Assume Crash Position is the second album by the Congolese musical group Konono Nº1, and the fourth volume in the group's Congotronics series, released by Crammed Discs.[1]
Thom Jurek, in his review of the album for AllMusic, wrote that, for fans of Konono N°1, "Assume Crash Position is a necessary addition to the catalog. For the intrigued, this is an excellent starting point."[3] Chris Martins of The A.V. Club gave the album a grade of "A−", noting that, despite the band's collaborations with such artists as Björk and Herbie Hancock, the album features "guest appearances not from their international cadre of high-profile fans, but from their friends in Kinshasa."[4] Martins concludes that, after "so many 10-minute epics", the more stripped-down production of the final track on the album, "Nakobala Lisusu Te", "[offers] a glimpse into the soul of the band, which thankfully has been resistant to change."[4]
Douglas Wolk of Pitchfork wrote that the album features the group's signature "amazing sound of electric likembes (metal thumb pianos) playing through fuzzed-up amps and jury-rigged mics, augmented by drums, the occasional whistle, and some call-and-response yelling. Reportedly, the band is used to playing for hours on end. They could go on like that forever, which is both Assume Crash Position's strength and its flaw."[10]
^Contributions from guitarist Manaka Peppe Felly and members of Kasai All stars add texture ansd crank up the general air of euphoria even further. [Jun 2010, p.92]
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