This meeting in Cape Town of a white South African and a Rwandan refugee is predictably cosmopolitan, with elements joyfully colliding in a messy group high-five. The gambolling guitar lines of highlife are here, as are the relentless electro rhythms of the Shangaan tribe, the pinball sound signatures of pirate radio broadcasts, and even a delicate, kora-like plucking reminiscent of Malian griots. But just as mid-century African bands were in thrall to James Brown and boogaloo from across the Atlantic, John Wizards use a loping Caribbean skank on Maria and I'm Still a Serious Guy; and their delay effects, reminiscent of the wah-wah guitars on psych-funk from 1970s Lagos, are given a Brooklynite chillwave tinge. It's guileless, naive music, with melodies that shyly curl up to you, or, as on glorious earworm iYoungwe, strut with the adorably ungainly confidence of juvenile mammals.
John Wizards
Moderator: Philaflava
John Wizards
p4k stream preview: http://pitchfork.com/advance/196-john-wizards/