the of mirror eye

* Sobanza Mimanisa: Kiwembo (10.0 mb)
* Basokin feat. Mi Amor: Mulume (14.0 mb)
From Congotronics 2 : Crammed Discs : Craw 29

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)

There are some amazingly wild sounds on this disc and if you’re at all familiar with Konono No1, then you have a bit of an idea what to expect. But don’t worry, there’re still many differences among the bands on this compilation. Here’s hoping that Crammed Discs comes out with many more Congo compilations.

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