In Zaire
White Sun Black Sun

THE REVIEW

1974. Kinshasa, Zaire.

The Rumble in the Jungle: Ali and Foreman face off in what will be remembered as the greatest match in boxing history.

This “White Sun, Black Sun”, in its own way, could be its soundtrack, perhaps due to the mere suggestion of the name chosen by these four Italian musicians (among whom - without taking anything away from Claudio Rocchetti, Alessandro De Zan, and Riccardo Biondetti - stands out the name of Stefano Pilia, guitarist of Massimo Volume), or perhaps due to the pounding sound that would mark the most heated moments of the match.

Observing the evocative cover and reading a tracklist composed exclusively of titles with astronomical origins, one might be led to consider it a record with cosmic and astral sounds from the outset. On the contrary, “White Sun, Black Sun” has a decidedly “earthy” sound, rooted in the tribal rhythmicity of the African continent, of which Zaire (now Congo) is the geographic heart.

Starting from these premises, In Zaire creates a granitic psychedelia enriched with blues elements, references to the kraut repetition of Neu!, noise, funk, trance, and hard-rock. A sound structured on a vigorous rhythm section, around which move Pilia’s esoteric guitar and Rocchetti’s pulsating electro-noise manipulations.

The group is one of the major exponents of the Italian psychedelic scene, the so-called Italian Occult Psychedelia, which includes (among others) names like Father Murphy, La Piramide di Sangue, Cannibal Movie, Heroin In Tahiti, Squadra Omega, up to Jennifer Gentle, Mamuthones, Slumberwood. They showcase very different visions of psychedelia, of which In Zaire represents the more percussive and groove-oriented side.