Pitchfork

2005: Year of the likembé! The African instrument (often referred to by us non-worldly folk as a thumb piano) took center stage in one of Pitchfork's favorite albums of last year, Congotronics, by veteran African supergroup Konono No.1.

Founded over 25 years ago by frontman Mawangu Mingiedi, Konono No.1 recorded Congotronics (only the band's second album to receive international distribution) outdoors using a laptop and homemade microphones built from old car parts and makeshift percussion that included pots, pans and (again) used car parts. Take that Man Man!

All that didn't stop Congotronics from becoming one of the most acclaimed albums of the year, and now the group is riding the popularity bus on an extensive world tour. Since there doesn't exist a handy-dandy sub-genre for electronic music from Central Africa (although we think happy hardcore might have originated there), Konono will play a wide array of jazz festivals, electronic festivals, and pretty much everything between.

Dates:

04-05 London, England - Momo's Bar
04-06 London, England - TBA
04-07 London, England - TBA
04-08 Paris, France - Point Ephemere
04-09 Paris, France - Point Ephemere
04-10 Ljubljana, Slovenia - TBA
04-11 Zagreb, Croatia - TBA
04-14 Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne
04-15 Clermont Ferrand, France - La Cooperative De Mai
04-18 Nantes, France - L'Olympic
04-20 Lille, France -\tL'Aeronef
04-21 Brussels, Belgium - Beursschouwburg
04-22 Mulhouse, France - Noumatrouf
04-23 Karlsruhe, Germany - Tollhaus
04-25 Prague, Czech Republic - Akropolis
04-26 Vienna, Austria - Szene
04-29 Aulnay, France - TBA
04-30 Poullaouen, France - TBA
05-04 Florence, Italy\t- TBA
05-05 Rome, Italy - TBA
05-06 Antwerp, Belgium - Zuiderpershuis
05-11 Orleans, France - TBA
05-12 Madrid, Spain -\tTBA
06-30 Fossombrone, Italy - TBA
07-01 Rome, Italy - TBA
07-06 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
07-07 Montreal, Quebec - Montreal Jazz Festival
07-08 London, Ontario - TBA
07-09 Toronto, Ontario - Harbour Electronica Festival
07-10 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
07-11 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
07-13 Ottawa, Quebec - Cisco Systems Festival
07-15 Quebec City, Quebec - Festival d'Éte
07-19 Boston, MA - Museum of Fine Arts
07-23 New York, NY - Central Park Summer Stage
07-24 New York, NY - S.O.B.'s
07-28 Marseillans, France - Festival Convivencia
07-29 Marseille, France - Festival Mimi
08-03 Brest, France - Bout du Monde
08-05 La Reunion, France - Festival Safiko
08-13 Aulnoye Aymeris, France - TBA
08-19 La Roche, France - TBA
08-26 Tokyo, Japan - Club Quatro
08-27 Tokyo, Japan - Yagay Music Hall
08-29 Nagoya, Japan - Club Quatro
08-31 Hiroshima, Japat- Club Quatro
09-03 Osaka, Japan - Lovely Hall
09-05 Tokyo, Japan - Club Quattro

* Konono No.1: