Afrotropism
The Kutimangoes (40 mins)
Although Danish seven-piece the Kutimangoes originally aimed for a crossroads between Afrobeat and jazz, further adventures have edged their sound further west towards Mali and Burkina Faso. Now on their third album, their music is built up from Mande dance band riffs with added Fela-inspired horn lines and topped off with wild jazz solos. Add in a few more influences from here and there and bring it all together with some complex percussion patterns and the Kutimangoes are ready to rock.
The second track, ‘A Snake is Just a String’, shows this off well: the guitar groove is very Songhoy Blues (who seem an important influence this time around), but we’re also taken to New Orleans with the horns and Morocco with Gnawa-inspired rhythms in the percussion. There’s also an amazing, distorted synth solo sounding like a space-age Hendrix.
However, a few too many of the tracks descend into more atmospheric vibes and vague melodies drenched in shimmering reverb. That’s good for the occasional breather, but it occurs a little too frequently here; it often feels like you're waiting around until you can get back into dance-mode, where the band really shine. Afrotropism is cool enough, but at their best, the Kutimangoes can be red hot.