Sometimes you hear of bands being called DIY bands because they produce their own albums. Doing everything themselves, from recording in the studio to printing and releasing the actual CDs. Rarely do you hear about a band that takes it to the next level by creating their own instruments from scratch. Konono No. 1, a band that hails from Congo and Angola, has made most of their equipment from items found in junkyards, including a microphone carved out of wood that uses a magnet from a car alternator. I first heard this track off of a CD that I bought at an African art exhibit in Tokyo and after listening to it once, I was hooked. The instruments that stand out the most in this song are the likembé (pictured on their album cover), traditional thumb pianos that the band has outfitted with pickups. The band combines a mix of traditional instruments with electronic distortion that makes for an amazing sound that will put you in a blissful trance. Paradiso is off of their first full length album titled Congotronics and they are set to release their new album, Assume Crash Position in May, 2010 on Crammed Discs Records.
Listen to “Paradiso” Here
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