Legendary Congolese band Konono N°1 has collaborated with Portuguese producer Batida on a new LP quite simply called Konono N°1 Meets Batida. It follows the passing of founder Mingiedi Mawangu at the age of 85 last year; his son Augustin Makuntima Mawangu has led the band for the past few years. Album standout "Um Nzonzing" whips up a whirlpool of percussive elements: metallic, wooden, electronic, vocal, drum skin, and air. To listen is to lose yourself; it's a massage for your gray matter.
"The title of the song, 'Um Nzonzing,' includes a word in Portuguese, Batida's language: 'um' meaning 'a,'" Konono N°1 leader Augustin Makuntima Mawangu told The FADER over email. "And a word in our Kinshasa slang, 'nzonzing,' which refers to a musical activity that is performed outside the regular framework. This really summarizes the album in a nutshell. After our exciting adventures with the Congotronics vs Rockers live project (in which we worked with Deerhoof, Juana Molina, etc), we were eager to do a full album in collaboration with a rock or electronic music artist, and working with Batida was a great experience. This song is a great example of how we blended our respective rhythms and sounds."
Belgian label Crammed Discs will release Konono N°1 Meets Batida on April 29 (pre-order here).
