Clash Album Reviews The Bongolian Outer Bongolia

Published on 1st April 2008 (UK)

Media title : Clash

Mention the bongo to the average music fan and they will no doubt recoil in horror at memories of goatee clad, socks and sandal wearing beatniks. Well, The Bongolian is on a mission to change all that. Formerly a mem-ber of Mod groovers Big Boss Man, multi instrumentalist Nasser Bouzida has created a unique blend of jazz, funk and soul, but centred entirely on the lowly bongo. Using no samples, The Bongolian has crafted an album of brilliant breakbeats, inspired by the music emanating from Black America in the ’60s and 70s but with a fresh twist. Recorded on The Bongolian’s own analogue 8-track, Bouzida avoids accusations of retro kitsch through the sheer sense of fun and adventure that pervades the record. ‘A Psychedelic Trip’ that takes the listener to the outer reaches of funk and back again, it comes with only one requirement -bring your dancing shoes.