Bongo a Go-Go

Back in Feb, I had a nip along to catch The Bongolian and Big Boss Man live over Highbury way. A full tilt, roof-raiser of a gig, with groovy doings so hot, hard and heavy it was near impossible to leave. Having had The Bongolian's new album Bongo's for Beatniks doing the loop for the last week or so, I can see entirely why I missed the midnight train to Chalkwell.

Blasting off with front end so fast, furious and high firing that it speeds from the speakers like a greyhound out of a trap, literally not missing breath or beat between the first two tunes and scene-setting for an almost unrelenting racy pace. Clattering carnival percussion and New Avengers bass lines bounce about under a bubbling spectrum of the thickest synth sounds. A pulsing patch-panel of oscillation and phase that seems to have been grabbed and grafted from the Starsky and Hutch titles or the same sound gallery visited by Billy Preston, Jean-Jacques Perrey and the BBC Radiophonic workshop.

Taking a comfort break away from the swish-hipped fruggery, The Bongolian's Dream and The Ballad of Lily Kensington are The Persuaders holidaying on the riveria with Harry Palmer.While the Quinn Martin epilogue that is Tortoise Walk is a Scaramanga anthem engineered for the scale of a Pinewood sound stage. A stomping finale so fruity and fat-backed it's almost 3D.

But here's the clincher: the beats are so bulked up, the tempo so hot-wired and the full-fat frug-outs so hot footed, our two tots - who now listen almost exclusively to Tinchy Striker, Tiny Tempest and the ear-grinding, electro-swirl that is Dubstomp or somesuch - actually ask for this album by name.

From The Bongolian's collection of synth grooves for speed freaks - distilling it down to a single track is a tough call, but one that's a thumbnail summary of all Bongo's For Beatnicks dragster boogaloo is about is ....

Moscow Queen

Moscow Queen - The Bongolian by Blow Up Records

Or you can taste test the album here

'Bongos For Beatniks' Medley - The Bongolian by Blow Up Records

The Bonglian at The Garage February 4th..