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From Kinshasa
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From Kinshasa Image
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 60 Ratings

  • Summary: After leaving Staff Benda Bilili in 2013, Coco Ngambali and Theo Nsituvuidi started a new group and released this debut release produced by Liam "Doctor L" Farrell.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Drowned In Sound
    Jun 3, 2015
    100
    With their debut Mbongwana Star have made a really classic record for the ages, and what’s more, one that could shape a whole lot of music to come.
  2. The Guardian
    May 14, 2015
    100
    As with a lot of From Kinshasa, listening to it feels like arriving in a bustling, unfamiliar city, a very long way from home: a gripping mix of excitement, apprehension and sensory overload.
  3. Spin
    Aug 14, 2015
    90
    From the rock of “Nganshé” to the roll of “Coco Blues,” two forward-looking cosmopolitans (plus friends) craft new directions in urban sound.
  4. Record Collector
    May 26, 2015
    80
    Mbongwana Star concoct an abrasive sound barrage of heavily distorted rumba grooves, here accompanied by post-punk guitar slashings. Channelled through Farrell’s electro blender on the likes of Nganshe, Masobele and the jaw-droppingly brilliant single Malukayi, it becomes a modernised, starkly original strain of dub that suggests fresh tributaries for a rapidly evolving music.
  5. The Wire
    Jul 27, 2015
    80
    The album is imbued with the expectant, febrile energy that comes with having forged ahead into unknown spaces with out the means or desire to backpedal. [Jul 2015, p.58]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Clash Music
    Jun 16, 2015
    80
    While familair touchstones remain in place, they are thouroughly eroded and inverted by Doctor L's production adding subtle,a dn not so subtle, layers of noise and distortion along with a throbbing bass presense and post punk reverb.
  7. The New York Times
    Jun 1, 2015
    70
    The soukous guitars are still there, now and then, but solitary post-punk guitar lines also hang in the air, and they share a spooky, precarious soundscape that changes with each track: heaving with distorted bass, warped by the echoes and shifting reverb of a psychedelic-dub production, invaded by noise.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. brockcheese
    Aug 12, 2015
    9
    This album is very interesting. I've never heard anything like it. I totally understand where people are coming from saying that the voicesThis album is very interesting. I've never heard anything like it. I totally understand where people are coming from saying that the voices are annoying. Your enjoyment to this music directly correlates to your acceptance of new sounds.… Expand
  2. Yesiamaduck
    Jun 9, 2015
    9
    A highly contagious mix of traditional congo percussion, sharp groovy bass lines and atmospheric instrumentation. The kind of band that youA highly contagious mix of traditional congo percussion, sharp groovy bass lines and atmospheric instrumentation. The kind of band that you hope to cross paths with during a music festival whilst carrying a flagon of Cider as the sun beats on you, it's contagious and demands you dance, and it comes across incredibly well on record. It's not for everyone, the vocals in particular I can see being kind of divisive on some people, but honestly I haven't had a single other album grab my attention quite like this one this year.… Expand
  4. Sanpaku
    Jun 23, 2015
    8
    An album that will appeal to fans of both Congolese soukous and Adrian Sherwood's industrial-dub On-U Sound label. It's a pity neither LoketoAn album that will appeal to fans of both Congolese soukous and Adrian Sherwood's industrial-dub On-U Sound label. It's a pity neither Loketo or Kanda Bongo Man in their heyday opted for dubby nocturnal sounds, but its here for those who waited. A near masterpiece.… Expand
  5. WXYZ
    Jun 25, 2015
    6
    I don't see why the hate for the album. It's ok, but I'm pretty much neutral on this one. The beats are nice, but the vocals can be annoyingI don't see why the hate for the album. It's ok, but I'm pretty much neutral on this one. The beats are nice, but the vocals can be annoying at some points which is what makes the album nothing really special. It's sometimes thrilling, but as whole it could've been much better. 6/10… Expand
  6. BrushedRed
    Jun 3, 2015
    0
    Sounds like Gnarls Barkley from hell. If this passes as music today, I'm afraid of the future. This is some of the worst drivel I've everSounds like Gnarls Barkley from hell. If this passes as music today, I'm afraid of the future. This is some of the worst drivel I've ever heard. The electronic from "Malukayi" is stuck in my head and that's not a good thing at all. Pretty sure the critics are either paid off or they have no taste in music… Expand

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