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I think its better for Ado to never to a two part interview. Its better to record in one even if it will last 4 hour and split it in two. Because when they do it in two parts,the second part will always be less interesting. The artist being there to do mabanga, being bid headed, throw shots and not really interested anymore. Depitcho's one is a good example, second part about Quartier Latin was totally messed up.
Ado asked him about the El Paris-Wenge 4x4 beef, but Manda just quickly talking about the way Marie Paul was stealing 4x4 public with his soccerball. I thought that he would talk about his confrontations with Adolphe on tv, him being mad about Adolphe calling him petit and ungrateful or him often denying that Wenge 4x4 made him the he's today, saying that it was his talent and parents who made him. Ado forgot to ask him, if it was his idea to stay longer in Kinshasa when coming for the new year 1994-concert. Because Dello Bass claimed it was Manda's fault, because they went just for 2 weeks, but Manda wanting to stay longer and when Wenge 4x4 released the song Tempete de Desert for Kongolo Mobutu. Kongolo Mobutu change his mind, choosing Wenge 4x4's camp, chasing El Paris away from his late brother Niwa's villa, where they were staying. Them all being forced to live with their parents again since they hadn't a home and being blocked in Kinshasa, because of them not having papers, being arrived in Kinshasa on an illegal way and not having a Kongolo Mobutu anymore to get them back in Europe where some had already children and wives.
I was surprised to hear Manda Chante saying that he left, he was interviewed the same day with Pepe Kalle and Adolphe Dominguez at Karibu Variete. Pepe Kalle still being alive. I always thought taht he left in the summer of 1999, after seeing him in a compliation VHS of artists in Kinshasa. So was that giga-concert of all bands in Kinshasa at Stade des Martyrs, before the release of Maison Mere's Intervention Rapide in November 1998? I always thought that it was in the same month. Bad timing from Marie Paul, to let Manda go, he didn't knew that Maison Mere was about to take Kinshasa over as most popular band. No wonder that Manda Chante couldn't explain the conflict of Werrason and Marie Paul, because back at that era they were still on good terms, despite that incident at Stade des Martyrs.
Manda's departuremade concertpromoters cancel their El Paris' Europe-tour, while they already signed contracts to come back after 5 years absence. It resulted in a two years longer stay in Kinshasa. Manda's explanation about his departure because of Tembo, is totally different from that of Vieux Kinkela, Dello Bass and Bizima. I will not enter in to it.
If Manda Chante left in 1998, what made him get 2 years to release his album? Because back then we were in an era where it was easy to find a producer and get an album quicky released. Because back in those days most were releasing their album after 6 months, when leaving a band even those who were unknown.
Manda Chante realy lost it in this interview. He said that they made Couvre Feu (Curfew), as reaction for the way Wenge 4x4 did
Pentagone, coming with those brown outfits to arrest them. But he forgot that Pentagone got released in 1996 and that Wenge already split when they went to record Couvre Feu at Studio Ndiaye. Also about Armageddon (aka' Le Monde Envers). He said that it was a reaction to JB's Feux de l'Amour, yes it got release after JB's album, but he forget that it got recorded earlier and it took 8 months to release it on the market. Also if they went to South Africa to record it there, it was because they didn't want to get humilated by Wenge 4x4, who went on tour in that time. Wenge 4x4 already went 2 times to Europe (1994 & 1995) and came back twice, while El Paris were blocked in Kinshasa and if Wenge 4x4 would come back for the third time from it would be a total
defeat for El Paris, who were already mocked for that. Wenge 4x4 employees already warning them about it on tv about it and throwing shots.
Also about Couvre Feu. He said that LD Kabila's soldiers came in with that album, while they were already 1 year in power. I think that the inspiration Couvre-Feu, comes from Kabila's regime, when you had often Cur-few in Kinshasa.
I wanted to hear Manda talk about the songs Junior and Silva of Le Monde Envers-album and why he decided to remix them, while he could release new songs in the place. Still wonder if he did sung Junior and Silva before Couvre Feu in concerts and if he didn't got
problems for that with Kabila's regime. Sad that he didn't talk about the story of the song Ibrahim, which made him getting the best singer award 1997. People claimed that he sung for a witchdoctor in Kimbanseke. This while it was a posthum-song for a diamonddealer based in Tshikapa, who gave supported him when he came in Kinshasa with El Paris in 1993, but passing away in 1996.