Fulu Miziki is an Afrofuturist music ensemble from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who make their own instruments, performance costumes, and masks out of garbage. Their name, Fulu Miziki, roughly translates to “music from garbage" in Lingala.
Description
Based in Kinshasa, the ensemble is organized as a collective and has six members, known individually as Sekembele, Deboule, Tche Tche, Abbe La Roche, Le Meilleur and Padou. The six grew up together in Kinshasa's Ngwaka neighborhood.
In keeping with a longstanding Kinshasa tradition, the ensemble's instruments and costumes are 100% recycled. In addition to artistic goals, they bring a message of environmental awareness. Singer and drummer Sekelembele told The Guardian, “In nature there is no trash because life reuses everything. Trash is toxic if it has no other use, so we give a second life to what we pick up.”
The group's debut EP, Ngbaka, was released on February 18, 2022. According to Pitchfork, Ngbaka is "first and foremost a party record, it’s tinged with an undercurrent of urgency, imploring the listener to shake their ass in one breath."
Fulu Miziki performed at England's WOMAD festival in 2022.
Discography
EPs
- 2022 Ngbaka (Moshi Moshi Records)
- 2024 Mokano (Moshi Moshi Records)
Singles
- 2021 Seke Bien (Moshi Moshi Records)
- 2023 Pieteron (Moshi Moshi Records)
- 2023 Pasi na Bisango (Moshi Moshi Records)
References
- ^ McCool, Alice (July 29, 2022). "'We like the sound of PVC tubing': Fulu Miziki, the band who make music out of trash". The Guardian.
- Asene, Shalom (December 11, 2024). "Get to Know Congolese Collective Fulu Miziki". Okay Africa.
- Noell, Jude (February 18, 2022). "Ngbaka EP (Album review)". Pitchfork.
- Katz, David (August 5, 2022). "WOMAD 2022, a Review by David Katz". World A Reggae.
 | This article on an African band or other musical ensemble is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |