Sierra Leone’s Kondi Band are back with their long-awaited sophomore album, 'We Famous', released via Strut on September 24th.
The group made up of blind musical genius Sorie Kondi, LA-based producer Chief Boima (INTL BLK) and London's Will LV, join forces once more for another essential dose of Freetown freestyle. Following on from their acclaimed Salone album in 2016 and the massive single ‘Yeanoh’, the new recordings further hone the group’s unique fusions of Sorie Kondi’s inimitable rich vocals and the kondi thumb piano with intricate dancefloor electronics, bringing in Afro-pop, dub effects and disco into their unique mix.
Album of the Week // 11-15 October
Kondi Band - We Famous [Strut Records]
Focus Track 'Shake Your Tumba' is an explosion of dub & dance-hall energy and follows on from previous singles 'It's God's World (So Don't Do Bad)', a future 4/4 dancefloor anthem featuring prolific L.A. beat scene leader, Sweatson Klank and 'She Doesn’t Love You’ featuring Mariama Jalloh, an infectious slice of afro-pop. 'We Famous' was gradually recorded over a period of four years with Sorie during breaks in touring in Belgium, Spain and Canary Islands with the main production collaboration honed between Chief Boima in Los Angeles and Will LV in London. The result is a varied and colourful set of tracks infusing Boima and Will’s wide-ranging dancefloor influences.
The album is the latest step in a remarkable journey for Boima and Sorie. Having first discovered his 2007 single ‘Without Money, No Family’ by chance on Youtube, recorded in Freetown, Boima’s bootleg remix of the track spawned a Kickstarter campaign to bring Sorie to the US to record together in person.
Sorie Kondi may be playing an acoustic folk instrument from Sierra Leone, but he thinks about music in the same way as a techno producer with the dance-friendly pulse of his cajon drum, the flowing melody lines from his thumb piano and his incredible vocals.
Chief Boima