Millions of Us

Ten tracks into Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness’ (BCUC) Millions of Us, there's a message from Jovi Nkosi to producer Sam Jones. Actually ‘Bonus Track One: ‘Now We Are Getting Closer to Home’ Nkosi’ is more than a message. In just under three minutes, the BCUC vocalist transmits a manifesto of sorts. ‘This one makes me feel like I am in a traditional ceremony, Sam, it's a trance. It's like people are gathered with the intention of a trance,’ says Nkosi, later adding, ‘I like that we are taking it out of the big festival and now it is beginning to sound like a small concert.’

It was, in fact, at the smallest of concerts in downtown Johannesburg – probably no more than 20 people were in the audience – that I first encountered the mighty sounds of BCUC and became a believer in the music conjured up by Zithulele ‘Jovi’ Zabani Nkosi, Kgomotso Neo Mokone Letlhogonolo Atlarelang Maphunye, Thabo Saul ‘Luja’ Ngoepe, Daniel Thabo ‘Cheex’ Mangel, Ephraim Skhumbuzo Mahlangu and Mosebetsi Jan Nzimande.

That was more than a decade ago and since then, the Soweto-based seven-piece have become one of the world's best live bands, gathering devoted fans as they traverse Europe, the UK and more, playing so frequently it's no surprise that we’ve had to wait so long for their first full album.

In fact, you won't find Nkosi's message on the digital album, released on June 2. It is one of the seven additional tracks available on Bandcamp which turn Millions of Us into a 13-track epic that includes a trio of single B-sides, among them ‘Searching’, one of the group's most quietly beautiful songs, carried by whistles and hymn-like backing vocals and reflecting on BCUC's past, present and future.

At the album's core are six songs – well, four if you consider that the title track can be listened to as a stunning, single 19 minute 53 second experience but, for the digital release, is split into Part one, Part two and Part three. Playing with form – including how to present their recorded music to the world – is a BCUC signature, because even though the band's music has been described as ‘Afro-psychedelic future pop’, there really is no easy way to file this music. It's ancient. It's cosmic. It's transcendent. It's indigenous. It's punk. It is music for the people, by the people, with the people, as Nkosi reminds us on ‘Thonga Lami (Cosmic LP Mix)’.

With this, their ‘elusive album’ as the band describes it, BCUC want us to gather – live or in our private spaces –, millions of us, together disseminating the title track's central message: to never stop the music, to have knowledge of self, to have pride in self, to meet hate with love. ‘If hate fights with so much passion, then love must fight with passion,’ says Nkosi on ‘Millions of Us Part Three’ and we’re right there with him and his bandmates at the frontline. With this evocation, Millions of Us might just be the most powerful reminder you will get this year that music really can set your mind free.