FREEDOM FIGHTER / FUNKY REGGAE by WITCH

Non-album single by the disco incarnation of the beloved Zamrock band.

Occupying a no-man’s land between the WITCH’S Zamrock and disco periods, “Freedom Fighter” is the missing link of the WITCH story and has remained unreleased until now. Unlocking the mystery of how the WITCH shifted shape at the beginning of the 1980s, the transition from the Prog sensibilities of their final rock offerings to the synth-licked beats that would characterise their boogie albums is documented here at 45RPM. The replica edition of the rare WIT3 7-inch is available in an edition of 300 with a trippy tribal outer sleeve and a numbered insert detailing the single’s remarkable story. Profits from the sale of this 7″ are going to WITCH’s Stanford Tembo for medical treatment. “Many Zambian bands underwent interesting evolutionary trajectories over the course of the 1970s but nothing matches the radical leap undertaken by WITCH from the bold and progressive Afro-rock of their Janet album in 1977 to their fully fledged boogie outing Movin’ On in 1980. These two incarnations of Zambia’s most cherished ensemble have been comprehensively documented over the last decade and have attracted distinct legions of Zamrock and disco acolytes. Unreleased until now, the non-album single “Freedom Fighter” (with it’s quirky reggae B-side) emerges as the missing link that unites the two WITCH camps, finding the group in Zimbabwe as the new nation came into being and documenting a mercurial period with their sound in the process of shapeshifting. “ - Sharp Flat Records.