A shiny wonder of Afro-European art-pop, Mr. Manager is the second release by the inspired duo of French composer/producer Hector Zazou and Congolese singer Bony Bikaye. Initially released in 1985 by Belgian imprint Crammed Discs, the label now offers up a deluxe reissue of this lost gem, expanding its original track list with nine more songs from the same sessions. Following the cult success Zazou Bikaye's fascinating 1983 collaboration with analog synth duo CY1, Noir et Blanc, the two musicians assembled a similarly eclectic cast that included horn and woodwind players, percussionists, a guitarist, and backing vocalists to accompany Zazou's electronic compositions and Bikaye's increasingly wild vocal performances. A five-song version of Mr. Manager appeared in 1985, receiving due acclaim and garnering some international attention, though the sessions that bore this material lasted well into 1986, with most of the other tracks remaining unreleased until now. An Afro-beat-funk hybrid that encompasses avant-garde pop, electronic programming, and inventive vocals, Mr. Manager remains a shockingly fresh and progressive listen 35 years later. In spite of its attention to detail, a sense of immediacy and spontaneity informs the whole endeavor from the joyous "Nostalgie" to the vivid call-and-response of "Nakangi," the latter of which benefits from a fascinating cacophony of quirky drum machines, abstract digital noises, and a thrilling soprano sax part courtesy of daring Frenchman Philippe de la Croix Herpin. Other songs are almost surreal in their balance of aching tenderness and eerie abstraction, like "Signorina" and the enchanting "Soki Akei," which features some of Bikaye's most daring vocals. Likewise, his strangely affected delivery on "Viva la Musica" breathes and stutters in a way that sounds almost like a backward tape effect. Between Zazou's offbeat arrangements and Bikaye's fearless vocals, every track feels like an adventure with surprises around every corner. Whether New York was taking notice of Zazou Bikaye or vice versa, it's not hard to make a sonic parallel to some of Talking Heads' and Arthur Russell's mid-80s adventures, though Bikaye's soukous/avant-pop influence makes this much more of a wildcard. There is much to unpack among Mr. Manager's wealth of treasures and nearly all of it is exciting.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo