To give context, Simolo Katondi was Quartier Latin’s first ever drummer in 1987; participating in Golden Stars Dans Stephie and very early QL concerts before settling in Europe and becoming the most prolific session drummer behind Djujuchet.
This is the first time we see on camera a former QL member coming to record a song for the upcoming Quartier Latin album. Simolo will release it as a single beforehand. More alumni will be arriving at KC studio soon.
I also hear vocals from the great Luciana Demingongo, who was friends with Koffi when they began their careers.
May his soul continue to rest in peace. Nicknamed “the golden voice”, Madilu is most iconic voice ever in Congolese music history. Mario remains the biggest hit song ever from Central Africa.
And he was the one major artist who had close to a perfect career, in terms of producing hit after hit. "Le fils spirituel de Luambo Makiadi Franco"
So many wonderful songs to choose from. Makambo ezali bourreau, Mamou, Non, Pesa position na yo, Ya Jean, Colonisation, Juste Un Peu D'amour, Vieux Samy etc.
His death really came as a big shock to the African music community. At the time, he was in Kinshasa recording clips for Le Bonne Humeur despite being ill. His funeral was incredibly emotional; most notably when JB Mpiana & Werrason publically reconciled in church at Madilu's wake.
From the Independent
Quote
Jean de Dieu Makiese (Madilu System), singer and songwriter: born Léopoldville, Belgian Congo 28 May 1952; married (four children); died Kinshasa 11 August 2007.
His husky tenor blessed with a distinctively taught, tremulous vibrato, and the trademark chuckle that peppered his later work, the Congolese singer known as Madilu System was the brightest vocal talent of the legendary TPOK Jazz during his mid-1980s heyday. Arguably the most influential African band of the second half of the 20th century, TPOK Jazz were led by "Le Grand Maître" Luambo Makiadi "Franco", the formidable guitarist, singer and composer who spearheaded the craze for rumba Congolaise, which dominated African popular music in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
At their peak, le Tout Pouissant Orchestre Kinois ("the All-Powerful Kinshasa Orchestra") really justified their grandiose name; they numbered around 40 musicians, half of whom would stay in Kinshasa holding sway at one of two venues Franco owned, while the other half went on tour – each with ranks of horns, guitars and vocalists.
As one of their several featured singers at the time, Madilu System made his mark on a series of stunning vocal duets with Franco, most notably the epic quarter-hour-long "Mario" (1985), their biggest hit ever. Following Franco's death in 1989, Madilu continued to lead TPOK Jazz until its eventual dissolution in 1993, after which he pursued a moderately successful solo career in Europe, finally achieving recognition as "Le fils spirituel de Luambo Makiadi Franco" ("Franco's spiritual heir").
He was born Jean de Dieu Makiese in 1952, in Léopoldville, the capital of the Belgian Congo, later Zaire (and now the Democratic Republic of Congo). During the late 1960s, when Jean came of age, the city had a vibrant and highly competitive music scene. In 1969, he joined a rumba band called Symba, and spent the next few years honing his vocal skills in Papa Noël's band Bamboula, Festival des Maquisards (with Sam Mangwana) and Fiesta Popular.
In 1973, newly christened "Bialu" under President Mobutu's "authenticité" programme, Madilu formed the band Bakuba Mayopi along with the guitarist Yossa Taluki and a singer called Pirès – "Mayopi" being a nonsense word derived from the first two letters of each of their names. Though never exactly major players, they scored a significant hit with the song "Pamba-Pamba" in 1976, after which Bialu left, forming his own group with Soki Vangu, which they called Orchestre Pamba-Pamba. However, they met with no success, and Bialu spent the last two years of the 1970s in relative obscurity as a member of Tabu Ley's band Afrisa.
In the wake of a humiliating career low-point, which saw him abandoned at Kinshasa's Ndjili airport as Tabu Ley and his entourage jetted off to Europe, Bialu joined Afrisa's main rival, TPOK Jazz in April 1980, and his luck soon turned. He became the first member of the band to be invited to introduce himself in the course of a song, trading verses and harmonising with Franco over the 18 minutes of the slow-burning classic "Non", which took up the whole side of the 1983 album Chez Fabrice A Bruxelles.
