Show review: Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang, Natural Information Society, Jamaican Queens at The Empty Bottle, 7/30

By Gene Wagendorf III

Janka Nabay and Boshra Al-Saadi

When you call yourself the "king" of anything, you'd better have the chops to back it up. Janka Nabay, the Sierra Leonean leader of The Bubu Gang, did just that at The Empty Bottle on Monday night.

When I spoke to the singer last week he confessed, "I love to see people dance. Not just to my music, but to any music, because dancing is like medicine. It keeps you fit. That's why we do this." The Bubu Gang wasted no time in inspiring their audience to move, beginning their set with a tropical jam featuring rolling bass lines and springy percussion. Nabay traded vocal flutters with Syrian chanteuse Boshra Al-Saadi, his wild, stream of consciousness raps bending around her smooth, glistening chants. The vocalists showed an incredible musical chemistry, working their voices through the interstices of the groove being laid out by the rest of The Gang.

Interview: Janka Nabay

By Gene Wagendorf III 

Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang

Even a city as worldly as Chicago doesn't host royalty every day, but the "Bubu King" himself, Janka Nabay, is bringing his band to the Windy City for a couple of shows that should prove to be unlike anything else you'll see this year. What the hell is bubu? Good question. The Sierra Leonean native made his name by adopting a traditional genre born in ancient witchcraft ceremonies and adding his own flair, as well as some electric instruments. Janka took what was once an airy, minimalist harmony of percussion and crude wind instruments and added synths, guitar, bass and a host of globe-spanning influences.  It's fast, it's catchy, and for something that's centuries old, it sounds pretty damn fresh.

After escaping  a war-torn Sierra Leone, Janka set up shop in the US, releasing a solo EP, Bubu King, before forming Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang with a collection of Brooklyn musicians. The group's first offering, An Letah, features tight, swirling arrangements and toe-tapping rhythms that defy you to sit still and listen. Not possible. Nabay and co. have just wrapped up their first full-length release, En Yay Sah, due out August 7th. "The King" will be performing at Celebrate Clark St. on Sunday, July 29th ($5 donation) and at The Empty Bottle on Monday, July 30th (FREE). Janka took some time from making people boogie to answer a few questions for WCR.

WCR: They say you're the "King of Bubu." What's bubu? How did people react to you adding electric instruments to it?

What is bubu? Bubu music is a danceable rhythm. Bubu music is the sound of God. The reaction? Fantastic. The people like it because it's unique. And people love to dance.