Karindula Sessions: Tradi-Modern Sounds from Southeast Congo

Following the runaway success stories of Staff Benda Bilili and Konono No.1 in recent years, Crammed Discs now presents more incredible tradi-modern music from a different corner of the Congo.
After introducing the now-famous electrified traditional music of Congolese capital Kinshasa, Congotronics producer Vincent Kenis travelled to the mining city of Lubumbashi to record and film four Karindula bands during a 3-day mini-festival. Their wild, raw and dynamic performances are documented on this 90+ minute DVD and 79 minute audio CD.
In Katanga (south-eastern Congo), young local musicians have created their own tradimodern style of music, which they call Karindula, a word which also designates the main instrument they use - a giant banjo made out of an oil barrel, a goat skin and four strings.
The Karindula style is heavily influenced by Bemba and Luba traditional music, with some hints of reggae. Karindula bands mainly perform at mourning ceremonies, and are feared for their sometimes very provocative and rebellious lyrics. The four bands appearing on this audiovisual album are BBK, Bana Simba, Bena Ngoma and Bana Lupemba. The festival was organized at the last minute and took place in the street, with no amplification whatsoever. A rotating cast of guest dancers and performers add an engaging, and at times edgy, visual component to the music and a crowd of excited children, aged from 2 to 12, often participate in call-and-response exchanges with the bands.