Morning Becomes Eclectic playlist, August 14, 2023

The history of Zambian blues-psych-disco-rock (aka “Zamrock”) band WITCH (We Intend To Cause Havoc) is long, filled with suspense, and ultimately one of unyielding redemption. Lead vocalist Emmanuel “Jagari” Chanda fell in love with the likes of The Beatles and The Stones in his small, copper-mining hometown of Kitwe. Access to a select few radio stations which he shared with his fellow countrymen meant that everyone was hearing the same British and American rock sounds with a healthy dose of traditional African music for good measure. But despite the ability to constantly hear good tunes, very few that were musically inclined had access to recording equipment or facilities.

Jagari took his musical pursuits further than most quite early on. He describes sneaking out to the living room while the rest of his family slept to catch an additional radio frequency from Mozambique, and being a devotee of the renowned British music magazine Melody Maker.

Jagari was able to assemble like-minded souls, and record WITCH’s definitional debut Introduction in 1972, which helped bring about the term of art for the specific formulation of rock music being made in Zambia: Zamrock. Jagari contributed to five albums during the band's initial run, and detoured into a life of teaching and copper-mining. The band,now led by keyboard virtuoso Patrick Mwondela, went disco. The early work of WITCH was given a new spotlight in 2011 thanks to the reissue record label Now-Again and its central figure Egon’s dual (and pristine) instincts for both archivism and amplification.

Over 50 years have passed since WITCH found their way to recording that first LP in 1972, and on June 2, 2023 they released their newest album Zango via Desert Daze Sound, which finds Jagari and Mwondela as collaborators. Click into today’s Morning Becomes Eclectic for jolting live renditions of many Zango cuts. From the cosmic reach of “Waile” to the disco-tinged divinity of “Unimvwesha Shuga,” this set will light you up, as will Jagari’s life-affirming breakdown of his rich back story to guest host Travis Holcombe.