Konono N°1 at HAU 1 / Friday, 20.05.2016

L´orchestre folklorique T.P. Konono N° 1 was founded over 40 years ago by the legendary Mingiedi, a virtuoso of the likembe (the traditional instrument sometimes called “thumb piano” consisting of metal rods attached to a wooden resonator).

The band’s line-up includes two electric likembés equipped with hand-made microphones built from magnets salvaged from old car parts and plugged into amplifiers. There’s a rhythm section which uses traditional and makeshift percussion (pans, pots and car parts) and a peculiar sound system including megaphones dating from the colonial period. Mingiedi passed away in spring 2015, but his legacy and the Orchestra he once founded live on!

http://https://youtu.be/Los0qjV9Ecg

The members of the group come from an area which sits right across the border between Congo and Angola. Their repertoire draws largely on Bazombo trance music, to which they added the originally unwanted distortion of their sound system.

Worldwide reactions to their debut album “Congotronics 1” were exceptional, and made the band a household name in the dance and alternative rock scenes as well as in world music circles: they played festivals such as Sonar, Coachella and The Big Chill.

[vimeo 163659731 w=620&h=300]

Meanwhile an army of celebrity admirers gathered, including Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Beck, Björk (whose album ‘Volta’ featured a guest Konono performance), and Herbie Hancock, to whose ‘Imagine Project’ they contributed. Konono N° 1 have been remixed by Mark Ernestus, Micachu & The Shapes, Burnt Friedman and Optimo, among many others.

This event is presented by Digital in Berlin. Check out our Facebook page to win tickets.

Konono N°1

Friday, 20th May 2016 | 20:00 CET
HAU 1 | Stresemannstr. 29 | 10963 Berlin/Kreuzberg

crammed.be | hebbel-am-ufer.de

 

You May Also Like