Pasi na bisengo official video

Fulu Miziki roughly translates as “music from the garbage”, which in a literal sense is an accurate description of the thrillingly chaotic Afro-Futurist collective. The instruments they design, build and play are masterclasses in upcycling. Pasi na bisengo which translates to “pain and pleasure” is their new single, following a Summer of festivals and coming just before another slew of live dates around Europe. The band explain: “The main message of this song is never give up. Always work hard and always strive to be at your best. We come from Kinshasa - a city of everything where anything can happen. But you need to be ready to let something happen in your life. Pasi na bisengo is a song that reminds us that life is all about courage and hard work. Suffering is a part of the process of pushing the younger generations to work hard and become better versions of themselves.” From guembris built out of computer casing, to jerry-can drum-kits, keyboard inventions from wood, springs and aluminium pipes, and old flip-flops used as pads by plastic tube-wielding percussion players, the Democratic Republic of Congo-formed group’s ethos lies in the respect of nature, the celebration of its gifts and the importance of its preservation through environmentalism. “We’ve said always that we come straight from a future where humans have reconciled with Mother Earth” the band say. “We make our music accordingly. Being back on this earth, our ancestors’ music inspires us so much.” From recycled instruments come brand new sounds, however. Fulu Miziki draw from the roots of their native Congolese rumba and soukous, incorporating its driving percussion and tightly rhythmic instrumentation alongside group vocals that move between repetitious chanting refrains and effortlessly interloping harmonies. The hyperactive nature of these dizzyingly psychedelic jams is married with Westward-looking touchstones: American R’n’B and hip-hop, pop music and – increasingly – a diaspora of club culture from both at home and abroad. Fulu Miziki’s message is simple and clear: love the earth you live on. It’s environmental activism meant for the dancefloor, love and devotion to Mother Nature fed through a refraction of Congolese rhythms and western pop; but most of all its about humanity, and asking how we’re going to turn around the damage we’ve done to a planet that we’ve for so long taken for granted. See Fulu Miziki on tour: 27-28/10 - Forcalquier, Kafe Quoi 01/11 - Munich, Import Export 02/11 - Gothenburg, Folk Teatern 03/11 - Oslo, Oslo World Music Festival 04/11 - Bergen, Oslo World Music Festival 05/11 - Stavager, Oslo World Music Festival 07/11 - Copenhagen, Alice 09/11 - Odense, Resonator Festival 10/11 - Aarhus, Turkis 18/11 - Creil, Celebration Day Festival 24/11 - Viviers, Theatre de Viviers