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Konono Nr 1, "Congotronics"
Nowadays, most people would associate the term "electronic music" withbedroom musicians and beardos tweaking samplers and laptops; runningsoftware packed with a ridiculous amount of synth pads and beats in avirtual studio environment. It's easy to overlook the fact that one ofthe more common elements in music from the latter half of the twentiethcentury, the electric guitar, was one of the earliest "electronic"instruments.Moving forward with that theory, the electric amplification of justabout any instrument would then be found to be performing electronicmusic. It's the subsequent treatments, compositions, orchestrations andarrangements that splinter the musics into their various cultures andclassifications. Hailing from Kinshasa, the capital city of theDemocratic Republic of Congo, Konono No1 are a musical and dancecollective who have taken somewhat of a reverse concept with theamplification of their likembes (traditional African thumb pianos) tocreate a unique sound. Formed 25 years ago by likembevirtuoso, Mingiedi, Konono No1 have changed the traditional soundassociated with the thumb piano in amplifying it with homemademicrophones and a sound system built using old car parts. Coupled withpots and pans percussion playing upbeat, traditional African rhythmsheld together with a steady pulse, the unexpected yet distinctdistorted tones of the various pitches of likembes are riffed by theirplayers as if they were rock guitarists: edgy and heavy-handed with abit of flash. Throw in some call and response chants and you've gothigh life in overdrive. Although tracks such as the opener "LufualaNdonga," "Masikulu," and "Ungudi Wele Wele" are fairly similar inarrangement, the various bass likembe patterns give each track adifferent feel with locked-in grooves that have the same hypnoticeffect of a great dub recording, despite the brisk tempo. Therepetitive motif of "Kule Kule" supports several polyrhythmic linesthat displace and resolve themselves in the spirit of such moderncomposers as Steve Reich. Even though a few of the same motifs cumriffs appear in multiple compositions on Congotronics,the likembe sounds and performances don't detract from their usage.These guys could play "Chopsticks" for a full seven minutes and stillmake it totally hip! I can only hope that Konono No1 someday make it toNorth America (oh, you lucky Europeans that got to see 'em withTortoise). I would imagine that the mix of visuals from the traditionaldancers and sounds from the musicians is the type of thing that mindsare blown by.
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