What’s most interesting to me about Crammed’s Congotronics bands, Konomo No. 1 and the Kasai All-Stars, plus their compatriots Staff Benda Bilili, is that they’re for real.

When you read an intro like “a group of Congolese street musicians fronted by four eldery, disabled men in wheelchairs and backed by formerly abandoned street kids” or “an urban electro-traditional Congolese musical phenomenon, lost since the late 70s” the sceptics among us will ask, were they really playing together before they were “discovered” by a European label? Did they sound that way before they were brought into the studio?

The thing is, they did. In fact everything that Crammed producer Vincent Kenis finds is pure gold and 100% authentic. Kasai, Konomo, Staff; these guys stayed true to their musical roots both before and after their brush with fame. Their incredible backgrounds may cause you to pause over their record review for a few moments longer than usual, but it’s their stunning, authentically original music that keeps you on the dance floor.

I first saw Konomo No. 1 live in 2005 at the New Morning in Paris, then again at that epic show at 2007’s Couleur Café, then again last week at the Cabaret Sauvage, this time along with the Kasai All-Stars and Staff Benda Bilili. Amadou and Mariam also played at that 2007 Brussels show, but unlike Konomo they’ve since lost touch with what made them best – Mali. The hype now surrounds their association with Manu Chao and their blind love. Their music may still be entertaining but it’s no longer, well, the fresh Malian style that it once was a few years ago. They’ve gone pop.

Konomo haven’t gone pop. In fact, they’ve sounded pretty much exactly the same since they started recording music in the late 70s. I appreciate that because their sound is unique and it gets me every time.. shakes me into a sweat.

The Kasai All-Stars are newer to “that world music scene” and are still finding their footing on stage, but after a few missteps they, too, grabbed the crowd and got them moving. By any stretch they are a pretty weird group but in a charming, original way that makes you shake your head, smile and start bouncing to the rhythm. It didn’t hurt that the sound was way better this time around.

Staff Benda Bilili’s live show really impressed me. I’d class them as true entertainers – and this is my highest praise for a live show – in the sense that they were there to entertain their audience, not just to play their music to a roomful of pre-convinced fans. They were trying to impress us, sweating, really rocking it, to make sure that we all came away tired from dancing, loving their music.

Classy and full of energy, Staff stole the show.

With its big outdoor terrace including BBQ, beer on tap and a very good pre-show DJ, a beautiful interior venue with good sound, there is nothing not to love about the Cabaret Sauvage. It was there at a private party in 2000 that I changed the course of my life… but that story is for another day. Today let’s just listen to some of the music from last week’s triple-Kinshasa-bill and relax.. just as I’m relaxing in a friend’s garden in Normandy as I write this. Summer is amazing.

ps- if you haven’t already, watch the Staff trailer

Staff Benda Bilili – Tonkara
Kasai All-Stars – Quick As White
Konono No.1 – Mama Liza (live at Couleur Café 2007)
Konono – Mungua (1978)

Last week the good people at Rock Paper Scissors introduced me to Chieck Hamala Diabate’s upcoming release, Ake Doni Ani.

I always approach new-world/old-world West African albums with care, but on this one things come together nicely. The opening track that we’ll hear today, Den Woulou Lalou, features Corey Harris‘ slide guitar blending well with the n’goni and a riddim feel riding well with the Malian griot sound. The results are very listenable and make a great start to my mid-week morning.

Cheick Hamala Diabate lives in Washington DC but has some big-time musical genes cred: he’s Toumani Diabate’s first cousin and Djelimady Tounkara’s nephew. On this release he teamed up with Corey Harris, some members of Chopteeth and others to produce a distinctly Malian-sounding album with tasteful hints of other influences.

I haven’t been back to Mali since that amazing road trip several years ago and I haven’t been back to DC in even longer.. but hey, I’ll play it like Diabate and stick to what I like from a distance for now.

Speaking of which, many upcoming shows and trips in the mix. August is pretty dead in Paris (in a good way if you ask me) but July and September are chock-a-block with great live African music concerts. Let me know if you’re around for any of these:

Staff Benda Bilili, Konomo No.1 and the Kasai All-Stars on July 15th; Seun Kuti & Fela’s Egypt 80, Amadou & Mariam and Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou on September 1st; Hank Jones & Cheick Tidiane Seck, Mahmoud Ahmed and Alémayèhu Eshèté on September 12th.

