Founded some 25 years ago down on the Congo-Angolan border but now based in the suburbs of Kinshasa, Konono No 1 are an intense, compelling and downright bizarre outfit who seem determined to turn all concepts of classic Congolese pop upside down. There are no lilting guitars, harmony vocals or gentle dance rhythms here, but rather a furious and complex onslaught that could well appeal to followers of experimental rock and electronic dance styles - even though the music is based on traditional African trance songs.
The key ingredients are the likembes, the traditional "thumb pianos" (a series of metal rods attached to a resonator) which are then amplified and distorted through a makeshift sound system, along with chanting vocals, whistles and constantly shifting drum patterns. The result is a rhythmic, gloriously frantic album that includes echoes of anything from blues, dub and rap through to bursts of line-and-response chanting and slinky riffs, along with passages of wild improvisation on the likembes that at times sounds like free-form jazz.
This could be one of the unexpected successes of the year. Play it very loud.
