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 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

BBC Sound System are a Senegalese hiphop group based in Paris, France. Their 2003 release, Na Banko, resurfaced in my collection lately thanks to a random shuffle.

Once again I’m reminded how Wolof is a great rapping language.. so angular, filled with rhyming sounds.

Unfortunately it’s not much more than a collection of sounds to my ears; with every passing day my Wolof disappears, word by word. I can still make a Senegalese person laugh when I hear the accent in Paris and respond with a Wolof joke, but that’s about it these days.

Anyway, just a quick post this morning.

BBC Sound System – Kalama

I mentioned in my last post that I’d seen a Julia Sarr and Patrice Larose concert recently. In continuing with my promotion of the excellent No Format releases I’ll post some music from their album today.

Julia Sarr used to be a backup singer for Youssou N’Dour and is now embarking on a solo career. She lives in Paris with her teenaged son who she, very cutely, describes as being in his “yo yo” phase.. but she still loves him.

I admit to not knowing her music before I saw the show. My friend, Olivier, invited me to the Satellit café for the show. Since I had been so impressed with Mamani Keita on the No Format sampler I immediately agreed to come. I finally got to meet Laurent there, the No Format label creator. Nice guy.

Right from the start Julia Sarr put on an excellent show. She was relaxed on stage, cracking jokes between songs and acting generally cute overall. Her voice is what really did me in, though. Not only is her Wolof slowly and smoothly spoken (so I can understand bits!) but I find her tone sounds just right to my ears. Beautiful stuff.

You can hear it for yourself. I’ve included two tracks: my favourite, Yitte, and another that better features Sarr’s stunning voice. I also love the references in the second to Dakar neighbourhoods.. la nostalgie, tu vois.

All No Format albums can be bought online on their website: http://www.noformat.net/

Patrice Larose & Julia Sarr – Na mana
Patrice Larose & Julia Sarr feat Leity M’Baye – Yitte

I’ve been seeing some great African music concerts in Paris lately. Aside from upcoming Ethiopiques and Kekele shows I’ve been all over town seeing things these last couple weeks.

This is largely thanks to the work of Laurent who runs the No Format label pretty much single-handedly. He’s been actively promoting his new albums that include, among others, Mamani Keita, Toto Bona Lokua and Julia Sarr and Patrice Larose.

Today I’ll feature some music from Toto Bona Lokua. The group name stands for Gerald Toto, Richard Bona and Lokua Kanza. Many of you probably already know Richard Bona – he’s huge in France, anyway – but the others are relatively well-known and talented musicians as well.

Their No Format release is one of the more creative African albums to come out of the huge Paris African music scene in a while. Combining modern and traditional instruments with great harmony.. and an overall impression that they’re just having a lot of fun in the studio.. makes for a truly original work.

Make sure to listen to the end of today’s track for the little bonus. And thanks, Laurent, for continuing to release great stuff. I’ll see you at the next show..

Toto Bona Lokua – Lisanga

A few weeks ago at 2005’s last poker night Olivier passed me a good mix from Vibrations magazine featuring music from No Format, a small, high-quality label out of Paris, France.

One track in particular caught my ear for African sounds. It’s appropriately by another Keita, given yesterday’s post, but with quite a different sound. Mamani Keita is a little-known female vocalist from Mali who works with musicians both at home and abroad. She has a cool fusion sound of Mali-West-Electro-Folk that I quite like.

You can buy her last album at Calabash. Or, if you can wait, you can find today’s track on Keita’s soon to be released album that will be available at the No Format site in a month or so.

Mamani Keita – Djekafo

The beaches of the French Atlantic coast left me tanned and wanting more. I was definitely not ready for a multiple crisis-filled workday. Only one thing can get me out of this funk and through this mound of paperwork: West African psychedelia.

It occurred to me this morning that I’ve never posted any Manu Dibango. While today’s selection may not be the conventional pick, it comes by way of yet another gift from a Benn loxo listener.

Cameroonian by origin, mainly French at this point, Manu Dibango is one of Africa’s most well-known musicians. He’s still playing big gigs and releasing albums fairly regularly – you can catch him almost monthly in Paris and he plays in a few of the European festival circuits. He’s most famous for his saxophone-based jams that helped popularize the African soul-funk sound on a global level.

Today’s track is from the 3rd and latest release from the World Psychedelic Classics series: Love’s a Real Thing, The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa. And no, it’s not Soul Makossa.

Manu Dibango – Ceddo End Title

I’ve posted quite a few West African hip-hop tracks but I don’t think I’ve posted any Afro-French or Afro-American hip-hop collaborations. There are loads but two that stick out in my mind are 113’s “Voix du Mali” with Oumou Sangaré off their 2003 album Dans l’urgence (thanks, sufi, for reminding me about this track) and Tony Allen’s Jekalewa off the Nu Afrobeat Experience compilation.

OK, you probably know all about Tony Allen. Pioneer of afro-beat along with Fela Kuti, drummer and one of the main forces behind the Africa 70 band, &c &c &c. His trademark rhythm is timeless and instantly recognizable. You still hear it on great albums such as the Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble compilation and those by Antibalas. Allen is especially cool since he hasn’t stopped trying new things- he continues to release a wide variety of tunes with rnb, soul, hip-hop, jazz and even house musicians and DJs. He may be a little age-ed but the guy manages to stay cutting edge.

113, named after the Parisian banlieue 113 (think lower-class French suburb), are most famous outside of France for that unfortunate but oh-so-catchy tune “Tonton du bled” that came out when I was living in Paris a few years back. I promise they’re more than that, though, and even though I’m not a super-fan they have some solid tracks. Today’s pick is, in my opinion, one of them. Sangaré’s singing is beautiful and the rapping/rhythm works well. Listen especially to the last minute and a half or so.

Tony Allen – Jekalewa
113 – Voix du Mali feat. Oumou Sangaré