Music
Open your mind as Soweto's Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness present a fusionist 'Africangungungu' session.
As told here by lead vocalist Jovi, BCUC have the most brilliantly unassuming genesis story. Two guys meet at a community centre in Soweto. One has a flute, the other has a MiniDisc recorder. They are introduced to each other’s friends. Soon 12 men and one woman are jamming together, using broken chair legs for percussion, and adopting the name Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness because it sounds deep and long. The music starts to follow suit.
Dubbed ‘Africangungungu’ (to avoid the ‘world music’ tag if nothing else), BCUC’s sound is a mix of South African a cappella music from the streets, funk, soul and hip-hop from the radio, and a desire to be loud and rock 'n' roll enough to play main-stage Glastonbury.
A traditional Imbomu horn competes with funk yowls, and ritual songs meld into raps. As Jovi sums it up, it’s vintage South African music made by hip-hop heads – "music for the people, by the people, with the people."
BCUC have just released their second album, Emakhosini. But don’t expect it to contain Sikhulekile, the 20-minute long track they play for us in this fantastic See. Hear. Now. session. A true live band, they’ve already moved on to new material. For BCUC, knowing exactly where their music comes from means they never quite know where it will go next.
Watch BCUC (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness) perform Sikhulekile in the player above.
