Sogolo

African Zamrock pioneers WITCH conjure the gritty, organic grooves of their classic 70s work on 2025s SOGOLO. The group, whose name is an acronym for We Intend to Cause Havoc, first emerged in the 1970s in wake of Zambia winning independence from Great Britain. It was a period of great cultural rediscovery and experimentation and one that found WITCH blending traditional Zambian musical traditions with groove-based funk and lo-fi, acid-soaked psychedelic rock. They later moved into disco and dance music, before lineup changes and creative differences led to the group parting ways. However, singer Emanuel "Jagari" Chanda and keyboardist Patrick Mwondela eventually reunited and, in 2023, released ZANGO, their first album of new material in almost 30 years. That album found them working with Dutch bassist/multi-instrumentalist Jacco Gardner and incorporating their classic sound with modern soul and hip-hop elements. Recorded in Berlin during their ZANGO tour, SOGOLO (the Zambian word for "future") finds Jagari and Mwondela once again working with producer/bassist Gardner, along with drummer Nico Mauskovic, guitarist JJ Whitefield, and guitarist Stefan Lilov. This lineup of WITCH also benefits from the addition of female lead and backing vocalists Theresa NgAmbi and Hanna Tembo, who bring a soulful, alt-R&B flavor to the album. Together, they dig even deeper into the woozy funk rhythms and fuzz-tone electric guitar psychedelia of the bands 70s recordings. Its a vibe they bring to full fruition on "Queenless King," a kinetic, Afro-beat-infused anthem that sounds like it is pumping out of the speakers of a vintage 1970s van. Equally potent throwback sounds pop up on the album, including the blistering wah-wah-laden garage rock of "Nadi" and the liquid lounge dreamscape of "(In Memory of) John." ~ Matt Collar