Concert Hall ATM, ART TOWER MITO Mito Arts Foundation 1-6-8 Goken-cho, Mito-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 310-0063 Japan How to get to ART TOWER MITO Mail to: webstaff@arttowermito.or.jp Phone: +81-(0)29-227-8118 / Facsimile: +81-(0)29-227-8130

Kinshasa->	electric	thumb pianos	KONONO No.1
Electrical discharges from Africa ... .... Shock Mito. These unparalleled electric geezers will make your brain dance. They will certainly transform the Mito Citizens Hall into a lotus land - the onslaught of Afro Minimal Human-powered Techno Dance Music!

	"If someone would ask me what the most intense live performance I experienced in the last few years was, I would have no hesitation in replying that it was the Konono No. 1 group from Congo that I saw playing on the stage outdoors in Paris." Shinya Matsuyama, "Studio Voice" magazine, January 2006 issue

The super geezers are coming!

Hearing them, you'll be astounded! Dancing to them, you'll rise to heaven! All the cells and nerves in your body will yell forth with exultation to the flood of the rhythm and the feast of the beat. A totally ridiculous bunch of guys are about to descend upon Mito this summer! These unparalleled geezers from Kinshasa, the capital of Congo in the center of Africa, are punk-like, junk-like, and powerful: and their name is Konono No. 1!

		"In any event, amplifying the sound became my entire inspiration." Mawangu Mingiedi (leader of Konono No. 1)

Recycling discarded products.

What a cool idea: to amplify the sound of the traditional African instrument, the "likembe (metal thumb piano), by connecting it with an amp, in the same way one does with an electric guitar. It was believed that in this way they could make themselves heard by the spirits of their ancestors through the din of boisterous Kinshasa. First, salvage magnets from bicycle parts to serve as a microphone, then convert the wheel of a car to serve as metal speaker, and add to that megaphones used in colonial-era radio broadcasting, and then batteries to power the amp. Such a process is surely a most thorough demonstration of the spirit of recycling. Of course, there are songs and dances on the stage that burst through to the soul. In that way, the traditional trance music of the Banzombo tribe, straddling the border area between Congo and Angola, has been transformed into violently-colored music that the whole world is dancing to!

	"The impulse that wells up from the depths of the body is very natural, and without foe." Akiko Hamada (musician in GO!GO! 7188), "Elle" magazine, May 2005 issue

Indomitable perseverance.

Around 1969, the Konono No. 1 group was formed by Mawangu Mingiedi (born in 1933). However, owing to the war with Angola that followed, most of the original members were killed. But Mingiedi revived the band by getting his sons, grandsons and others to participate. The music of Konono No. 1 - in which the life force turns into a flame that flares up, burning through the hearts of listeners with excitement, is the affirmation of the existence of life and living by these men, who survived through the political turmoil of their country, Congo. Incidentally, the word "konono" is said to mean a rigid corpse that has become exposed to the elements.

	"How long I waited for this album!! I wanted to hear it as soon as possible!!" Takkyu Ishino (musician), commenting on the "Congotronics 2" album

World domination.

Their flame spread from Belgium to the whole world. Vincent Kenis, the producer of Crammed Discs, the record company known for its pursuit of unique activities, just accidentally stumbled upon Konono No. 1 playing on the radio in 1977 - and that was where it all began. Having fallen in love with their music, Kenis set out to find the group, making three trips to Kinshasa in Congo (formerly Zaire) since the 1980s, but the civil war there prevented him from finding them. At long last, on his fourth trip in 2002, Kenis finally caught up with the members, and pressed ahead with a recording. That, in turn, led to the release of the group's first album in 2004, "Congotronics," and in the blink of an eye, Konono No. 1 drew enthusiastic support around the world. The group won the BBC Award for World Music in 2006 in the "Newcomers" division, and has been praised to the hilt by the musician Beck and the DJ Giles Peterson. In addition, the group's first album was chosen as the 2005 album of the year by such influential publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, eMusic magazine in the United States, and fRoots and Wire magazine in the United Kingdom. Next came the "Congotronics 2" album, a collaboration between Konono No. 1 and their followers. The voltage of these geezers is only getting stronger!

And now, on August 24, the electric typhoon from Congo will make its assault on Mito. The group's thunderclouds will envelop and overwhelm you, leading you off into the stratosphere of pleasure.

	"That my body, now in its 50s, can accept this punk rhythm without any reservation shows that this music, as expected, is African. There is something liberating and refreshing about the extreme repetition of the bass sounds - I wish I could carry it with me as a way to relieve stress!" Peter Barakan (British music commentator living in Japan)

This performance is planned and prepared by the Music Division of Art Tower Mito, and is being put on at the Mito Citizens Hall.

Coordinator: Takaki Yazawa (chief producer, Concert Hall ATM)


Management:

Plankton,Japan http://www.plankton.co.jp/

Crammed Discs, Belgium http://www.crammed.be/

Divano Production, Belgium http://www.divanoprod.com/

Kinshasa->	electric	thumb pianos	KONONO No.1

Aug. 24, 2006 (Thu) 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Mito Shimin Kaikan (citizens hall, be careful: the concert is not at the ATM!)
Admission: 4,000 yen (all seats reserved)

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Related Preliminary Event: Screening of "Hotel Rwanda"
Co-sponsor: Cinema Punch (NPO)

First showing in Ibaraki Prefecture of the powerful, talked-about movie that pointedly depicts the African reality. "Hotel Rwanda" (Terry George, director), 2004 Country: Joint production of South Africa, the U.K., and Italy Running time: 122 mins. Japanese distributor: Media Suits, Interfilm

In 1994, the Hutus of Rwanda carried out a massive massacre of their Tutsi compatriots. In the midst of the terrible carnage, which the world pretended not to notice, one Hutu hotel worker used the luxury hotel in which he worked as a fort, in an attempt to protect the dignity of human beings. "Hotel Rwanda" depicts this emotional, heart-rending saga. Starring Don Cheadle.

Date of screening: July 23, 2006 (Sun)
Time: 3:00-5:20 p.m. (doors open at 2:30 p.m.)
Place: ACM Theatre, Art Tower Mito
Admission: 1,000 yen (free seating)
*Get a 200 yen discount if you buy the movie ticket along with the ticket for Konono No. 1's August 24 concert.

Tickets Now on Sale

Ticket Counter, Entrance Hall, Art Tower Mito (9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. / Closed on Mondays)
Ticket Reservation Center, Art Tower Mito at Tel. 029-231-8000 (9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. / Closed on Mondays)

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Translated by Paul T. Narum
(official names are furnished by the artists and planners themselves)

Copyright ©2006 MITO ARTS FOUNDATION. All Rights Reserved. Created by TK.
Mail to: webstaff@arttowermito.or.jp