Jupiter & Okwess have long been one of our favorites for their melding of myriad sounds from Congo—a world unto itself—with the rest of the world itself, and, to judge from their new single from their upcoming album, they're not done expanding their sound yet.
Hear Jupiter & Okwess hit that extra, Eddie Hazel-in-Funkadelic gear right here on “Na Kozonga.”
The song, the title of which translates to “the return” in Lingala, is sort of a cover of a cover—that winding back-up singer line gives it away as a cover of Nighttrain's “Hallo Bimmelbahn,” which got a disco punch up by Boney M in 1979 who chanted “gotta go home” over four-on-the-floor and those synthesizer steel drums that you just don't hear anymore.
For our jet-setting Congolese heroes, Jupiter & Okwess, it's not just about a literal return to Africa. Dedicated to Jupiter's late father, the song is also about “a mystical universe strewn with spirits and African allegorical incarnations, from Mami Wata (Mummy water) to Aniotas.”
If all goes as planned, the album should be out in early 2021, and will feature guests including Damon Albarn, Rogê, Ana Tijoux and Marcelo D2. Until then, the single is available here.
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