WITCH - "Unimvwesha Shuga"

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

WITCH (aka We Intend to Cause Havoc), the Zamrock pioneers who recently reunited, have released a new single that veers in a different direction than their previous one. "Avalanche of Love" was more of a psychedelic rock meets hip hop hybrid, while "Unimvwwesha Shuga" is more along the style of the group's 80's disco period. It's still WITCH, so the new song is more of a psychedelic version of disco than we're used to, which gives the track a very unique vibe. It's a fun track (it should be, it's disco) that somehow sounds modern by delving into the band's musical history.

Singer Theresa Ng'ambi says of the new song:

“In that studio, we felt the freedom to express ourselves in ways that are often restricted in our own culture because of us being women. 'Unimvwesha Shuga' is an expression of love and passion, we (Hanna and I) were gossiping about our fantasies as girls and the things we dreamt to express but wouldn't normally be able to. To us, singing these words was a liberation to express our crazy fantasies.''

You can listen to "Unimvwesha Shuga" below. Zango is due out June 2 on Desert Daze Sound, and is available for pre-order here. For more on WITCH, check out the artist's website.

WITCH featuring Sampa the Great - "Avalanche of Love"

Zamrock pioneers WITCH (We Intend to Cause Havoc) formed in Zambia way back in the 1960's. Inspired by American and British bands like The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix, the band fused a rock sound with African rhythms. The band ended in the mid-80's. In 2011, Now-Again Records released a career spanning collection of their music giving the band a new legion of fans, but much of the original line up had passed away. Bandmembers Emmanuel "Jagari" Chandra and Patrick Mwondela reformed the band with a new line up in 2021, and have a new single coming out.

Despite both main members being in their 70s, "Avalanche of Love" sounds surprisingly current. The song is this brilliant hybrid of rock, psychedelia, hip hop, and garage rock. There is a raw energy that reflects an intense love of music throughout the song. WITCH cycle through so many genres and tempos seemlessly during the four minute song that make it feel intensely epic. It's rare for a band from the 1960's to reunite and sound so current and vital. In fact, it's basically unheard of. WITCH unite the 1960's and the 2020's perfectly with their sound.

WITCH says of their upcoming album:

“'Zango' means ‘meeting place’.'Every village will have this central place, where villagers meet to prepare for work, where youngsters go to learn, where the young ones learn from the elder folks, and where the visitors come and converge. It’s an institution, a place where people are welcomed, and where people come for research. It speaks to our band and its various backgrounds and countries. We are at our own meeting point with our music.”

You can watch the video for "Avalanche of Love" below. Zango, their first album in almost forty years, is due out June 2 on Desert Daze Sound. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on WITCH, check out the band on Instagram.