Kasai Allstars

The Onion reviewed Kasai All Stars debut, In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic, and included a sample of "Mukubu." Like the Animal Collective album, it is unique sounding, built upon repetition complex rhythms. I just downloaded the complete album, and I'm pretty into it. It's different from a lot of what I listen to, and acts as a nice contrast to the rest of my music collection. Some of the songs sound like American blues, and some sound like the blueprint for Western dance music. I place it in the same category as Panda Bear's "Person Pitch," in that it is trancelike but pleasant on the ears. I've been listening to more African music the past few years. It started with Fela Kuti, who I learned about through Pitchfork, and since then I've been sampling things here and there. What I love about African music is that it contains a lot of the rhythmic elements I like, but puts a different spin on it than Western music. African music has become a bit trendy in the indie scenes, with everyone from Vampire Weekend to Abe Vigoda to M.I.A. borrowing ideas from African music.

Of course, the term "African music" is a bit ignorant, since Africa is a very large, diverse continent. The Kasai Allstars are from the Congo, and what they do sounds a lot different from what Nigerian Fela Kuti was doing, the Malawian sounds of The Very Best, or the South African music that inspired Paul Simon's Graceland and then the Vampire Weekend. There is also something vaguely touristy and patronizing about Westerner's interest in African music. No doubt the reasons why an American indie kid might get into music made by people from the Congo or Nigeria or wherever aren't totally pure. Cynicism and suspicion aside, though, there are also legitimate reasons. Most importantly, the music is good. Also, there is something very reaffirming and comforting about listening to music from other cultures. It reminds you that despite our differences, we are all people, and we all share similar emotions and feelings.

The Kasai Allstars album is part of the Crammed label's Congotronic series. Check out their website. The first album in the series, Konono No. 1, is rumored to be a little more accessible.

Mukuba - Kasai Allstars