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?

You got 4 categories of Europe based groups. first one is those created in Kinshasa and who after years settled in Paris, Brussels or London. We got Classic Swede Swede of Boketshu in the mid 90s who were settled in London, Zaiko Langa Langa from 2002 until 2009 in Brussels, Victoria Eleison from 1991 until 1997 in Paris, Langa Langa Stars from the late 80s in Paris and from the 90s in London and as last Viva La Musica from 1987 until that Papa Wemba decided to disband it in 2002 or something like that, seeing Djuna Mumbafu, Gloria Thukadio, Demukuse, etc. as to old and unproductive, wanting also to focus 100% on Nouvelle Ecriture. The most succesful of that category will stay Viva La Musica having 1988-1997. There was no band in Europe that had so much succes like them. All their concerts in Paris, Brussels, London and Geneva were always sold out with the bandmembers (Reddy, Stino, Ping Pong, Joly Mubiala, Gloria, etc.) releasing succesful solo LP's. Sapeurs/businessmen like Modogo Gianfranco Ferre, Franck Issekya, Didier Milla, Abeba Liporodo, Pacha, Rive Kono, etc. wanting to associate Papa Wemba and Viva La Musica to their albums, Papa Wemba himself releasing worldmusic-albums and also succesful albums with Viva La Musica like Foridoles and Pole Position.






The second category are splitbands created in Paris and Brussels.  We had OK International in Brussels which were former musicians of Bana Ok (Decca Mpudi, etc.) who decided to leave Lutumba Simaro. Nouvelle Generation of Awilo Longomba, Luciana Demingongo, Bongo Wenda, Fafa de Molokai, Lidjo Kwempa, etc. which was created in 1992 after leaving Papa Wemba. Academia Quartier Latin formed by Somono Dolce and Lebou Kabuya in Paris, joined by Sam Tshintu, Modogo Ambarambwa who came from Tanzania. Les Marquis in 2004, Wenge Aile Paris, Wenge Kumbela, etc. the list long. Most of those bands were succesful, but didn't last long.





The third category are bands created of people who used to live Kinshasa but came to settle in Europe (Bana Mputu). Creating then bands in Paris, London, Geneva, Aachen, Rotterdam, Brussels. We had FPN or something like that (I forgot the name) which was the band of Didier Anaconda, Richard Mukena, JDL, Jus d'Ete Mulopwe (they released an album called systeme ya ramadan), We had Bikou le Brun's band in London, Chic La Puissanca of JF Ifonge and Cesar Loboko, Alliance Nord-Sud of Solo Ndinga, etc. Those bands weren't known in Kinshasa, but had local or sometimes even huge succes in the countries they were settled. The bands were mostly doing the first part of concerts that Quartier Latin, Wenge 4x4, Anti Choc, etc. were giving in their countries. They had massive support from donors/businesmen, sapeurs, etc. of their country and they were also giving sold-out concerts in the country they were settled. (Halls like LSC, La Madeleine, Stratford Rex London, the gym of Tottenham were Congolese artists used to perform often).



The last category are the bands formed in Paris, Brussels and London in the 90s. By those who were born in Kinshasa but raised in Europe (back in the days those born in Europe were to young max. 10 years old). But they were never really taking seriously because they were making often Lingala grammar mistakes in songs, their songs were often to easy (songs that everybody can make), the singers not being really strong vocally (with concerts then being 95% sebene, singing less) and atalaku's were often animating the Kikongo and Lingala cries were wrong. We had bands like Anti-Volcan of Mike Evian, Olivier Kalabasi, Mike Diapason, etc., Jeunes Premiers of Nono Manzanza, Kukuson, etc. Jeunes Premiers was succesful because they were supported by people of their generation who were also raised here and friends coming from other African countries (Mali, Senegal, etc.), also Jeunes Premiers wasn't full of Congolese people. You had musicians from Central African Republic.

Jeunes Premiers was created by Nono Manzanza had his friends. Their first record Nouveau Gamme was produced by Kiki Toure who had alot connection in Western Africa. Their record was a huge succes there and it made them tour in countries like R.C.A., Mali, Niger, Benin, etc. But after it Nono Manzanza got forced out from the band after leadership issues, so he decided to form his own band Les Heritiers with his friend Kukuson and other one (i forgot his name). They released their album La Paix Tout Simplement produced by Kiki Toure. But it was not really a big succes like Nouveau Gamme. The album made them tour in Colombia (Barranquilla) and the French-West Indies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin and French Guyane). Jeunes Premiers on their side released the album Premillenium which was a huge succes in Francophone Africa. Touring in countries like Ivory Coast, Guinea, etc.









Nono Manzanza participated on many albums from 1998-2001. Albums like Bonjour Monsieur of Felix Wazekwa, Dossier X and Tour de Controle of Aurlus Mabele, some songs of Madilu System (Virus & Wawini Mobunda), the song Le Biaka of Awilo Longomba, the formule 1-compilation album of Rigo Star, Nessy de London of General Defao, Cote Ouest and Force de Frappe of Guy Guy Fall, etc.

Kanda Bongo Man, Aurlus Mabele, Dr. Sakis, Dany Engobo

Outside of the groups you named, and I will add Viva members like Reddy; Stino and Gloria, Europe based groups never reached success back home. All these groups based in Europe went MIA for the Congolese listener when they settled in Europe.

That's why they used to say "poto eza cimetiere ya ba musiciens".

Outside of the groups you named, and I will add Viva members like Reddy; Stino and Gloria, Europe based groups never reached success back home. All these groups based in Europe went MIA for the Congolese listener when they settled in Europe.

