Hello everyone, I hope you all have been safe and with family during this time. I just learned that my father has been hospitalized with respiratory issues, I'm heading back to see him. Although I believe it may be his asthma from the stress of quarantine, he will be tested for coronavirus. I appreciate everyone's topics in the forum, it continues to be a place of levity during this time!
Can someone tell me why Wenge Kumbela never obtained success despite Aime Buanga being from Bandal and a founding member of Wenge Musica? He even had success as a soukous artist in the mid-nighties, I'm surprised that none of his accomplishments translated into his own group.
His situation mirrors Delta Force in that the leader spent too much time in Europe, so the band remain in Europe got recruited by the competition (Mimiche went to Masion Mere & Cambodge went to QL). What I know is that key members of Kumbela left to join Pierrette Adams in the spring of 2000, because she toured in West Africa with them before recording Absolument in Paris.
Did Aime Buanga not receive the support from his neighborhood the way other groups did? Because almost every branch of Wenge came from Bandal.
Does anyone know the story about this guy? I saw him in the clips for Toujour Humble, but he didn't sing on that album (you'll see him in red shirt following Tutu Caludji in the goofy circle dance at 4:52). He had a few small vocals on Internet and Anti-Terror before disappearing. What happened?
What was JB Mpiana trying to accomplish with those young guys on the rhumba of Francis Solution? Did he want to unsettle the old guard? They were talented and young, but I feel like JB Mpiana never really committed to making them Wenge BCBG or an associated act like Pipiyus. I think he was too soft as a boss
It's totally understandable why the key members of Victoria Eleison Dream Team Dream Band left;
1) They were going long periods of time without payment, because Kester was busy spending much of the group's profit on building his villa Maison Blanche. I even suspect that this is a contributing factor as to why Spino Lajatance left for Quartier Latin after the release of Mboka Mboka.
2) Despite the huge success of Mboka Mboka and Longue Histoire, the newly formed band has yet to tour in Europe and are being given a hard time by "le carré magique" since those other bands have.
As it would have seemed, Dream Team Dream Band would have made it to Zenith of 2001 had they remained a bit more patient under the circumstances. The group already was preparing very well for Novel Ordre; you can hear the popular partition from the generique @ 4:56 minutes.
As we know, Mambo de Panama of King Boys staff (the same guy who helped Kester recruit these guys) convienced Guy Moller, Anthony Sampaio, Zoe Bella, Sweet Elesse, and Eric Masudi to split and form their own band. Does anyone know if they ever recorded and released an album? Why wasn't their spin off band successful? They were fantastic, just check out their 1hr 15 mintues to 1hr 21 minutes.
Do you think it would have been better for them to stick it out? Although, I figure most of those guys would have remained in Europe. King Kester was too eager to prove himself too soon and perhaps so were his boys...I supppse it is one of Congolese music's biggest mysteries.
Remember, Felix Wazewka had a somewhat similar problem in that his band was anxious to perform at the mystical halls, but the more patient members got to enjoy the glory (Eclipse, Pitchou Concorde, ect) while those who left the group got bad luck (Gesac, Hono Kapanga, Joss Diena, and Gabanna).
Does anyone know any groups created in Europe that had success aside from Les Marquis, Wenge El Paris, or Academia? It seems like groups in Paris are not taken seriously in Kinshasa despite access to better studios and venues.
Nono Manzanza has an impressive record as an atalaku, but even he couldn't get this group far. Does anyone know more songs or albuma he animated on? Or anything about that group?
