Congolese band Kin’gongolo Kiniata’s name is a Lingala-language reference to the sounds of metal oil barrels being moved down the streets during the power cuts that marked 2000s Kinshasa. The group translates it as “the crushing sound”. In some ways, it’s apt; their dense grooves and bold sounds make for a hefty blend. All the same, the five members of Kin’gongolo Kiniata approach their music with care, translating into a finesse that is still fresh and layered.
From this balance of restraint and bombast emerges their debut album, Kiniata. It features rumba-influenced rock played on largely handmade instruments. Powered by the DIY spirit and strong collective chemistry, it’s a strong contender for one of the year’s most exciting records so far.
After welcoming listeners with lively “Toye Mabe”, the first moment of genuinely letting loose is on the antiphonic “Kingongolo”. Each member engages in the call-and-response vocal work here, the group’s name a rallying call over nimble instrumentation: one-string guitar and metallic and plastic percussion over a swaying two-string bassline. It’s tight and lively, evoking the rhythms of street vendor performances and exuding the warmth of natural camaraderie. This closeness is a foundation underlying every tone and tempo here, just as present in the melancholy harmonies of “Angoisse” as in the quick and well-coordinated beats of “Liseki Te”, and so forth.
Kiniata‘s themes are moral, personal, and political, a range that centers the band’s youthful Congolese perspectives and works hand in hand with its diversity of sounds. The anti-war and anti-colonialist messages of “Toko Lemba Te” complement the social commentary inherent in the parenting fable of “Lowi”. Both are examples of the group’s advocacy for a better future for Kinshasa. The strength of this orientation offers yet another example of the many dimensions of harmony inherent to the Kin’gongolo Kiniata ethos, connecting music, performers, listeners, and all of their roots in a complex system with clear direction.
Kin’gongolo Kiniata’s many means of harmonizing give them a solid base from which to set off a plethora of sonic sparks. Bebe Mingé often strums the single string of his guitar at high speeds, contrasting and yet interwoven with Djino’s funky bass. Percussionists Leebruno (on metallic percussion), Mille Baguettes (on tele-drums), and Ducap (on plastic) all feed off each other’s fire, passing and sharing the creative torch in a way that ultimately benefits all at once. It’s a symbiosis as strong in the high-powered centrifuge of “Moto” as in the gentle, largely unplugged atmosphere of the closing track “Tekiara”.
For all its intricacies, there is a straightforward appeal to Kiniata, an album with a youthful point of view in the best possible way. The record is grounded in everyday life and making the most of it. Kin’gongolo Kiniata translate vibrant existence into thrilling music with a modern punk edge and hope for the possibilities of better things that start from the ground up. That has been the group’s trajectory, and it’s taking them to promising places.
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