Wanga

Throes + The Shine's fiery electronic reconfigurations of kuduro – the popular Angolan dance music of the 1980s – are resolutely geared towards the dance floor. The trio are Portuguese-Angolan and the musical dialogue between these countries is evident: intricate guitar patterns, electro-house sensibility and frenetic drum iterations.

Wanga is their third studio album and for this outing they’ve brought in Portuguese DJ Moullinex to oversee production duties. His highly charged loops and busy grooves give the record a propulsive edge, often possessing significant punch: ‘Guerreros’, for example, is held together by an infectious steel pan motif. There are some inspired features, too, from Congolese-Canadian singer Pierre Kwenders on album opener ‘Capuca’ and Bogotá psychedelic rebels Meridian Brothers on ‘Quentura’.

The tracks are abrasive and the unrelenting feel matches the razor-sharp delivery of vocalist Diron Shine well: ‘Ndele’ is an outstanding example of this. And, although it is quite short for an album – clocking in at just over half an hour – its pace more than makes up for it. Wanga means ‘Spell’ in the Angolan dialect Kimbundu and this title is more than apt; it's a captivating record full of charisma and charm.