Ah, Dede Djasco! I've always expected more from this guy's career, but he stayed in Europe after Patrouille Des Star finish recording Correction. Does anyone know anything more about him? Here are some of his career highlights:
Felix Wazewka shuffled through a lot of musicans since Sponsor, almost none of the singers have lasted more than two albums:
Most of the singers on this rhumba aren't around by Yo Nani
As far as accoustics are concerned, Piwawa is one of the best sounding generique Koffi has produced for the entire album. Felly Tyson's lead guitar really begins thirty seconds into the song with simple and sweet licks and slowly transition into an orgasmic rock solo to wrap the track. The melodic canvas is courtesy of a hypnotic bassline from Binda Bass and rhythm section by Fofo Collegien that keeps the groove going. The icing on cake is Titina's thunderingly sophisticated drum passage throughout which makes the audio fit for speakers and on a large stadium. Furthermore, the lyrics that preceed the sebene promotes having a good work ethic and genuine love among our people to make Congo (and to be honest any society) a better place to live in. If only the rest of the album had a diversity of thought given to the texts other than love and excessive donor dedication, perhaps I would rank this album a bit higher on the list of my favorite Quartier Latin group albums.
My second favorite sebene is Code Pin; I love the interplay between Fofo Collegien's rhythm guitar and the percussion section in response to Bebe Kerozene's cries at the 3:15 to 4:05 and then Brigade gives it try 5:08 to 5:32! This one is straight banger; a must have for parties.
Titina's thundering Danao ranks as my third favorite and it's tied with Juif Noir, depending on what day you ask me it'll switch between the two for third place. Both feature the classic chorus structure we've come to love the group for, as they break in between with each singer getting to flaunt their unique voice. As of writing this review, I'll go with Juif Noir for third place because Rama's solo partition to Bebe Kero's "musala yo, yo, yo" goes a long way in keeping the dance floor busy @ 6:40! The animation was so catchy, he used it for Wanted by Pipiyus.
My only gripe about Danao is that niether Paparazzi Toto nor Michaux Chamberton really meshed well in the band. Granted they are respectable singers in their own right, but the team of Effrakata was more cohesive. I would have even prefered Jordan Kusa's participation over Chamberton and Paparazzi, because he had more charisma as a singer and live performer than those two regardless of people's doubts in his vocal ability. You'll feel his absence especially in the clips, because he was close behind Fally and Bouro when it came to dancing skills.
As for the remaining sebenes, they were good. However, I believe Felly Tyson is at his best as a soloist when he adopts an aggressive style. Take for example Je T'en Prie, his partition is played with much determination during their concert of Brixton in 2002 to much better effect. Just observe the part when Fally dances and the drum passage prior to Bouro's dance solo.
The album version is played slower and the drums are played with less dynamic compared to the concert footage. Also the guitar tones used for this album feature less variation used on Effrakata and even Force de Frappe, which can effect the amount of times this album will be relistened to since the sebenes will begin to sound the same unlike prior albums that benefit from the soloist adjusting their sound to give each lead partition a distinct flavor while revisiting the themes of the main generique.
Lastly before I touch on the rhumbas, I had more expectations for the animations to be as engaging as the last group album Force de Frappe. In my opinion, Brigade and Bebe Kerozene were handicapped by the general avoidance of interplotating popular cries at the time of the album's recording. Perhaps Koffi could have encouraged the duo to spent more time around shegues to achieve inspiration for a new dance like Wemba did for Somo Trop with "Kila Mogrosso" if they wanted to avoid copying Masion Mere's ko-yimbiko. In Tous Pepele, Brigade had a frenetic rap that I enjoyed quite a lot but aside from the instrument break at "ya Fofo" and the "quadra kora" cry, there's no quotables like previous albums.
It's unfortunate that Spino La Djatence never got the chance to really settle in any of the big bands, especially going into the late 90s.
He sounded great with King Kester; check him out 57 seconds into the song. I wonder what made him leave Kester's band? It would have been nice to hear him on Long Histoire!
Although he got left behind during Bercy, it seemed like he had a chance of rejoining the group with the anniversary concert of Quartier Latin but idk why he didn't participate in Effrakata?
Another talent that disappeared quickly was the atalaku Washington of Wenge Tonya Tonya! Last I heard of him, he had a brief spell in Quartier Latin.
