Quote from: J Silu on June 15, 2020, 12:49

Quote from: Mfumu Vata on June 15, 2020, 12:44

Quote from: J Silu on June 14, 2020, 20:36

Quote from: Mfumu Vata on June 14, 2020, 18:04

Quote from: J Silu on June 14, 2020, 15:17

I've finished with my studies on Quartier Latin and Wenge clan.. I want to know more about Defao's big stars.

Started in 1990 I think. I see that Montana was a member from early. Aza vraiment mutu ya kala. I thought he joined around 95, but I see that he was there from before 1994. He should've went solo after leaving big stars, I feel like him and Kabose really shot themselves in the foot by joining new bands.. they basically fell down the ranks. Educate me.

And yeah I just want to know more about Defao's big stars. I'm a fan of Defao but don't know too much about his group. So I want to take this opportunity to learn about their members and the influence of the group.

Thank you

It started in september 1991, when Defao left Choc Stars to start his solo career. It was first “le duo du siècle”, because Defao decided to team up with his friend Djo Poster (RIP) of Grand Zaiko Wawa, but they changed the name into Big Stars.

Montana Kamenga was a member of Big Stars from day 1, being first a member of Choc Stars junior -band. Most musicians who were recruited for Big Stats came from Kasa Vubu, Ngiri Ngiri and Kisantu.

Thank you.. And I forgot about that in Congo. You had to be one of the big names during that time and well done to Felix.

Defao's big stars ran from 1991 to 2000 right? How did Kabose join Big Stars. They had good singers but I just don't know of other names

Kabose joined Big Stars in 1992, but he was to young and was then just reserve. You can see him in the public when they performed on tv for Tele Zaire and in some videoclips of 1994. In 1995 when Defao returned by himself (the whole band stayed in Europe), he became a keymember until 2000 when he left for Anti Choc. Here you got Kabose's biography

http://congovibes.com/congolese-music/biography-of-kabose-bulembi/

Big Stars had singers like Djodjo Bayinge, Rabbi Makuta, Jirbo Ntunta, Debleu Kinanga, Angela Rifano,etc.

Thank you and one last question, what influence did they have because around the time he started big stars.. we saw the emergence of 4x4.. and QL by 1994. We've focused on wenge and QL but it's fascinating to know how big stars were doing and whether Defao was interested in competing with them. Because Defao was a bigger star than then all and helped both koffi and Wenge.

They had huge succes in 1992 with albums of Solange Lima and Amour Scolaire, which made General Defao getting the award of best star of the year in 1992. But the influence of Big Stars wasn't on the level of Wenge 4x4, because they were the reference of all youngsters at that time while General Defao was someone of the 3th generation and King Kester Emeneya & Papa Wemba who were in Europe being more influent then him. The difference with Wenge and Quartier Latin, was that Big Stars were performing in areas where they would never come, areas like Selembao, Bumbu, Makala, Ngaba, Kisenso, Kingasani ya suka & Masina (El Paris would do the same thing when they were stuck in Kinshasa in 1993). Wenge 4x4 and Quartier Latin were mostly giving their concerts in Matonge, Yolo, Bandal, Ngiri Ngiri, Kasa Vubu, Lemba, Limete, Lingwala, Barumbu, Kintambo, Gombe and the Ngaliema-area and on rare occassions in Ndjili and Matete. After the 1993 the succes of Big Stars started to stagnate, then in 1994 they managed to get in Europe and stayed like a year. But on the end of the tour all musicians (Jagger Bokoko, Guy Wa Nzambi, Richa Cogna Cogna, Djodjo Bayinge, etc.) stayed in Europe, which made Defao return alone back to Kinshasa. When he came in Kinshasa, Montana (who didn't get a visa for the Europe-tour) recruited a new team, recruiting musicians like Theo Mbala, Renato Mondele, and co. It surprised Defao, jocking that it wasn't his band anymore, giving Montana the role of president of the band Big Stars. In the same period the album of Phily Mbala and Famille Kikuta were released which brought Defao back on the map and they were a huge succes, not long after that they went to the studio with the new team joined by Burkina Faso who left Wenge 4x4. They released Amour Interdit, which made Kabose, Montana & Theo Mbala known. The year after it they released Sala Noki, which made Defao known in Africa.

Ado Yuwe: ahhh Mfumu... Mfumu... mbote ebimi.. mbote ebimi. Thank you

hats off to ferre he is on the way of achieving something rare in congolese music,our public is one of the harshest and most rude i have seen and when more and more people start to decide that you are finished  its almost impossible to turn it around
 i remember just even before corona,some people were even saying that but na filet,robinio and even bb tshor was a bigger star than ferre now because bebe tshor's video made  it to half a million (and now a million) on youtube in less time and before par hasard
hopefully it continues for him like that and hopefully it motivates other guys to still believe
our country deserves at least 50 strong stars  not that stupid 3 vs 3 plus ba petits  na ba vieux oyo basololaka bien format

That's why music has declined. It's not like the old days, You had many stars shining on their own period. Olembi Anti-Choc, okoti nanu Empire Bakuba, olembi Bakuba okeyi epai Viva olembi Viva, kende koyoka Koffi olembi TchaTcha .. Jossart azo zela yo.. olembi Zaiko.. Defao aza pembeni.. otiki Defao , okutani na Reddy (koyebisa Papa Wemba te lool).. your day of listening to a quarter of the stars is done. You start a new day and you start with Kester this time.. Dindo Yogo... Choc Stars.. Wenge 4x4..

