Zambia’s 70s Psych Rock Scene Produced The Catchiest Rock Anthems

Zamrock thrived for only a few years in the mid-70s, but it’s bands produced some incredibly catchy rock anthems. Taking influence from a diverse range of sounds like Jimi Hendrix, The Velvet Underground, afrobeat and Zambian folk, Zamrock is an incredibly rich and fun genre to sink your teeth into.

Check out a playlist of songs in this video + more artists: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7gJ5AstlyjTSWzpYiMlZC6

All songs featured in this video (in order):
0:00 WITCH – “Living In The Past”
0:40 Keith Mlevhu – “Love and Freedom”
1:05 Paul Ngozi – “Bamayo”
3:11 WITCH – “Introduction”
4:19 Musi-O-Tunya – “Mpondolo”
4:32 Musi-O-Tunya – “Dark Sunrise”
5:28 Rikki Ililonga – “Sheebeen Queen”
5:37 WITCH – “Lazy Bones”
6:00 Paul Ngozi – “Anasoni”
6:16 The Peace – “Black Power”
6:46 Keith Mlevhu – “Ubuntungwa”
7:06 Amanaz – “Khala my Friend”
7:24 WITCH – “Living In The Past”
8:19 The Blackfoot – “When I Needed You”
8:39 Salty Dog – “See The Storm”
9:30 Salty Dog – “Fast”
10:42 Rikki Ililonga & Derick Mbao – “Madzi A Moyo”
10:54 Paul Ngozi – “Nshaupwa Bwino”
11:43 Amanaz – “Sunday Morning”
12:38 The Blackfoot – “Lonley Highway”

Zamrock LP & Book Boxset from Now-Again Records: https://www.rappcats.com/shop/welcome-to-zamrock-v1/

Zamrock Reissues from Strawberry Rain: http://www.strawberry-rain.com/site/?p=463

WITCH Bandcamp (w/ LPs for sale): https://witch-zambia.bandcamp.com/

Highway Hi-Fi Podcast: https://sites.google.com/view/highwayhifi/episodes-41-50#h.p_T7xShyLLqG0D

A special thanks to ‘We Intend To Cause Havoc,’ an upcoming doc about WITCH and Zamrock, for sourcing rare photos. Find more info on their future release here: http://weintendtocausehavoc.com/

Written by 92.9 The Torch