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PRICE:
$31.50
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ARTIST
TITLE
Congo Guitar
FORMAT
LP

LABEL
CATALOG #
HMRLP 025LP HMRLP 025LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
1/19/2024

Hive Mind and Sing A Song Fighter present their first collaborative release, the amazing solo guitar album from legendary Congolese guitarist Kahanga Dekula aka "Vumbi." Swedish producer Karl-Jonas Winqvist (founder of Sing-A-Song Fighter and member of Senegalese/Swedish act Wau Wau Collectif) has been a longtime fan of Vumbi Dekula's artistry which led to him releasing The Dekula Band's debut album Opika in 2019 with the Dekula Band. While watching the band perform was always a blast, says Karl Jonas, his desire to hear Vumbi play on his own, without the thunderous drums, wailing saxophones and chanting vocals grew in his mind, "Because, in a way, Vumbi's guitar playing is like an orchestra on its own. And the idea of just concentrating on all the amazing riffs and beautiful, uplifting melodies was just so appealing." Karl-Jonas proposed the idea of producing a solo album to Vumbi, and within a week the production process began. Recorded in two days during lockdown at the Helter Skelter Studios in Stockholm, Karl and Vumbi allowed the music to guide them. Vumbi was inspired to play second guitar adding some harmonies and melodies here and there, and on the final track ("UN Forces Get Out of the DR of Congo") he introduced a banjo into the world of Congo Guitar. Karl Jonas started up his old rhythm box machine to some of the songs to see how Vumbi and his playing would react to it. Elsewhere, wordless backing vocals from Karl-Jonas and Emma Nordenstam were added to "Maamajacy," bass melodica by Karl-Jonas appears on "Weekend," and a little piano tinkering from Emma adds some sparkle to "Zuku." But clearly, Vumbi's virtuoso playing remains the star of Congo Guitar.