Owiny Sigoma Band
Power Punch
Brownswood2013

Their debut was one of the best fusion experiments of recent years, with its clash of traditional Kenyan styles and contemporary British electronica, and here's a second set to prove how well the collaboration works. This time round, the nyatiti lyre exponent Joseph Nyamungu has travelled to London with Luo drummer Charles Owoko to record with keyboard player Jesse Hackett and other members of the Elmore Judd collective, and the results are even more attacking and confident than before. Once again, there's a fusion of east African and western influences, and many of the best tracks are dominated by the Kenyans. The set starts with a slinking nyatitiriff and African percussion backed by a swirl of keyboards, while on Owiny Techno the chanting vocals are matched against rumbling bass. Elsewhere, the funky melodic pop of Harpoon Land sounds like Talking Heads with a Kenyan edge. Impressively original.