Konkoma

While this eponymous release by London-based Afro-funk project KonKoma is, in fact, their first as a band, it fully embodies the polyrhythmic bombast and complex yet playful composition Ghanaian music saw in the '70s and '80s. KonKoma were formed around two of the region's most highly esteemed musicians ― Alfred Bannerman and Emmanuel Rentzos ― and the result is a sexy new rendezvous between Afrobeat and Ghanaian highlife. To say there's no hint of Fela Kuti hiding here would be remiss ― every song is a flash mob invasion of animated instruments, demanding a party. Guitars flicker like fire, drums pop everywhere and horns blare to beckon the funk. Additions of bouncy synth never feel superfluous, adding a vibrant complement to the already colourful sound-weaving at work. Thankfully, despite the level of virtuosity that KonKoma wield, they never come off as sounding starkly cerebral or showy, instead enthusiastically championing the notions of good fun and craft.