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VARIOUS Congotronics 2 Crammed Discs ***

After Konono No 1's peerless Congotronics album introduced us to the future sounds of Kinshasa, it was clear that others would follow in the wake of Mawangu Mingiedi and his ramshackle orchestra. After all, Mingiedi was certainly not the only musician to move to the Congolese capital from the war-torn countryside to make a new life for himself. Like Konono No 1, the acts on this compilation have found that distortion and DIY amplification were the way to go when it came to having their music heard above the chaotic street rumble. The traditional trance rhythms which acts like the Kasai All-Stars or Basokin brought with them to the city get a new lease of life when their thumb pianos, drums and balafons are hooked up to the nearest electrical generator. Despite the makeshift methods and improvised instruments, there's a magical, soulful buzz here. Jim Carroll