I have a couple points to touch on regarding this topic:
The truth is not that sebene is completely dead it’s just not as popular secularly anymore. If you go on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube it’s still pretty popular with the youth and there are a lot of young guitarist learning to play different instruments even foreign kids (including myself). The fact of the matter is the legacy of Sebene is carried on in the diaspora with the gospel groups. Even gospel groups in Congo can’t play to the level as the newer groups in France, Belgium etc. They opt to play a style widely regarded to as Feeling popularized by Michel Bakenda and others. The best sebene and in my humble opinion Congolese instrumentalist are in the diaspora in 2025. For example:
The best guitarist in this moment who has influenced a whole new generation with his style and creativity is Manasse Imengo (son of Golly Imengo) based in Paris. He is celebrated by my generation to the extent that his guitar and his sound are an extremely sought after. He has been acknowledged by the likes of Japonais and others.
The best drummer who has also had the same influence as Manasse is Thierry Cap’s based out of Europe as well. He has influenced a whole generation as well with his style to the extent that there are young drummers that use his name or add it to theirs. He has been acknowledged by Papy Kakol who is regarded to by some as the best ever.
Their influence has reached beyond borders and nationalities reaching to Nigerians, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and more. I think this reach has the potential of taking sebene back to its glory days through other avenues.
I respect the diaspora's enthusiasm for keeping sebene alive, but almost everyone plays exactly the same style of sebene. There's no personal touch anymore. Whether it's gospel groups or secular groups that go viral on TikTok, it's all starting to sound like copy-and-paste. Back in the golden age, every band had its own flavor, every guitarist his own identity. Nowadays, you can change guitarists from one band to the next without the difference being noticeable. There's no risk, no surprise, no personality. And it's even become slow; I don't feel any punch anymore.
We the fans also don't know what we want. Lol Why is it that we sleep on recent albums that has sebene. Case in point 242 album by Extra Musica had a number of sebene songs, Vision album by Nouvele Horizon is has about 3 sebene songs. Same with JB'S Balle de Match album it has some pretty good sebenes but we don't talk about them. It's almost like they don't exist. Maybe that's the reason Balle de Match got that Disc D'or recently because its kind of different from other recent releases.
Those are albums that I listen recurrently. But we need more like these.
It seems like Abilissi left before the clips were filmed. The generique clip was filmed during the US tour in July of 1999 and in Autumn for Paris shoots. The shop in which they’ve filmed Laissez Passer is named Zio Ernesto, it’s still open till this day.
I think Extra was based in Brazzaville because in many interviews it has been said that Kila spent many times in Europe and having to join them in case of tours or other kind of trips
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