Comments on: Congo Style http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/ yet another audio blog Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:29:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: the of mirror eye » Congo Style Pt 3 http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/comment-page-1/#comment-238601 the of mirror eye » Congo Style Pt 3 Sun, 08 Oct 2006 03:48:54 +0000 http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/#comment-238601 [...] Well, the Congo story continues (look here and here) courtesy of Crammed Discs. Congotronics 2 is a continuation of their look into the wild and wooly world of urban music from the Congo. These musicians all employ some native instruments along with more modern ones, homemade amps/electronics and walls of amplifiers to create a very distinctive and distorted sound. Some instruments used by these bands already sound ‘distorted’ when played acoustically, like the buzzing Kasaian drum featured in many songs; most of them are original creations or re-creations, made by the musicians themselves. We already know the electric likembe, or thumb piano, pioneered by Konono No1, with its pickups made of copper telephone wire wound around crushed car alternator magnets. Electric likembes come in different shapes and sizes - you can even sit on some of them, like Masanka Sankayi use for bass; others are designed to play the bass and solo parts at the same time, like Sobanza Mimanisa’s. We also have electric guitars reassembled from parts with origins as divers as Bulgaria, China and Mexico, a hi-hat made from hubcaps and film cans on top of a front axle and wheel held upside down, a rattle made of a steel spring and two sardine cans, a jug made of a drain pipe glued onto a calabash with gaffer tape, etc. (from the liner notes) [...] [...] Well, the Congo story continues (look here and here) courtesy of Crammed Discs. Congotronics 2 is a continuation of their look into the wild and wooly world of urban music from the Congo. These musicians all employ some native instruments along with more modern ones, homemade amps/electronics and walls of amplifiers to create a very distinctive and distorted sound. Some instruments used by these bands already sound ‘distorted’ when played acoustically, like the buzzing Kasaian drum featured in many songs; most of them are original creations or re-creations, made by the musicians themselves. We already know the electric likembe, or thumb piano, pioneered by Konono No1, with its pickups made of copper telephone wire wound around crushed car alternator magnets. Electric likembes come in different shapes and sizes - you can even sit on some of them, like Masanka Sankayi use for bass; others are designed to play the bass and solo parts at the same time, like Sobanza Mimanisa’s. We also have electric guitars reassembled from parts with origins as divers as Bulgaria, China and Mexico, a hi-hat made from hubcaps and film cans on top of a front axle and wheel held upside down, a rattle made of a steel spring and two sardine cans, a jug made of a drain pipe glued onto a calabash with gaffer tape, etc. (from the liner notes) [...]

]]> By: cb http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/comment-page-1/#comment-1729 cb Sun, 24 Apr 2005 16:08:25 +0000 http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/#comment-1729 T - Yeah, I think they also played a show together and, by all accounts, it was an incredibly intense performance. Wish I could've seen it. Troy - Glad you're enjoying the music. Wish I could remember who turned me on to this in the first place... -cb T - Yeah, I think they also played a show together and, by all accounts, it was an incredibly intense performance. Wish I could’ve seen it.

Troy - Glad you’re enjoying the music. Wish I could remember who turned me on to this in the first place…

-cb

]]> By: troy http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/comment-page-1/#comment-1437 troy Sat, 23 Apr 2005 03:29:53 +0000 http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/#comment-1437 this is incredible! thanks for turning me onto it. this is incredible! thanks for turning me onto it.

]]> By: T http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/comment-page-1/#comment-1436 T Fri, 22 Apr 2005 22:48:19 +0000 http://ofmirroreye.net/blog/2005/04/congo-style/#comment-1436 The dutch band The Ex (www.theex.nl) have a tribute/cover of Konono on their last album "turn" ....worth checking out. The dutch band The Ex (www.theex.nl) have a tribute/cover of Konono on their last album “turn” ….worth checking out.

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