SF16 // WITCH - Kuomboka



Sourced from the analog master tapes for the first time, Sharp-Flat presents the WITCH disco albums as you've never heard them before in sleeves that replicate the original album artwork.

Over the course of the 1970s, WITCH delivered an impressive run of garage, rock and prog releases. By 1980, the band was ready to embrace the exciting dance sounds of a new era. Shuffling their lineup and relocating to Zimbabwe, they undertook their mythical transformation into an African R&B, soul and funk powerhouse. With access to a state of the art recording studio in Harare, WITCH produced two exquisite recordings during their disco years.

A full-throttle boogie outing, Kuomboka was issued in 1984 and features rising star Patrick Chisembele stepping in on lead vocals. Despite the album's modern vision for African pop, its title refers to a traditional migration ceremony practiced by the Lozi people of the Zambezi floodplains. The album documents a seasoned ensemble with an ambitious vision and is considered the group's sonic masterpiece.

Vocals - PATRICK CHISEMBELE
Guitar & Backing Vocals - CHRIS MBEWE
Guitar - EMMANUEL MAKULU
Fender Bass - GEDEON MULENGA

Drums - PETER LUNGO
Synthesisers & Electric Piano - PATRICK MWONDELA
Backing Vocals & Percussion - SHADDICK BWALYA

GUEST MUSICIANS:
Brass by Real Sound Horns
Vocals - Abi Rusike & Benny Miller
Backing Vocals - Rusike Brothers

Produced by Shaddick Bwalya & Richard Nganga
Recorded at Shed Studios in Harare, Zimbabwe
Engineered by Steve Roskilly

Audio Mastering by Noah Mintz
Artwork Restoration by Ash Pederick
Produced for Reissue by Calum MacNaughton
 
Reissue Cat. No. SF16
℗ 1984 WITCH © 2024 Sharp-Flat Records