Fulu Miziki are a collective who formed in the Democratic Republic of Congo but are currently based in Uganda, whose band name roughly translates to ‘music from the garbage’. This is because all of their instruments are made from upcycled objects; pipes, flip-flops, computer casings, wood, springs, cans… the list goes on. This doesn’t impact on their sound’s fidelity, and only adds to its idiosyncrasy. They say:
“Our look is as important as the music. We aim to take the recycling message to the world, so how about wearing your own garbage? After all, humans are making Mother Earth wear it.”
Today Fulu Miziki announce a new EP called Ngbaka, which is coming out on November 12 through Moshi Moshi. It sees them evolving their sound in reaction to the pandemic’s closure of rehearsal spaces, which meant they had to innovate on ways to write and record, only deepening the resulting music.
The first song to be shared from the EP is called “OK Seke Bien”, a propulsive track built around myriad polyrhythms that interlock to form a head-spinning and rhythmic whole. Atop this are wordless vocals, adding a human sheen to this tactile track, reminding us that this is a collective experience. As the song gets more frenetic, the voices fade out and back in, binding the beats together with a unifying glue, which becomes more resonant as “OK Seke Bien” amps up to its supercharged, rave-esque finale.
The video for “OK Seke Bien” gives an even clearer picture of Fulu Miziki’s appearance, ethos and composition. Take a look below, or listen to the song in its full-length form on streaming platforms.
Fulu Miziki’s Ngbaka EP arrives on November 12 through Moshi Moshi. You can find them on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
