Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound

Along with the magnificent Konono No 1, Kasai Allstars played a key role in the Congotronics movement, creating wild, hypnotic music in which electric guitars were matched against amplified and distorted likembé (thumb piano), xylophones and insistent chanting vocals. They may have been influenced by traditional styles, but they appealed to fans of electronica and alt-rock as well as African music. Now, 13 years on from the release of their snappily-titled debut In the 7th Moon, the Chief Turned into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy by Magic, comes their fourth album, in which drum programming is now introduced into the mix. The songs are more varied, and sophisticated, and range from the rhythmic, easy-going ‘Like a Dry Leaf on a Tree’ to tracks that suddenly switch direction or build in intensity. So ‘Baba Bende’, which features both male and female singers, starts gently and ends up as an exuberant, chanting workout, while on ‘Allstars All Around’ a trance-like opening gives way to frantic interplay between guitar, likembé and percussion. Congotronics lives on – and I’m pleased to see that Vincent Kenis, the man behind so many Congo classics, was involved in mixing the set.