KONONO NO. 1 - Meets Batida

For this new album, the legendary Congolese band has joined forces with acclaimed Angolan/Portuguese artist Batida aka Pedro Coquenão. Along with producer Vincent Kenis, they convened in Batidas garage-cum-studio in Lisbon with a series of collaborators and friends of Batidas, reflecting the citys vibrant, cosmopolitan music life: guitarist Papa Juju (the leader of Lisbons foremost Afro-fusion band Terrakota), vocalist Selma Uamusse (one of the best young African singers currently residing in Portugal) and MC AF Diaphra, a distinguished slam poet and an artist/producer in his own right. As we all know by now, Konono N°1 are based in Kinshasa, DRC, but originate from the Bakongo ethnic group, which lives in a region straddling the border between the Congo and Angola. Hence certain similarities between Kononos rhythms and some types of Angolan music from which Batida has drawn inspiration for his albums and shows. This encounter was obviously bound to happen… but was nevertheless quite an adventure: blending the worlds of electronics beats and organic grooves was a challenge to which the parties have risen beautifully to create this exciting, unheard-of new strain of Afro-electro music. - Crammed Discs.