Stewart Smith
African music has long been a major part of Celtic Connections. In addition to Beninois superstar Angelique Kidjo, who performs with the RSNO tomorrow, this year's programme boasts a diverse range of cult acts with raw and innovative takes on traditional sounds from the continent.
Sadly, Visa problems have caused the cancellation of Orlando Julius's appearance at The Arches on Saturday January 24, but all is not lost, for the Nigerian maestro has been replaced by sharp young Ghanaian funkateers Vaudou Game.
Making their Scottish debut at O2 ABC on Thursday January 29, Konono No. 1 are one of the most exciting groups on the planet. Active since the late 1960s, the group made its international breakthrough in 2004 with the release of Congotronics. Their style has its roots in traditional Bambozo music, but in order to be heard over the hubbub of Kinshasha's streets, founder Mingiedi Mawungu decided to amplify their instruments through a DIY sound system, creating a remarkable new sound in the process.
Central to the Konono sound are likembe thumb pianos of different sizes, played by Mingiedi, his son Augustin, and various accomplices. The distorted, warmly metallic tones of the likembe carry melodic patterns and riffs over junkyard percussion and hand drums, while vocal melodies, chants and whistles add to the carnival atmosphere. With their lo-fi sound and ecstatic build-ups, Konono No. 1 have won a cult following among fans of experimental music and electronica; small wonder then that Björk sought them out to collaborate on her 2007 hit Earth Intruders. An intensely joyous live experience, Konono No. 1 will make you dance in ways you thought unimaginable.
Support on the night comes from Tuareg guitar hero Bombino. Coming to prominence via Sublime Frequencies' riveting Guitars From Agadez series, the young axeman from Niger amps up Tuareg blues with a heavy dose of funk and rock. While 2013's Nomad, produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, was slightly disappointing, Bombino's songs and serpentine guitar licks are sure to electrify in a live setting. Offering a tighter, more melodic take on desert blues are Malian quartet Songhoy Blues, who play the Afro-Celtic Wire To The World event at the Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 24 and headline their own Oran Mor show the following night. Formed in Bamako in 2012, Songhoy Blues feature on Damon Albarn's latest Africa Express recording and are set to release their debut album, produced by Nick Zinner of New York art-rockers The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, in February.
Credited by Brian Eno with creating one of the three crucial rhythms of the 1970s (the others being James Brown's funk beat and Neu's motorik), Tony Allen is, along with the legendary Fela Kuti, the originator of afrobeat. Fusing jazz and highlife with the polyrhythms of traditional Yoruba music, the master drummer created the jittery yet fluid grooves which drove Kuti's revolutionary songs. Since striking out on his own in 1979, Allen has built on the afrobeat template with elements of reggae, dub, electronica and hip-hop. His excellent 2014 album, Film Of Life, features contributions from Damon Albarn, with whom Allen has worked in The Good The Bad And The Queen and Rocket Juice And The Moon.
Support for Allen's Saturday January 31 gig at The Arches comes from London's terrific Ibibio Sound Machine, whose feverish blend of Nigerian music, pop and electronica is a guaranteed party starter. Their 2014 debut album pulses with inspired soundclashes: acid house with juju, afrobeat with Italo disco. It's an eclectic sound and an apt reflection of Celtic Connections' intrepid sonic mapping.
www.celticconnections.com
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