What if — at least for a little while — Africa’s legendary Serengeti region was relocated to outer space? That’s one of the questions that comes to mind as President Bongo & the Emotional Carpenters unleash their ode to the annual animal migration across the Serengeti. The album, appropriately entitled Serengeti, which was released last month on the AlbumLabel imprint. Odds are that you’ve heard President Bongo before, as Stephan Stephensen, is a founding member of Icelandic electronic popsters GusGus, whom he left earlier this year to pursue his own projects. (Recently, Stephensen was kind enough to provide us with an exclusive mix.)
The feel created by Bongo and company on the album combine organic, acoustic sounds with cutting-edge electronic technology for a dizzying mix of past, present, and future. And the video directed by Snorri Bros for “Greco” follows suit, blending ancient African imagery with modern visual effects to create something strangely timeless.