Karthala 72 let the music do the talking on their new release Diable du Feu! on Electric Cowbell Records. This band is cloaked in mystery; they don’t reveal where they are from or even when this recording was made. It sounds like a standout psychedelic afro-funk release from the 1970s. Percussion driven with a heavy bottom, Karthala 72 sound like something you’d stumble across in a record bin having no idea what it is. Drop the needle and you will be transported to a time when the raw sound was the only sound. The fuzz and distortion throughout this release gives Diable du Feu! an unrelenting edge. Intense tribal rhythms compliment hard, steady bass lines which punch a hole through the record. These dirty, funky African psych grooves will have you wondering if you’ve entered another dimension complete with spaced out echo and reverb effects. Paul Jettricks, who organized the release, says the band claim to be “from a different life.” Intergalactic madness a la Sun Ra? Parliament/Funkadelic? Who knows, but it wouldn’t be hard to imagine Karthala 72 jamming with either of them. Here’s what the band’s website reveals:
“Dug out of a dusty crate in Nairobi, Addis or somewhere in between Karthala 72 crafted a series of recordings that have an honest, hard edge engineering approach. A super tough groove and a sonic quality that’s straight up 1970’s psychedelic Africa. Karthala 72 is unapologetically rough and ready – the Afro sound just the way you want to hear it.”
Diable du Feu! is available digitally on November 1st and physically on limited edition vinyl November 13th. The 140-gram LP comes in a beautiful, full-color jacket with a deluxe vinyl sticker and free download card that includes 10 killer remixes. Snatch up this gem from the Electric Cowbell Records store or your local record shop. Check out the video for “Delores” and take a look at Karthala 72’s other videos for “Bahari Ferasi” and “Dans le Coeur du Feu”.
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