The man had impressive cries, but I can't believe they went with Gessac, Mbuji Mayi, and those other faceless guys...except Ségolene Royale. She did a great job, I can't believe Koffi never promoted the idea of having a female atalaku.
Is there any popular female Congolese musicans right now? Maybe I'm not paying attention, but aside from MJ 30 I don't really see anyone else. Even Cindy has not proven herself to stand solo as her previous generation of female singers; Tshala Mwana, Mpongo Love, M'bilia Bel, and to a lesser degree Barbara Kanam.
The last woman in Congolese music to perfectly balance beauty and talent was Pierrette Adams. I loved her earnest vocals and the versatile song approach which kept things consistently exciting. She incorperated hip-hop, folklore, and the sebene heavy animations we enjoyed from other groups.
We also must give credit to her long time arranger, Boncana Maïga of Africando! The sound is breathtakingly beautiful, it still holds up as among the best produced albums from our genre. Just listen to the lush instrumentation of these songs!
Anyone know anything about her or her band? I'm surprised she hasn't gotten a biography yet.
Fally needs to work more with Maika Munan, because that man is a fantastic conductor who brings a warmth to the music! I don't know who arranged the music on his recent album Control, but it lacks the attention to detail in the harmonization of the orchestra.
Just listen to the lush guitars and soft percussion on Nyokalessé. Sprinkled throughout the track are random fret slides from the bass guitar and an eclectric guitar solo that keep the tempo sultry yet energetic!
Maria PM lacks impact because the music is shallow, since much of the instrumental is built on a simple guitar riff, programmed drums, and bass line that's sequenced in a loop.
The only part of the music that's has personality is the keyboard snyths that comes in around the three minute mark. Aside from that is the same loop, you'll hear a faint guitar solo before the song ends...terrible arrangement.
Perhaps Congolese artist should start recording their albums live as opposed to in partcial sequence, because a raw sound gives the music arranger less flexiablility in post-production. As a result of this, the musicians have to work harder to ensure their instruments are tuned appropriately and well phased to studio microphones so that the music remains dynamic.
What do you guys think? If Fally ever decides to try his hand at live recorded music then I recommend the following music arrangers; Sec Bidens or Al Nzimbi. He is already well familar with American music indusry, I recommend he comes here and record with some of our studio personnel.
In the late 90s, General Defao was arguably the biggest star in Africa with Tremblement De Terre and La Guerre De 100 Ans giving him significant exposure throughout the diaspora. Just take a look at the excitement from fans!
The fact that he didn't aggressively seek visas for an extended tour in Europe in 1999 really surprised me. He was more known through Africa than Wenge Musica and Koffi Olomide.
Ahead of him was Papa Wemba and Youssou Ndour, so concerts in Bercy, Zenith, and Olympia were definately a possibility but like I said missed opportunity...
As for Reddy Amisi, he could have been a big leader of an orchestra like Koffi. The acclaim of Prudence should have motivated him and his staff to break completely from Papa Wemba to create a new band (instrumentalist, singers, atalakus, & songwriters).
Remember, it was the relatively mute response to his follow up Ziggy. I suspect the feedback was that people wanted atalakus on his albums, which is why he made the fatal mistake of borrowing Koffi's for Etoile. If he had his own selected crop of atalakus with innovative animations instead of Mboshi/Somono duo, he would be miles ahead in his solo career than he currently is. But as I've mentioned...missed opportunities.
What do you guys think of my analysis? Do you have any artist you're a fan of who missed certain opportunities to be even bigger than they were?
Is it true that Desole by Serge Muloso predates Vita Imana by Ferre Gola? It sounds like it, his version flows better lyrically than the Wenge verison that uses more mabangas.
Although the music industry in the American and Europe is increasingly corupt the higher an artist climbs, at least there are comprehensive copyright laws to protect the maturing assests of songwriters and musicans.
Congolese music could have reached the same consumption like K-pop and Latin music if we managed our business with the same sophistication as our artform.
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