Now it's not like that, for those entering their teens or born around the time Fally Ferre Didier Fabregas Heritier  were becoming solo artists, aren't really interested in the history of our timeless music. It's just Fally for them mainly.

Actually, Montana did release a solo album after Defao broke up the Big Stars. It didn't do too well however and he joined QL sometime before Force de Frappe's release. 20 years ago, the Congolese musical landscape was a band-oriented environment. There was no room for successful solo careers. Aimelia and Suzuki left their respective bands, released albums that flopped, and they joined MM and Academia a few months later, respectively. If Kabose released a solo album around 1999/2000, he would've been in the same situation as these three guys and ended up joining Anti Choc (and eventually Maison Mere) anyway. Until Droit Chemin, the only way you could make a name for yourself was in a band, especially if you sang.

Thank you for the information.. I see you're right.. and I think I remember the Montana album.. but I'm surprised it flopped. He was hot at the time, just lie Suzuki was. I don't understand how they can flop. It has to be promotion wise that's killed them but even that if you're a star, promotion shouldn't be too hard as you already have a buzz. It's just down to how you present yourself as a solo artist and that's not easy.

This is why I love this site. And I am honoured to be a part of this group. Toza na classe, everything that I wanted to ask or know about I get it from here.

And Papa Wemba's Maitre d'ecole album is the bomb. I remember buying it on iTunes. Never regretted it.

Usually you'd Think with the likes of ferre and fally dominating popularity with the new gen, the likes of Papa Wemba and co wouldn't be able to put out good albums but that's not the case.

They still put out good albums. It's just that bana mike just know ferre and fally only, like the way these kids just know Ronaldo and Messi but don't want to study and learn about the greats that came before them like zidane, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, bautistuta etc .. you get my drift.

But that album was solid. No lie.

In terms of group albums, who's had the strongest better catalogue.

Comparing from the 90s to now.

When you look at Wenge 4x4, Wenge Maison Mere, Wenge BCBG, Quartier Latin, Nouvelle ecriture, Zaiko, Tonya Tonya, Magic System, Dream team dream band..

When you look at whichever groups you want to concentrate on, who can you say had a solid catalogue of group album releases.

Quote from: bencuri on April 02, 2020, 01:53

I remembered wrongly, it is not the concert with the big portrait, rather like the setting similar to the Mulolo video clip. It's a shame almost nothing can be heared from the solo guitar.

This is btw the way Wenge 4x4's first concert ever to be broadcasted live on tv. The concert made them get the "revelation de l'annee" award of 1987. It was just before they started recording the mulolo-album the same year. I never understood, why they didn't decide to make a re-issue version of that concert on dvd. Because its a historic concert. The same for their unreleased album of 1986 with Aime Buanga & Zing Zong and the remix album of Mulolo from 1990.

Wait this song is no comment shengen? It was recorded during this time and they released it in the Pentagone album in 96? Sounds familiar, some of the lyrics. Ahh I'm also hearing kin e Bouge as well. Is this a medley?  :O

Here's a simple Biography of what I could salvage online...To this day Mokolo Ya Massiya remains one of my favorite songs, I play it everyday

Charles Ndombasi Lassa was born in 1961, he was one of the great figures of Congolese music, By his vocal tone, he charmed the whole country, he was acclaimed as he is worthy for a star of the song. I will not quote to you the titles of the songs which made its glory, adulated by the crowd in delirium by seeing it or listened to sing; Carlyto was like a half god.
He was a tailor in Matadi, south of Zaire; a large port where Kituba is spoken instead of Lingala; open to Angolan influences and close to the tensions of Cabinda. Conversion to Christianity was overwhelming and profound as only the conversion of a mystic African can be. The most beautiful voice of Zaire, authentically inspired.
From Ok-Jazz to Choc-stars, Carlyto praised and glorified the world, but all that was vanity vanities, Jehovah our God, had a plan for this man, he wanted him to sing for him too. God sanctified and called Carlyto to use this beautiful voice to praise and worship.
Today Carlyto has fully put her beautiful voice at the service of her God. He sings the wonders God: praises, adorations and psalms with so much love and passion as he never sang, his Cd testifies the quality of his message. If you meet him on the way do not hesitate to call him Brother Carlyto.
All those who approached Brother Carlito have a good testimony of him, they find that he is a model of humility, given the rank of start he was in pagan life. The first time I met him, I had the impression that we had known each other for a long time. A pastor told me that the brother is always available to him who invites him. Really, this brother has all the sign of someone who is born again and filled with the Holy Spirit.

I'm reopening this convo again.  Was just thinking about Carlyto again and came to the forum to check if I've spoken about him. Seems like I have unfinished business.

He started his career at OK Jazz? The first time I saw his image with OK Jazz singing, I could be collapsed. Because I already knew of the big names at OK Jazz but didn't expect to see Carlyto was also another gem part of the group.