Amampondo - An Image of Africa (1992)

Amampondo are a group that give the lie to the popular notion that to be traditional is to be backward. In the words of Dizu, their charismatic leader "We want to go back as far as we can, to find out about the traditional songs, to find what is good in them, to bring the old, old songs into this time that we're living." Original African instruments have always been part of Amampondo's intuiging sound, and they like to try new ones - to add to the marimbas, drums and others like the Ugandan Akadinda xylophone and the Nguni Umtshingo flute which have been their standby from the start, some of the new ones on this album are a Kayomba raft rattle from Reunion, a bamboo scraper and a Dundun hourglass talking drum from Nigeria. "If you want to dance, you can dance" says Dizu. It is hard to imagine anyone not wanting to dance to this fabulous record.