Reared by a pair of vagabonding baby boomers, some of my earliest musical memories consist of traveling cross country in the back of my mother’s Chevy Citation, Paul Simon’s Graceland emerging scratchily from a pair of worn speakers behind my seat. Outside of this (perennial) classic and Simon’s follow-up, The Rhythm of the Saints, it could be safely said my suburban honky ass knows next to nada about African music. But it doesn’t really matter, because Konono No.1 differs wildly from Simon’s Ladysmith Black Mazambo, or any of the other (small) samples of African music I’ve heard. Hailing from the Congo, Konono really is to Bazambo music what Yes and Hawkwind were to prog in the 70s — their live performances are long, often monotonous jams, stream-of-consciousness wanderings that combine spacey-moog electronics with traditional Bazambo chants and choruses, tribal drums and what sounds like the din of cold war-era arcade halls (think a cacophony of Millipede, Galaga, and Pole Position). The band creates most of their own instruments from spare parts and whatever they might find laying around. With their rising star, Konono seems to be to modern music what Simon’s Ladysmith were to his own brand of hymns and rhythms: the band was recently selected by Bjork to be her back-up band, and Matt Groening hand-picked the band to play All Tomorrow’s Parties in May. And overnight sensations they ain’t — these guys have been at it for at least three decades. Have yourself a listen right now at Red Bull Music Academy Radio.