The following year, he cemented his position as their rising star on "Tu Vois?" (popularly known as "Mamou"), a conversational duet focusing on sexual mores, typical of Franco's oeuvre at the time. The upbeat "Pesa position na yo" ("State your position") and "Makambo ezali bourreau" were other 1984 hits featuring Bialu. TPOK also visited the US and the UK that year, with Bialu fronting the band at their gig at the Hammersmith Palais. In a 2003 interview, he claimed that it was during this time that Franco nicknamed him "Système" (or "System," as he came to be known outside Francophone Africa), explaining that the two had an almost father-and-son relationship, and that Franco had empowered him to lead the band in his absence.
With backing by Franco's hypnotic, cascading guitar riff, "Mario" was a soap opera-like narrative about a gigolo, which juxtaposed Franco's gruff spoken-word exhortations with Bialu's precise singing. It made him the group's most popular singer with the public, both in Zaire and on their frequent tours to other African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. "La Vie des Hommes" (1986) continued his purple patch and the snappy "Tala merci bapesaka na mbua" from the same year showed that he could effortlessly go it alone with no need of Franco as a duet partner.
Franco's death in 1989 – most probably from an Aids-related condition – was a body blow from which TPOK Jazz never recovered, although they continued to perform to considerable acclaim, appearing in London the same year. Under pressure from Franco's family to relinquish the name, the poet Simaro formed Bana OK ("Children of OK Jazz") in Kinshasa at the start of 1994, taking most members of TPOK Jazz with him – except Madilu System, who resolved to start a solo career.
Basing himself in Geneva, (he had married a Swiss woman in 1985 under controversial circumstances) Madilu System divided his time between there, Paris and Kinshasa, working mostly with expatriot Congolese musicians to perpetuate Franco's classic "odemba" style of rumba on a series of solo albums, backed variously by the bands Multi-Système, OK Système and Tout Puissant Système. These began in 1994 with the zouk-flavoured Sans Commentaire. Subsequent solo releases included Album '95 (1995), L'eau (1999), Pouvoir (2000), Tenant du Titre (2003), Bonheur (2004) and most recently Le Bonne Humeur (2007).
During this solo phase, he collaborated on albums with other Congolese musicians, including former Choc Stars' singer Debaba Mbaki, Nyboma (of Kékélé), Benz-Petrole, Ndombe Opetum, Lokassa ya Mbongo, Rigo Star and Josky. He also occasionally participated in Dizzy Mandjeku's long-running homage project Odemba OK Jazz All Stars, although commitments in Kinshasa meant he was unable to make their UK début in May this year.
In 2006, he recorded a reprise of "Mario" on the album Ketukuba by the Afro-salsa supergroup Africando, and at the time of his death, was in the process of making another album with the producer Ibrahima Sylla.
Sad, can't you get your own Countrymen to do it. You got a Congolese guy who's in the country few days a year and has zero geo-politcal knowledge of Angola, singing the highest praises of the tyrant ... in French. If aired on national TV his sort of stuff will make common Angolans dislike him the way they abhor dos Santos' Congolese son-in-law, Sindika Dokolo.
--- He did it for Sassou-Guesso a while back and was paid hundreds of thousands. But he justified it with his "I'm just a musician; I'm just doing the job" rhetoric he loves using.
Hamed Bakayako supposedly tried to comission an Ouattara re-election song from Koffi two years ago, but the idea was rejected by his party.
The show was great, I was there in the audience. Ferre Gila has improved his English and manages to communicate well. The band started with Robert Basende (Japonais) then Ferre chipped in with Kama Sutra and then the Sebenes followed. The female atalaku ( I don't know her name) was doing most of the rapping, Bercy tried his best but he was darling when he chanted his verses in Stabilisation such as Kandondo file and that one for head butt. Ferre's group is youthful and looks good. They look like real star and on point.
Nice review. Touring in Africa allows the artists to bring along the most energetic members.
Jb won at the start, but n the long term werrason has beaten him clean. Jb is not a fighter, he is a weak leader by heart. Remove Bula, Amelia, afande, prince makaba, etc, he is done. Look at him now. He is a dynasorous skeleton surviving by It's name.
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