Assume Crash Position

Assume Crash Position is the second album by the Congolese musical group Konono Nº1, and the fourth volume in the group's Congotronics series, released by Crammed Discs.[1]

This article is about the album. For the position assumed to increase safety in a crash, see Brace position.
Assume Crash Position
Studio album by
Konono Nº1
Released2010 (2010)
VenueNdjili Quartier Nº1 and Halle de la Gombe, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Length56:09
Konono Nº1 chronology
Live at Couleur Café
(2007)		 Assume Crash Position
(2010)		 Konono Nº1 Meets Batida
(2016)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubA−[3]
Pitchfork5.7/10[4]

Thom Jurek, in his review of the album for AllMusic, wrote that, for fans of Konono N°1, "Assume Crash Position is a necessary addition to the catalog. For the intrigued, this is an excellent starting point."[2] Chris Martins of The A.V. Club gave the album a grade of "A−", noting that, despite the band's collaborations with such artists as Björk and Herbie Hancock, the album features "guest appearances not from their international cadre of high-profile fans, but from their friends in Kinshasa."[3] Martins concludes that, after "so many 10-minute epics", the more stripped-down production of the final track on the album, "Nakobala Lisusu Te", "[offers] a glimpse into the soul of the band, which thankfully has been resistant to change."[3]

Douglas Wolk of Pitchfork wrote that the album features the group's signature "amazing sound of electric likembes (metal thumb pianos) playing through fuzzed-up amps and jury-rigged mics, augmented by drums, the occasional whistle, and some call-and-response yelling. Reportedly, the band is used to playing for hours on end. They could go on like that forever, which is both Assume Crash Position's strength and its flaw."[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Konono Nº1

No.TitleLength
1."Wumbanzanga"11:52
2."Thin Legs"1:59
3."Mama Na Bana"7:46
4."Makembe"10:24
5."Fula Fula"5:06
6."Guiyome"3:11
7."Konono Wa Wa Wa"11:41
8."Nakobala Lisusu Te"4:10
Total length:56:09

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]

  • Mingiedi Mawangu – likembe, vocals, percussion
  • Augustin Makuntima Mawangu – likembe, vocals
  • Menga Waku – vocals, bass likembe
  • Makona Mbuta – likembe
  • Antoine Ndombele – bass likembe
  • Pauline Mbuka Nsiala – vocals
  • Vincent Visi – drums
  • Ndofusu Mbiyavanga – percussion, tam tam
  • Duki Makumbu – bass guitar

References
  1. "Assume Crash Position". Konono Nº1 on Bandcamp. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  2. Jurek, Thom. "Kokono No. 1 – Assume Crash Position". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  3. Martins, Chris (29 June 2010). "Konono N°1: Assume Crash Position". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  4. Wolk, Douglas (10 June 2010). "Konono N°1: Assume Crash Position Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  5. From the album's liner notes.
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