De Affaire pt. 5 - Konono N° 1

Yesterday evening was beautiful along the Waal river downtown Nijmegen... The sun was setting over the river and my wife and I were dancing (a little) to some excellent live music thanks to another great group featured in De Affaire. This was the third night in a row we'd made our way through the maddening crowds to the Valkhof park for this section of Nijmegen's week-long free open-air concerts...

Wednesday, July 18, 2007, 20:30 - Konono N° 1
Hailing from the Congo region of Africa, this group mixes a traditional sound with modern experimental aesthetics... Originally this mix, which has gained them so much popularity, was unintentional. Now they embrace it. Three likembe, or thumb piano, players are joined by percussionists to create beautiful grooves. These likembes are all amplified through homemade electronic systems, which distort the sound in the most trance-inducing way... So what you hear is beautiful, otherworldly African music with a slightly psychedelic and noisy twist that will definitely make you start moving. There was a dancer on stage who also helped out on vocals occasionally. The group plays very long songs alternating between a theme on the likembes (treble, middle, and bass) and vocal segments where the likembes do rhythmic backing, with the percussion pounding away the whole time. The bass likembe was incredible, and they played such haunting melodies on the other two... It was really an unforgettable experience there on the river banks in the sunset.

I had heard of this group through a fellow worker (Bo) at Manifest Discs in North Carolina a year or so ago while I was working there. He had seen them live in New York, I believe, and played the CD for us in the store. I remember loving it, but I hadn't heard them since, so I was thrilled to get to see them live here in my own town! This is what I have to share with you: