Back in the days bands had just 1 or some just 2 atalaku's with them having alot of space to animate in albums, because the majority of songs being sebene songs. In the mid 2000s bands started to have 3, 4 and some even 5 or 6. Generiques because of that also started to become longer 11 minutes, some even 15 minutes long. But with the years coming less sebenes being in albums, escepially since the beef of Werra vs Koffi restarted in 2005 and the G-5 Revolution. From the late 2000s all artists and bands just releasing rumba-albums even bands who were orginally known as those who used to make people dance and criticize the old generation. But they all still had many atalaku's in their band. The amount even growing, some even having more than 10 atalaku's, but them having barely space and just the two/three main atalaku's animating the most in generiques, the rest not being sure if they would ever get space in albums. Concerts being the same (except Maison Mere and to little extend BCBG), atalaku's having barely space and in a concert sometimes just animating 4 times, some even not even appearing on stage, just animating when its time for the female dancers to dance and the intro before the bandleader arrives.

yes i agree with you,atalakus are so underused and it even has impacted their level of creation and the fact they are that many makes it worse,some leaders will pile them up on a 6 minutes generique then see you in 5 years

100% and the worst part of it is the less used atalakus are even better then the main atalaku's. Just look at F'Victeam for example Identite is the number 1 atalaku but for me he just isn't that good. Also in the Power 001 generique fally used all of his atalakus and gave them space but the generique was 13 mins long. Quarter Latin is the best example there's so many talented atalakus but Koffi prefers to do the animations himself (someone really needs to tell him to stop with that). Fusee in BCBG is a good atalaku but in BDM Genta was hogging all of the space and he's fallen off as well. If you want to have many atalakus in your band use them otherwise just let them go.

More importantly, today's artists are not listening to the fans like myself, CM Prince, Matebu, Archos, Manzambi94, Mfumu Mvuta, BrazzaBoy and others. We may not always agree on everything but we agree on one thing: WE WANT SONGS WITH SEBENES. We are sick of tired of two generiques where it makes little or no impact at all. Furthermore, many of today's animators or atalakus are using sexual stuff without any noble cause or purely throwing rubbish lines. This is why our music is so behind. Until the artists and donors listen to us, except this to be sadly the new normal.

100% and the worst part of it is the less used atalakus are even better then the main atalaku's. Just look at F'Victeam for example Identite is the number 1 atalaku but for me he just isn't that good. Also in the Power 001 generique fally used all of his atalakus and gave them space but the generique was 13 mins long. Quarter Latin is the best example there's so many talented atalakus but Koffi prefers to do the animations himself (someone really needs to tell him to stop with that). Fusee in BCBG is a good stalky but in BDM Genta was hogging all of the space and he's fallen off as well. If you want to have many atalakus in your band use them otherwise just let them go.

Man the thing you said about Genta and Fusee is so true don't get me wrong Genta is a good atalaku but that goat voice he tries to do when e sings really mess up songs that could actually be perfect while Fusee despite having a great natural voice who is able to go high flawlessly (the same ability Cellulaire had) and despite his cries along with the Pajo ones being the best of the albums he rarely got space this time especially this crie.
I don't even know why JB decided to put this crie once when he could have used it in multiple sebens like he did with Ze ze ze crie

6:01/6:02




Man the first time I have heard it in the album (the first one was in a firing live of JB) 26:10 I was at the gym at the tapis roulant I waved my hands in the hair and screamed

More importantly, today's artists are not listening to the fans like myself, CM Prince, Matebu, Archos, Manzambi94, Mfumu Mvuta, BrazzaBoy and others. We may not always agree on everything but we agree on one thing: WE WANT SONGS WITH SEBENES. We are sick of tired of two generiques where it makes little or no impact at all. Furthermore, many of today's animators or atalakus are using sexual stuff without any noble cause or purely throwing rubbish lines. This is why our music is so behind. Until the artists and donors listen to us, except this to be sadly the new normal.

I agree we need more sebene songs. It made these albums super exciting to listen to. Nowadays it’s a little rough when you have monotonous singing. I feel like we are losing popularity to Nigerian (AfroBeats music) cause we haven’t evolved.

Sebenes have disappeared. Generiques and rumbas don't quite make it for most people. No more transition or change of beat. Werra probably is the last to do it and we NEED another FARA-FARA type album with all current and legacy atalakus.  that was the dopest thing 21-22 years ago.

On top of that they always perform the sebene songs from their classic 90s albums all the time. Like they'll rarely produce new sebene songs so they always revert back to the ones in concerts. How about keeping that same energy and have only rhumba concerts? Because they know it will flop

Time have changed. I don’t think that sebene will ever dominate Africa again. This reminds me the 1970s when saxophones and trompets started to get outdated and artists/people preferring sebenes (except the old generation, who saw it as manzanza). Nigerian music dominated Congolese already a long time ago. Before dominating it, Congolese music was from 2004 already dominated by Coupe Decale and bandleaders not understanding that a new generation had to come (like the way Wenge came in 1988, Thu Zahina in 1968, etc.), also them not coming with something new. But with the Mopacho-style coming in, we are going in a good way. The problem is just the media, nightclubs who only prefer to play Afribeats and Amapiano.Some DJ just not liking to play other music-styles and just sticking to Awilo’s Karolina and/or Premier Gaou to make those coming French speaking countries happy for 2 minutes only. Youngsters in Europe just need to promote as much that they can. Outside France, no other African music styles than Afro-Beats and Amapiano are played in African bars anymore. While 15 years ago, you had different styles being played such Coupe Decale, Kuduro, Zouk, Ndombolo, Mbalax and Kompa. People who were interested in African music could then discover the diversity our continent had as music.


Roga Roga made an album with Extra Musica called 242 which had sebene-songs in majority. But it had zero succes. I think Nouvel Horizon had also had an album with many sebene-songs but I’m not sure if it had sebene-songs in majority, it has been a long time ago that I had listened to their album.

The way of playing sebene also hasn’t changed. Most guitarists still play the style Flamme left in 2007. While back in the days you would have every 5 year a new style of playing lead coming in and also not just one but already 2 different styles. But now I see some guitarist adopting Zaïko’s style. I think that they noticed that it make people easier to dance (all ages) and people of other countries. In stead of playing fast.

Time have changed. I don’t think that sebene will ever dominate Africa again. This reminds me the 1970s when saxophones and trompets started to get outdated and artists/people preferring sebenes (except the old generation, who saw it as manzanza). Nigerian music dominated Congolese already a long time ago. Before dominating it, Congolese music was from 2004 already dominated by Coupe Decale and bandleaders not understanding that a new generation had to come (like the way Wenge came in 1988, Thu Zahina in 1968, etc.), also them not coming with something new. But with the Mopacho-style coming in, we are going in a good way. The problem is just the media, nightclubs who only prefer to play Afribeats and Amapiano.Some DJ just not liking to play other music-styles and just sticking to Awilo’s Karolina and/or Premier Gaou to make those coming French speaking countries happy for 2 minutes only. Youngsters in Europe just need to promote as much that they can. Outside France, no other African music styles than Afro-Beats and Amapiano are played in African bars anymore. While 15 years ago, you had different styles being played such Coupe Decale, Kuduro, Zouk, Ndombolo, Mbalax and Kompa. People who were interested in African music could then discover the diversity our continent had as music.


Roga Roga made an album with Extra Musica called 242 which had sebene-songs in majority. But it had zero succes. I think Nouvel Horizon had also had an album with many sebene-songs but I’m not sure if it had sebene-songs in majority, it has been a long time ago that I had listened to their album.

The way of playing sebene also hasn’t changed. Most guitarists still play the style Flamme left in 2007. While back in the days you would have every 5 year a new style of playing lead coming in and also not just one but already 2 different styles. But now I see some guitarist adopting Zaïko’s style. I think that they noticed that it make people easier to dance (all ages) and people of other countries. In stead of playing fast.

I remember that Extra musica 242, it wasn’t promoted well I thought. Yeah I’m not familiar on what’s being played in African countries. I know here people only know Burna Boy and a few others. But they think that’s the only music to come from Africa. It’s sad but I think Congolese need to evolve the genre for what it’s known for. Sebenes are always exciting to me.

More importantly, today's artists are not listening to the fans like myself, CM Prince, Matebu, Archos, Manzambi94, Mfumu Mvuta, BrazzaBoy and others. We may not always agree on everything but we agree on one thing: WE WANT SONGS WITH SEBENES. We are sick of tired of two generiques where it makes little or no impact at all. Furthermore, many of today's animators or atalakus are using sexual stuff without any noble cause or purely throwing rubbish lines. This is why our music is so behind. Until the artists and donors listen to us, except this to be sadly the new normal.