That's why they used to say "poto eza cimetiere ya ba musiciens".

If you read well you will see that I mentioned Reddy, Stino and Gloria, also Ping Pong and Joly Mubiala.

Kanda Bongo Man, Aurlus Mabele, Dr. Sakis, Dany Engobo

I forgot to mention the Soukous artists as 5th category. The Congolese community based in Paris didn't like the music they were making, seeing it as fake Congolese music, going then only to concerts of Viva La Musica and later Wenge Aile Paris & Victoria Eleison. But they had still succes on diaspora radio's and the West African-community living in Paris, playing also in overcrowded stadiums in many african countries (Mali, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Benin, etc.), performing even in countries were those based Kinshasa-artists were never/rarely performing, countries like Ghana, Madagaskar, Reunion, Comoren, Djibouti, Guinee Bissau, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Gambia, Cape Verde and Nigeria. Those Soukous-artists went also to the West Indies. Performing then not only to the francophone islands, but also in english speaking islands (Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, Dominica and Saint Lucia).



from 4:43 min Dr Sakis performing in Grenada

About to Europe-based bands from 2010 you started to have a new generation of bands, created by children who were born in the 80s and early 90s. Bands like Quartier General of Bouleman Idolo, Dynamik C4, Les Kamikaze de Paris of Jeje Numerik, Les Maillons Fort of Kevin Mola. Those bands had also splitbands La Squadra, 7eme Battaillon, etc.











lol, Bouleman Idolo had a strong French-accent when he was talking lingala in those generiques.

Most of those bands don't exist anymore. Because some have finished school, have a family, some switched to afrobeat-music because of the money you could get there, etc. 

I blame Congolese people for the fact Comgolese misic made in Europe mever went anywhere.
I mean you have guys like BM who are making music that everyone is listening to from everywhere in the world, but you rarely hear Congolese giving him compliments.

Congolese music could be famous like K-POP (Gangnam Style 3.4 bilion
)

Reggaeton (Ozuna reached several times a bilion views




and how to forget Despacito 6.4 bilion views

)

Or Hip Hop
(Wiz Reached 4.2 bilion views with See You Again



and Drake reached several times the bilion views



)

If you combined all the Congolese musician views we are about 140 milion views and imstead o uniting ourself and try to reach bilion of views we are too much engaged in bashing the artist we don't like and mockimg Comgolese who are trying to push Congolese music in Europe

It has nothing to d with that.

Sometime, people seem to forget that Congo is one the poorest countries in the world and Africa is the less developed continent.

If internet access in Congo and in Africa in general was as developed as in other continents, congolese musicians would have billions of views.


Our music did well despite all the factors playing against it: poor country with no infrastructures, non western music style, non western language used in music, etc. And if our music was able to be played all over Africa for decades and our musicians were able to fill music hall in Europe, it’s also thanks to Congolese that always supported the genre.

I can tell you what you need to do to make Congolese Music famous. You need to do exactly what Nyoka Longo is doing: remain loyal to the style, go to do concerts in abroad as well, be proud of the history of the band. And do good albums. The problem in Europe is that when Congolese musicians emigrate there, they see how things go there, the freedom and democracy, they get mezmerized and think they can become famous and rich alone, everybody wants to be their own boss, but finally, they get to nowhere.

@mvulusi96

Did you like Soukous artist based in Paris? To be honest, I wasn't a fan. I felt it was very gimmicky, like an outsiders impression of what our music sounds like. Although, I did love Dr. Sakis for his music video.

He always had the best "dancers" in his videos kiekiekie! I used to sneak into my father's collection and watch those NSFW clips when I was young lmao

@mvulusi96

Did you like Soukous artist based in Paris? To be honest, I wasn't a fan. I felt it was very gimmicky, like an outsiders impression of what our music sounds like. Although, I did love Dr. Sakis for his music video.

He always had the best "dancers" in his videos kiekiekie! I used to sneak into my father's collection and watch those NSFW clips when I was young lmao

I didn't like their music, I saw it as manzanza. those lyrics of Kanda Bongo Man were so basic, even children could make those songs. But I like the sebene of Monie and Bili. The only Soukous-album I like was Cyclone of Sakis and another one of him who came out in 1995 or 1994, but I forgot the name of it. Most of them switched to Ndombolo from 1998/99. I have respect for them all for bringing Congolese music very far, especially Kanda Bongo Man and Awilo Longomba and setting records in African stadium that Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide, Wenge 4x4 weren't able to set in some countries.








I wonder if Sakis got kids lol. Ado Yuhe has to interview those soukous-legends (Diblo Dibala, Kanda Bongo Man, Dr Sakis, Yondo Sister, Dany Engobo, etc.) to know about their career and the succes they had.

@mvulusi96

If he doesn't have any kids at this point, then he's gay or sterile lmao

Interesting thread, I feel the younger artists of the diaspora/first gens are left out of the conversation a lot. I think it's mainly because they aren't that big or diluting their musical heritage (Dadju, Maitre Gims, Franglish, etc..)
But they don't have overwhelming support from the Congolese community and aren't great marketing outside of the Francophone bubble. 

 I think artists like Clark Donovan, Les Masques (Kevany/Scotty BK) Jordy, Naza, and Ya Levis have potential if we support them. The Melting Crew awards has potential. Granted their lyricism in Lingala isn't the best, they do cater most of us first gens who appreciate the art of Sebene and Rumba.

And theeeen there's Afro-Congo... which to be honest is hard for me to get into, but I'm willing to support because I understand the need to branch out the musical styles.