Denis Mpunga & Paul K.-Criola

Music From Memory from Amsterdam, where Leon Lowman, Gigi Masin, Suso Saiz and others continue to produce high-quality releases, has released another amazing work! Congolese duo Denis Mpunga & Paul K., based in Liege, Belgium, has released a select album compiled from sound sources released on various compilations and cassettes between 1980 and 1984, as well as unreleased works! Traditional African music with mallets and percussion, Roland MC-202, TB-303, TR-808, Korg's MS20, Monopoly, and other synthesizer and drum machine sounds that were becoming easier to obtain in the early to mid-80s. Remastered from the master tape and released on 180g heavyweight board! Afro & ethno fans, of course, but also synth funk and synth wave fans should check it out!



You can rely on Holland's Music From Memory imprint to deliver the most entrepreneurial of reissues, and this latest unearthing of Denis Mpunga's lost tapes just about tops their list of best releases. We've been big fans of this label since the start, but coming up with a long-lost cassette LP that sounds as fresh as this is quite a feat for any sort of record label. Originally from Liege in Belgium, Mpunga has been lost in the depths of time, but we can safely say that this album could be from a distant future. Charged with a noticeable Congolese influence, these strange and improvisational post-punk tunes are the most devilish dance experiments that you'll find this week, and perhaps even this year. The whole LP is a perfect balance of abstraction and soulfulness, having the ability to please a whole array of different listeners and music aficionados. If anything, you absolutely must give the sublime groove of "Funyaka" a go. What a record!

A1: Intermezzo 03


A2: Criola


A3: Intermezzo 02


A4: !!!Kwe


B1: Dou-Niya


B2: Intermezzo 01 V3


B3: Funyaka


B4: What


B5: Veronika 02