“Zambia’s Zamrock movement that exploded in the 1970s… provided young musicians access to European and American music, and created a unique sound. At its root, Zamrock melded fuzz-toned psychedelia, chugging garage rock and roiling funk with a broad mix of African cadences and beats…. enlivening a scene that included bands like Musi O Tunya, Amanaz and the Ngozi Family.” – The New York Times

Zamrock was a bona-fide rock scene: on the African continent, only Nigeria can claim one so comprehensive, and Nigeria’s was largely catalyzed and funded by subsidiaries of the European major labels. Zamrock was as independent as its newly-named country, formerly known as Northern Rhodesia.

Zamrock is startling in its completeness, especially for a scene that emerged, unfurled, and disappeared so quickly. From Musi-O-Tunya’s fusion of Fela’s Afro-beat, Hendrix’s rock, South African jazz and traditional Zambian melodies and rhythms to Salty Dog’s acid folk/rock, Zambia’s rock scene contained all of rock’s subgenres.

Zamrock was much more than an imitation of American and European rock music: it quickly became a uniquely Zambian movement, befitting of its name. WITCH, Paul Ngozi and Amanaz sound nothing like other rock music from the African continent – or elsewhere.

Zamrock came from a nation’s youth carrying forth the momentum of a political and social revolution with a musical revolution that maintained the fiery power of early rock – in the mid-to late-’70s. From that era, Zamrock’s energy is matched only by the punk and hip hop scenes of England and America.