Shabazz Palaces percussionist Tendai Maraire and guitarist Hussein Kalonji line up the Girlz With Gunz EP.

Going by the name Chimurenga Renaissance, a reference to the insurrection that ended white-minority rule in Zimbabwe, the duo combine synths and samples with live ngoma drums and mbira thumb piano to forge a pan-African sound steeped in their diverse heritage; Maraire, usually found providing percussion for Sub Pop-signed hip-hop-but-not duo Shabazz Palaces, comes from a renowned Zimbabwean musical lineage, while Kalonji (formerly known as rapper H-Bomb) is the son of a Congolese guitar legend, Raymond “Braynck” Kalonji.

After dropping an album and an EP on Seattle imprint Brick Lane, the duo have joined Glitterbeat (a great label for discovering African sounds) for Girlz With Gunz, an 11-track release which featuring Sassy Black, aka Catherine Harris-White of THEESatisfaction. An album on Glitterbeat is also promised later in the year.

Check out a preview in the video below and click through to the YouTube description for more insight into the album.