Noir et Blanc is a supremely enjoyable collaboration between Algerian-born (France-residing) composer
Hector Zazou and Zairean singer
Bony Bikaye, an early and inspired marriage between Central African music and
post-punk funk.
Zazou, who would go on to flirt with fame at the fringes of
rock (working with singers like
Bjoerk and
Susanne Vega), here assembled a tight little band that included
Fred Frith and
Marc Hollander, all swarmed over by his own
electronics manipulation and, presumably, a good bit of post-production. The band lays a creamy and seductive ground for
Bikaye, a singer possessed of a marvelously rich and deep voice with a tinge of sardonic humor. The music is convoluted and irresistibly funky, avoiding the cliches befalling many somewhat similar ventures from around this period (1983); even the drum machine usage works well.
Hollander's clarinet and bass clarinet work adds a lush element not normally associated with this genre, giving an oddly European exoticism to what is essentially African music. Each song has its attractions, from the relentless drive of the opening
"M'Pasi Ya M'Pamba" to the heartfelt longing of
"Munipe Wa Kati" to the fractured mechanics of
"Keba." Some of
Zazou's later work would get excessively
new age-y; here it's dirty grooves all the way. Any fan of Afro-
funk should want this fine exemplar of the field. ~ Brian Olewnick