Hmm, my brothers, as Mfumu Vata said unfortunately Seben won't come back and think there are few reasons why.

1. Making Sebens is expensive, giving my own example I contacted through my Manager a professional studios a Warner Studios and for each song (just recording no master, no polish of the sounds, for that I had to add other money if I want them) it is 100 Euro per song and mind you this is a favour price because my manager talk to the guy and if it wasn't for her she told me that I would have to pay 500 euro, now imagine spending 500 Euro for each song and getting Sebenes that won't get much success? Plus you have to ha s the guitarist, the bassist, the mbonda player, the synthe, the Atalakus, then the Atalakus and or the Singers doing choirs and so on.

2. There is no generational change, with that I mean that no one of the newer generation after the big 5 Werra, Koffi, JB, Ferre and Fay can come close or eve  remotely to the level of success and stability that these 5 have on Congolese music, Heritier and Fabregas had promising starts  but they both ruined it, Fabregas with being a clown and go and  talk shit about everybody trying to start polemic, Heritier by really fucking up his second Album who except for the generique didn't really have memorable songs in Rhumbas like the first album had. But Na Fillet for example in the 90s would have a great success but he himself said that he is no where near the level of success of guys like for example Innoss B. A guy of my age or younger who wants to do music doesn't have the money or (like in many cases) the authority to group a bunch of people to make music togheter to then get the money and to leave them with peanuts tell me which 18 year old would accept from a guy who is slightly older from him. The big mistake the leader made was not to develop a system like the one we have here in Europe were you have disks who get actually bought  (even tho not like in the past because you gotta be a big name in Europe to get s lot of sells on your physical albums) and of streams, guys you could cry seeing how little Congolese artists get on Streaming platforms who pay the most compared to YouTube who of course Pays but it isn't like what Spotify or Apple Music pay, basically I think that instead of doing this Ki Yankee attitude of always making people beg for salary food etc, they should have put an Enterprise where musicians get a monthly salary and you build schools and companies so you won't ever run out of money, I think the only man who tried this is JB who really runs his business like a company, and Koffi to some extent even if he only limits to pay and doesn't go beyond and maybe make an Enterprise.

3. As Mfumu Vata said back in the past this is basically where Congolese music either gets renewed or risk to getting killed and I want to also add that That Brazza sound that Arafat Tshena brought and that Roga Roga immmortilazied with BoKoko is the way that Synthe Tradional Brazza Rhytm Mopasho style and also the DJ of Kin who make AfroHouse I think that if we restart from there we can become to make our way back into the spot look at how Arafat Tshena, Roga Roga and Dj Amaroula X DjP2n are getting love on their video who have on average most views than your traditional rhumba and I hate to say it but also of your traditional generique







It is funny and also sad that Kester really couldn't see the way in which his influence (he was the one who put Synthe jn his music the most) stuck way later after his death

For me I will stick to Congolese music for one reason. The live performance no one can beat them. As pointed in some post the European groups are all doing Gospel music as cover for secular music.

i dont know if it was mentioned but if there was more sebenes and more involvement of band members,leaders would have the ability to protect their voices,the fally ferre generation and those younger do everything like their leaderds except allowing their singers to sing a full song during concert like they were having vita imana,eternellement kokoko and co allowing their leaders to take a rest
 for example with ferre you can feel that he'd hit regarde moi like he used to till the end if there was at least two group songs somewhere so that he can recharge,or fally with the criticism he's been getting with his voice having massively dropped in lives,these guys hog on the mic way too much which starts to be hard to maintain at a certain age

i dont know if it was mentioned but if there was more sebenes and more involvement of band members,leaders would have the ability to protect their voices,the fally ferre generation and those younger do everything like their leaderds except allowing their singers to sing a full song during concert like they were having vita imana,eternellement kokoko and co allowing their leaders to take a rest
 for example with ferre you can feel that he'd hit regarde moi like he used to till the end if there was at least two group songs somewhere so that he can recharge,or fally with the criticism he's been getting with his voice having massively dropped in lives,these guys hog on the mic way too much which starts to be hard to maintain at a certain age

The reason why the generation of Fally and Ferre don’t give their singers space is because they were stupid enough to follow JB’s advice following the PPU’s departure in Europe where he said “your musicians will start thinking they’re the ones who made you” and it got worse after djino and Eric mente left and they started attacking JB in interviews. Just look at Fabregas and Heritier, they started as being group based leaders but they went by the same logic and now look at the result they’ve also become self centred.