Baloji - Kinshasa Succursale

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 9 / 12 / 2011

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Review

The bar was raised absurdly high after the splendid and absolutely magnificent Congotronics series was released on Crammed. Back to reality, as Baloji leads us through la musique moderne du monde Afro-Francophone. 'Laissez Moi L'Espoir' - Let me keep my hopes - sets the tone for this message-over music, thirteen track album. Baloji is not the bragging kind of rapper. Behind the shame - la honte - and the horror - l'affronte - lie the dangers of fear and most particularly of standing the test of having left his home country. When he sounds like he is punching above his weight, he merely explains where he comes from and how he now lives in Brussels. Backed on 'Karibu Ya Bintou' by the uninimitable Konono Numéro Une, without the exhilirating and near orgasmic effect that Konono is capable of, Baloji next returns to true Kinshasa soul music on 'Congo Eza Ya Biso' with La Chorale de la Grâce. Voila, voila, this provides a throwback to the magnificently uplifting music that older listeners to the John Peel and Andy Kershaw shows may remember came with the the slick licks of the likes of Dibulo Dibalo. Part of the mystery remains in the Congolese-French lyrics and on 'Á l'Heure d'Eté' African ska is next. In a very subtle manner it merges dub reggae with deep Kinshasa guitar riffs. This builds the rhythm with which Baloji finds himself most comfortable with. Screaming out like that Jay Hawkins, we stroll seamlessly into the Shaft-theme like funkiness of 'La Petite Espèce'. Imagine 1970s P-Funk drenched in Afro sauce. 'La Folie de la Grandeur' touches on what made this world turn into the self-prophecy of a big financial crisis and, like in the greatest blues and soul music of all-time, such words over joyous music make you ponder the best way ahead. 'Nazongi Ndako' takes a next turn, where for the first time Baloji appears to lose himself somewhere along the line, and, as if the engineer had a sense of this, 'Kyniwa-Kyniwa', which comes next, brings with it an even greater refinement of that Afro-reggae feel that makes most of the tracks on the 'Kinshasa Succursale' so formidable. It provides high hopes for what comes next. 'Tout Ceci Ne Vous Rendra Pas Le Congo' - all this does not represent the Congo - even brings on a congotronics type of heavy metal riffs, resulting in a chant which ought to be endorsed by the Occupy movement. Golddigging, mercenary armies, the Congo has seen it all. Mind you, we're talking Kinshasa music and little Congo music here here. Such resentment gets muffled down on the closing track, 'Kesho'.

Track Listing:-

1 Le Jour D'Après / Siku Ya Baabaye (Indépendance Cha-Cha)
2 Tshena Ndekela
3 Karibu Ya Bintou
4 Congo Eza Ya Biso (Le Secours Populaire)
5 De L'Autre Côté De La Mère
6 À L'Heure D'Été / Saison Sèche
7 La Petite Espèce (Bumbafu Version)
8 Nazongi Ndako (Part 1)
9 Nazongi Ndako (Part 2)
10 Kyniwa-Kyniwa
11 Genèse 89
12 Tout Ceci Ne Vous Rendra Pas Le Congo (Part 1)
13 Kesho
14 Karibu Ya Bintou (déBruit Remix)
15 Indépendance Cha-Cha (G77 Remix)

Band Links:-

https://fr-fr.facebook.com/BALOJIoffic
http://www.baloji.com/
https://twitter.com/BALOJI
https://www.instagram.com/baloji/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCII3z
http://baloji.tumblr.com/

Label Links:-

http://www.crammed.be/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crammed
https://twitter.com/CrammedDiscs
https://www.youtube.com/user/CrammedDi
https://plus.google.com/+CrammedDiscs
https://crammed.greedbag.com/