Zamrock legends WITCH (We Intend To Cause Havoc) share an Amazon Music Original to celebrate Chaka Khan’s upcoming induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – their Zamrock-infused cover of Chaka Khan’s 1983 hit “Ain’t Nobody,” recorded at the legendary Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco.

Featuring Theresa Ng’ambi and Hanna Tembo – both of whom feature on the band’s latest album ‘Zango’ – “Ain’t Nobody” finds WITCH sharper than ever, infusing their blend of traditional African rhythms, heavy psych-rock, blues, funk, and garage with subtle (yet distinctively ’80s-inspired) synths. Listen here exclusively via Amazon Music.

WITCH’s Patrick Mwondela on the making of “Ain’t Nobody”:

“It was an honour to be asked to record a cover of a Chaka Khan song.

I personally was inspired by Chaka Khan’s music in the ‘80s. This project took me back to WITCH’s Disco days when we produced the albums ‘Moving On’ and ‘Kuomboka’. Of all of Chaka Khan’s songs, we chose ‘Ain’t Nobody’ as it’s such an iconic dance floor filler!

I worked with Jacco Gardner on production and experimented with lots of sounds and parts. It’s such a well crafted song so we were conscious not to lose its core vibrant vibe, but we also wanted to give it a ZamRock touch, with some vernacular included. The result was a raw, quirky feel just like the ‘70s ZamRock but sprinkled with the ‘80s strings and subtle brass, with a running bass line.

For me it was a labour of love and great fun! We hope Chaka likes it.”

Known as the “Zambian Beatles” during their ‘70s and ‘80s heyday, ‘Zango’ is WITCH’s first album in nearly 40 years. It was released in June as the first release on new Partisan Records imprint Desert Daze Sound. Read more in this extensive profile in the New York Times.

Following sold out shows across the globe behind ‘Zango’, WITCH will headline more dates in the UK this fall. Dates below.

WITCH TOUR DATES
28 NOV 2023 / UK / London / Earth
01 DEC 2023 / UK / Liverpool / District
03 DEC 2023 / UK / Manchester / Band On The Wall
04 DEC 2023 / UK / Bristol / Lost Horizons