"In the 7th moon,
the chief turned into a swimming fish
and ate the head of his enemy by magic"
...is the title of the full-length debut album by KASAI ALLSTARS,
out soon on Crammed Discs.
Kasaï Allstars is a collective revolving around 25 musicians from six bands, all from the Kasaï region, but originating from five different ethnic groups, each with their own culture, their own language and their own musical traditions, which were always thought to be incompatible until these musicians decided to pool their resources and form this "superband".
Kasaï Allstars' music is powerful and sophisticated, driving and raw. It blends acoustic instruments with electric guitars, distortion-laden thumb pianos (with DIY amplification) and soulful vocals. Compared to Konono N°1 (whose minimal and effective sound has been massively adopted by the international electronica, world music and alternative rock scenes), Kasaï Allstars use a broader array of instruments & textures, and more complex, wilder polyrhythms… They often sound like some kind of retro-futurist primeval rock band ("This is rock sucked back to the continent of its birth to be granted a glorious resurrection", wrote UK magazine The Word)
The songs on this album are directly drawn from festive and ritual music played in the bush before the arrival of the Europeans. These traditional sounds were successively fought by the colonial authorities, by the missionaries and by the increasingly-influential Congolese evangelist sects: the highly erotic dances and the pagan trance ceremonies were considered satanic and unholy, and were gradually banned. Even the actual traditional instruments all but disappeared.
The cultural aspect of their work is important to them, but the members of the Kasaï Allstars collective are first and foremost musicians and performers, who decided to try and combine their respective traditions, styles, languages and instruments. This process (which means that they often have to invent new parts, and adapt certain musical patterns for instruments that normally don't play them), as well as the band's interaction with Western amplification and production techniques through their collaboration with the producer of the album, Vincent Kenis, gives an exciting and very creative angle to the project.
Part of the special appeal of Kasaï Allstars' music comes from the diversity and charisma of the band's vocalists (no less than six of them perform lead vocals on the album) and instrumentalists.
Kasaï Allstars will be touring in Europe, Asia and America with a streamlined (!) line-up of 14 musicians, singers and dancers. Their live show is really something not to be missed. The wild, driving rhythms and exhilarating vocals are as exciting as those heard on this album, and are further enhanced by spectacular dancing (including a re-creation of the feast of the new moon, to which the title of this record refers).
Kasaï Allstars are heavily featured in the acclaimed album Congotronics 2: Buzz‘n’Rumble in the Urb'n'Jungle , as 5 out of the 9 tracks are either by them or by their "sub-groups" Masanka Sankayi and Basokin.
The line-up
Kasaï Allstars' line-up of 14 includes two electric guitars, two electric likembés, two balafons, several percussionists and dancers, and the following lead singers:
Tandjolo is from the Tetela region, which links Kasai to the Equator province. His lokole (a deep-sounding trapezoidal slit drum hung across the shoulder and played while standing up) is at the same time a very versatile bass drum (it plays 8 different notes), a demanding dancing partner (it weights a ton), and a giant cell phone (lokoles were traditionally used for long-distance conversations). Tandjolo is also a very gifted atalaku (singer/shouter/entertainer).
Exhilarating, raucous and intense, Muambuyi's singing style contrasts sharply with most Congolese female vocalists, usually confined to the « restrained but sexy housewife » image. Muambuyi is also considered as one of the best dancers of West Kasaï.
Muyamba Nyunyi and Kabongo Tshisense (Masanka Sankayi's two front-men) have been together as a duet since the Seventies. Dancers, singers, story-tellers, their wry sense of humor comes out best in Tshiluba but also in French : check Congotronics 2 for Kabongo's very own rendition of a XVIIe century fable by Jean de la Fontaine. Muyamba is also an excellent bass likembe player.
Basokin frontman Mputu 'Mi Amor' is a renowned spokeman for the Kasaï community as well as one of its sharpest social commentators ; he's a great dancer, too (with the red dress on).
Press quotes (on Congotronics 2)
"This is rock sucked back to the continent of its birth to be granted a glorious resurrection" (The Word, UK)
"Effortlessly funky and mesmerizing… Reveals the depth of a music scene as vibrant
and unique as any in the world." (Pitchfork, USA)
"Circling guitar riffs supplement the thumb pianos and percussion which dominate Konono N°1's sound… More textural and melodic variety, even though they share the same love of distortion and intoxicating repetition" (The Independent, UK)
"Good news: there's more where Konono come from, and Crammed Discs knows where to find it !" (Dusted, USA)
"Somewhere, Brian Eno exhales in delight at something close to his 25-year old vision of a psychedelic Africa" (Village Voice, USA)
"One of the wildest records of the year, as distorted and dirty, beautiful and funky as James Brown or Fela Kuti" (The Observer, UK)
