Some words look great together: free drink, kiss me, cease fire (although Dorothy Parker says they are “cheque enclosed”), and Congo funk! fits right into the list; especially in the company of that exclamation mark.
Congo Funk! is released by Analog Africa, an amazing label run by Frankfurt-based crate digger Samy Ben Redjeb. They have been panning for musical gold in the African continent for over a decade now and releasing a bewildering array of great music such as the compilations Bitori // Legend Of Funaná – The Forbidden Music of The Cape Verde Islands, Space Echo – The Mystery Behind the Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde Finally Revealed!, Senegal 70 – Sonic Gems & Previously Unreleased Recordings from the 70s, and Siriá – The mythical sound of northern Brasil. Their aesthetic is every bit as meticulous as their musical selection with every cover a wonder of design; something that works especially well if you’re buying the vinyl editions.
This release is born out of two trips to Africa – one to Kinshasa the other to Brazzaville where 14 songs were selected from thousands all showcasing the amazing music coming from banks of the Congo River (the second longest river in Africa; ninth longest in the world). From the opening track ‘Sungu Lubuka’ by Petelo Vicka et Son Nzazi everything you could want is there: rousing horns, seductive flutes, guitars bobbing and weaving around bass lines, drums and percussion and some fine uplifting vocals.
The great fact I learned from the press release was the influence of James Brown on the Congolese music industry. Brown played in Zaire for the Ali -v- Forman ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ and inspired a generation of musicians to mix electric guitar, psych and funk in with Rumba beats. You can hear that on ‘M.B.T.’s Sound’ by the M.B.T.’s.
If it’s one thing you learn when diving into any Analog Africa album is they know how to keep the energy up, and their albums flow beautifully from the opening crackle to the run-out groove. Congo Funk! is a shining example of what makes them one of the most exciting labels currently releasing new and legacy African music and it’s such a fine example of how someone’s passion can become a business that brings so much joy to western ears. To paraphrase Parliament “make my funk the C-funk, I wants to get funked up!”
Analog Africa socials: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter
Review by Paul F Cook
Keep up to date with all new content on Joyzine via our
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Mailing List