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Konono Nº1 - Discography (2004-2019)

Konono Nº1 - Discography (2004-2019)

BAND/ARTIST: Konono Nº1

Konono No.1's "Congotronics" album introduced the world to the strange and spectacular electro-traditional mixtures which are being concocted in the suburbs of Kinshasa, Congo. World music, electronica and avant-rock aficionados have all been equally amazed by this otherworldly music, which has driven the international press to come up with some surprising comparisons (from Can and Krautrock to Jimi Hendrix, Lee Perry and proto-techno!...).

The band was founded back in the 1960s by Mingiedi Mawangu, a virtuoso of the likembé (a traditional instrument sometimes called "sanza" or "thumb piano", consisting of metal rods attached to a resonator). By experimenting with magnets salvaged from old car parts, Mingiedi invented and gradually improved his own electrified likembe, which he plugged into a guitar amplifier. The band's line-up includes two or three electric likembés (bass, medium and treble), a rhythm section which uses traditional as well as makeshift percussion (pans, pots and car parts), singers, dancers and a sound system featuring these famous megaphones.

The musicians come from an area which sits right across the border between Congo and Angola. Their repertoire draws largely on Bazombo trance music, but they've had to incorporate the originally-unwanted distorsions of their sound system. This has made them develop a unique style which, from a sonic viewpoint, has accidentally connected them with the aesthetics of the most experimental forms of rock and electronic music, as much through their sounds than through their sheer volume (they play in front of a wall of speakers) and their merciless grooves.

The first Konono N°1 recording to come out outside of the Congo was a track included in the Zaïre: Musiques Urbaines à Kinshasa compilation, recorded in 1978 by Bernard Treton for the Ocora label, and released during the ‘80s. This track struck the imagination of Belgian musician and producer Vincent Kenis, who set out to find the band during his numerous trips to the Congo. He finally located them in the early 2000s, and recorded their first album, entitled Congotronics, which came out in 2004 on Crammed Discs., and was the the inaugural release in Crammed's Congotronics series, devoted to the exciting electro/traditional musical hybrids from the Congo.
The release of Congotronics created a sensation. The band’s wild, hypnotic sound made it an instant success with media, and with indie rock & electronic music artists and audiences across the world. The press went hyperbolic, and the enthusiasm was as remarkable among musicians: Konono became a reference, and was quoted as a major source of inspiration by numerous artists, from Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Wilco, CocoRosie and Animal Collective to Thom Yorke, Björk, Beck...


The band appeared on the second album in the series, the multi-artist CD+DVD entitled "Congotronics 2: Buzz'n'Rumble From The Urb'n'Jungle" (2005).

Then came the live album "Live at Couleur Café" (nominated for a Grammy in 2008), and the band's second, official full-length "Assume Crash Position" (2010).

In the meantime, the band was invited by Björk to collaborate on the song Earth Intruders, co-produced by Timbaland, for her Volta album. They then played some US shows with her in 2007. Konono N°1 also collaborated with Herbie Hancock for his album The Imagine Project, recording a song along with Seal, Pink, India.Arie, Jeff Beck, Oumou Sangare and others. The song earned the Grammy Award for “Best Pop Collaboration” in 2011.


In 2010, Crammed Discs released "Tradi-Mods Vs. Rockers", a multi-artist album containing interpretations, covers and tributes to the music of Kasai Allstars, Konono No.1 and other Congotronics bands, recorded by 26 indie rock and electronic musicians, including a.o. Deerhoof, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Juana Molina, Shackleton, Megafaun, Aksak Maboul, Mark Ernestus and others.

In 2011, Konono No.1 took part in the Congotronics vs Rockers project, a "superband" including ten Congolese and ten indie rock musicians (also including members of Deerhoof, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Kasai Allstars, Skeletons and Juana Molina), who collaborated to create a common repertoire and performed at 15 major festivals and venues in ten countries.

Konono No.1 have performed at major rock & electronic music festivals such as Coachella, ATP (at the invitation of the Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening), Sonar, The Big Chill, and in venues such as the Berghrain club in Berlin, Cafe Oto in London, where they recently recorded a memorable Boiler Room session.

Konono No.1 founder Mingiedi Mawangu died on April 15, 2015, at the age of 85. He had stopped touring with the band in the late 2000s, and had passed the torch to his son Augustin Makuntima Mawangu.

2016 sees the release of a new album, Konono N°1 meets Batida

Albums
2004 Congotronics CD-Rip
2004 Lubuaku CD-Rip
2007 Live at Couleur Cafe 16-44.1 FLAC
2010 Assume Crash Position CD-Rip
2016 Konono No. 1 Meets Batida CD-Rip

Tracklist:

2004 Congotronics
01. Konono No. 1 - Lufuala Ndonga
02. Konono No. 1 - Masikulu
03. Konono No. 1 - Kule Kule
04. Konono No. 1 - Ungudi Wele Wele
05. Konono No. 1 - Paradiso
06. Konono No. 1 - Kule Kule Reprise
07. Konono No. 1 - Mama Liza

2004 Lubuaku (Live in Vera)
01. Konono No. 1 - Zeyisalangayizama
02. Konono No. 1 - Ditshe Tshiekutala
03. Konono No. 1 - Ku Hollande
04. Konono No. 1 - Mokanda Mbuta
05. Konono No. 1 - Kulekule
06. Konono No. 1 - Libala Mbanda / Konono Wawawa
07. Konono No. 1 - Ngudi Vakanda / Lufua-Luangdonga

2007 Live At Couleur Café
01. Konono No. 1 - Intro
02. Konono No. 1 - A.E.I.O.U
03. Konono No. 1 - Nsimba & Nzuzi
04. Konono No. 1 - Zey Isa Langa
05. Konono No. 1 - Kule Kule
06. Konono No. 1 - Mama Liza
07. Konono No. 1 - Mama Na Bana
08. Konono No. 1 - Outro

2010 Assume Crash Position
01. Konono No 1 - Wumbanzanga
02. Konono No 1 - Thin Legs
03. Konono No 1 - Mama Na Bana
04. Konono No 1 - Makembe
05. Konono No 1 - Fula Fula
06. Konono No 1 - Guiyome
07. Konono No 1 - Konono Wa Wa Wa
08. Konono No 1 - Nakobala Lisusu Te

2016 Konono N°1 meets Batida
01. Konono Nº1 - Nlele Kalusimbiko
02. Konono Nº1 - Yambadi Mama
03. Konono Nº1 - Tokolanda
04. Konono Nº1 - Bom Dia
05. Konono Nº1 - Kinsumba
06. Konono Nº1 - Nzonzing Família
07. Konono Nº1 - Kuna America
08. Konono Nº1 - Um Nzonzing

2019 Kinshasa 1978 (Originals and Reconstructions)
01. Sankayi - Il ne faut pas intervenir (Martin Meissonnier reconstruction) (15:47)
02. Konono Nº1 - Roots of K (Martin Meissonnier reconstruction) (6:20)
03. Orchestre Bambala - Animation Kifuti (Martin Meissonnier reconstruction) (7:28)
04. Orchestre Bana Luya - Animation (Martin Meissonnier reconstruction) (15:33)
05. Konono Nº1 - Kin 78 One (28:05)
06. Orchestre Bana Luya - Kin 78 Two (15:03)
07. Orchestre Bambala - Kin 78 Three (12:06)
08. Sankayi - Kin 78 Four (22:25)



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  • nilesh65
  •  wrote in 02:16
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Thank you so much!!!