And if you know anything about the music scenes in Australia or Borneo…

Cheick Hamala Diabate’s latest release, Ake Doni Doni (Take It Slow) will be out on August 11th, 2009, on Grigri Discs.

Cheick Hamala Diabate – Den Woulou Lalou

Last night I drank too much beer and danced on a beach to live Canadian-German rock and yéyé 45s at the Glaz’art Plage. What a great place.

It was said that it didn’t feel or look like Paris, what with these youth in interesting outfits – Parisians generally don’t do costumes – cheering on a crowd-surfer who lost his short-shorts and underwear in the fray. But at the same time we were very much in Paris, beside the Parc de la Villette, watching fork lightning-infused storm clouds all around us as the sun miraculously kept shining.

There are few things better than outdoor concerts, especially ones by crazy motherfuckers like King Khan. But add an afforable barbeque, free-flowing headachy beer, sand everywhere and pétanque à volonter and you have the makings of a great evening.

So I’m moving a little slowly today but it was worth it. It’s nice to have these kinds of nights in Paris. Not all Paris dancing has to be done in a dark room behind a burly bouncer at the door, and not all indy bands must be seen at the Maroquinerie. There exists a sunnier, gentler Paris where mod kids in flip-flops slurp beer and let loose to rock’n'roll.

King Khan and The Shrines – How Can I Keep You Outta Har

I was in Brussels last weekend for the 3-day Couleur Café music festival. It was my third Couleur Café – it’s becoming a bit of a tradition.

If you’ve never been you should definitely check it out next year. I think the venue is changing in a couple years, so next year will be your last chance to check-out the festival at Tour et Taxi, a great festival grounds on the edge of Brussels. It’s apparently moving to the Atomium or thereabouts.. we’ll see how that works out. (Is there still that hilariously frightening Charlemagne Palestine exhibit of weird puppets inside the Atomium?)

The music at Couleur Café is always good, the event is well-organized, you eat well, the weather is inevitably sunny – at least every year I’ve been – and Brussels is a very fun place to spend a weekend if you know/meet the right people. A big plus is that Couleur Café, like Solidays in Paris but minus the attitude, is in a city instead of a muddy field somewhere.

The line-up this year was pretty good. You can never see everyone at these festivals, especially if you’re going to survive the million chopes in the uncharacteristically hot, sunny Belgian weather, but I did manage to catch quite a few good shows.

Today we’ll hear some music from some of this year’s highlights including Bibi Tanga, Asian Dub Foundation, Khaled, Alpha Blondy, Patrice, Cesaria Evora and the Kasai All-Stars.

I didn’t know Bibi Tanga before the festival – great show. Asian Dub Foundation put on a good, loud and sweaty set as usual. Patrice really rocked the crowd. Unfortunately for me, the Kasai All-Stars set had some of the worst sound I’ve ever heard. I was really looking forward to seeing them but the show was almost unlistenable due to bad mixing, bad mics.. oh well. Alpha Blondy was, well, an Alpha Blondy show with plenty of smoke in the air and dazed franco-reggae youth in the sun. Cesaria Evora looked like she’d seen a ghost or suffered a stroke, but her music still goes so well with the nice weather. (And no, Hocus Pocus didn’t actually play with her. That’s just a 20syl remix I like.. a nod to the Paris hiphop scene.) And we all know that Khaled is classic.

There was much, much more – some that I saw, much that I didn’t – but that’s enough for a big weekend. I’m still tired but Couleur Café is well worth the trip every year.

Big love to the whole Belgium crew – always a pleasure to see you guys.

PS Happy Canada Day!

Bibi Tanga – It’s The Earth That Moves
Asian Dub Foundation – Flyover
Alpha Blondy – Brigadier Sabary
Cesaria Evora – Petit Pays (20syl remix)
Kasai Allstars – Quick As White
Patrice – Fear Rules
Khaled – Raba Raba