London Afrobeat Collective: Esengo

London Afrobeat Collective have been distilling the essence of the UK’s culturally diverse capital for 15 years now, flying their ‘Everyone must dance’ freak flag through long-playing songs patterned by horns, guitars, drums and percussion, their lyrics pushing back at xenophobia, homophobia, sexism and other isms. Their template is the chugging Afrobeat sound created by Nigerian icon Fela Kuti, and despite lacking a talismanic central figure (as is the case with most Afrobeat collectives), their Congolese/Argentinian singer Juanita Euka brings her own raised fist-charisma to this tight-knit ensemble of players from all over.

LAC’s previous album Humans captured their dynamic wall-of-sound in ways impressive if occasionally samey. This studio album, their fourth, finds their lengthy instrumental wig-outs far more nuanced, with tunes such as the louche but punchy ‘De Kinshasa A Sona Bata’ and grooving first single ‘Topesa Esengo Na Motema’ (that’s ‘Let us Give Joy to the Heart’ in Lingala) placing greater emphasis on the lively, looping lines of Congolese rumba, itself inspired by Afro-Cuban music – and recalling a spirit of resistance that resonates today.

Highlights are many among seven multi-lingual long-players also embracing dub, funk, rock and freewheeling jazz. But the seven-minute ‘El Ritmo de Londres’, which hopscotches genres amid blazing horns and bouncing cowbell, is notable as a paean to their common base – and as showcase for Euka’s glorious voice. Recommended.