Les Amazones D’Afrique

République Amazone

Storming set by all-star African supergroup. Liam Farrell deserves plaudits for the sonic experiments on Mbongwana Star’s 2015 debut, but live he was an awkward fit, and the Kinshasa-based band are a better ticket without him. The Irishman has landed on his feet, though, because his production on this coming together of 10 disparate female singers from different generations – from Kandia Kouyaté, the queen of the griottes, to the radical Nigerian hip-hop star Nneka, with Angélique Kidjo and Mariam Doumbia there for those who find comfort in recognisable names – sounds like a manifesto for a most radical future. The rhythms are African, electronica swirls around it, reggae bass thunders through the mix, dub distorts the senses, thumb pianos turn into thunder… The lyrics tackle domestic violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and proceeds go to charity – but if all you care about is the sound it’s still terrific. David Hutcheon