantity of non-Western and electronic musics, Congotronics retains a live ambience that does it credit. Its emphasis is, nevertheless, on variation; you hear it in the way the themes are mutated and distorted. Small wonder that this is the first volume in a series: the crossover potential for this into experimental, dance and post-rock fields is immense. Rating EXCELLENT LG www.crammed.be REVIEWS EDITOR Vanessa Baird email: vanessab@newint.org REVIEWERS Katharine Ainger Louise Gray Malcolm Lewis Peter Whittaker |
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