Released: 2005
Format: standard album (CD or download)
Songwriting: 6
Performance: 8
Recording: 7
First Impression: 7
Staying Power: 6
In 2005, Vincent Kenis, producer for the Belgian label Crammed Discs, took a trip to Kinshasa, in search of a legendary African folk band called "l'orchestre folklorique tout puissant Konono N°1 de Mingiedi", or Konono N°1 for short. What made this band quite different from their peers was their use of homemade and reclaimed electric pickups, microphones, amplifiers and speakers. Fortunately, after some searching, Kenis not only found the band, but returned with finished recordings of several songs. The result is the album known as "Congotronics". At first blush, it definitely sounds like African tribal dance music. However, upon closer inspection, the very unusual electric distortion becomes apparent. The distortion is such in integral part of the music that it is nearly impossible to fathom the music in a more traditional, acoustic form. In essence, it is much like rock & roll but with a completely different foundation. As fascinating as it is, I still have to dock a couple of marks for a few songs that sound alike.
Suggested sample track: "Paradiso"
Recommendation: You'll probably either love or hate it, so sample some tracks on Grooveshark and decide for yourself.
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