Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers unveils “Agwetaroyo”, the first track of their upcoming two-parts EP entitled Ayiti Kongo Dub, that will be released separately later on.
The Belgian duo Ångströmers and the Haïtan band Chouk Bwa met back in 2016 to combine the electro sounds of Brussels’ alternative scene with the raw strength of Chouk Bwa’s vodou infused musical style. An unusual collaboration which bore fruit as the two groups released the acclaimed Vodou Alé in 2020. Together they managed to make the vodou musical traditions more legible to the public by staying true to its roots and without losing the essence of its intense spirituality. But they weren’t ready to go their separate ways yet as they started working on a two part EPs entitled Ayiti Kongo Dub. The first part should be released on the 19th of June but, in the meantime, Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers have just unveiled “Agwetaroyo”, the first track of this anticipated EP.
Chouk Bwa promises an “exhilarating trip into their bush of ghosts by introducing a new stripped down line-up to fire up the dance floor, based exclusively on the drums and rhythms of the Haitian Kongo rite and deep electronic dub expansions by their trusted Belgian counterparts”. In Haitian Vodou, the lwa are spirits from the African diaspora that play a role of mediators between humanity and Bondyé, a transcendent creator divinity. These spirits are divided into different groups derived from the way in which enslaved West Africans were divided into “nations” upon their arrival in Haiti. There are different rites for each nation. The Kongo rite is about the Bantu lwa from Central Africa. They are celebrated in the Gonaïves from which the vodou group comes from.
For Ayiti Kongo Dub, Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers experimented with this new format on tour, back in 2018 and 2019. Improvisation, which is one the main characteristics of Kongo drumming, takes a major place in this EP. Indeed, the style was developed for ceremonial purposes and was not initially intended for performance. It is a feature the Ångströmers have strived to mimic by performing a large part of their interventions in an improvised manner. Ayiti Kongo Dub is a detour from their previous album Vodou Alé. Now aiming to produce a more danceable sound, more suited for the dancefloor, the band focuses further on the trance aspect of their music and have moved away from elaborate structures. “Deep bass, reverbs and delays inspired by Dub: this is music for clubs and sound systems of endless nights”.
Ayiti Kongo Dub EP#1 out July 1st.
Listen to “Agwetaroyo” in our afro + club playlist.
