You can call it Afro-jazz, but we prefer to define it “Afro-joy”, because that’s what Kongo Dia Ntotila eventually bring and share with their music. The London-based six-piece band, led by talented Congolese bass player Mulele Matondo, presents an upbeat fusion of Central and West African styles, blending together the aforementioned...
Tag Archives: Soukous
In little more than two weeks’ time, we will be back at Pizza Express Live Holborn for the third appointment of our Trans-Rhythm Express music series. This time, it will be all about Central and West African styles, from Kongo-jazz to reggae, Afro-funk to soukous and much, much more. To get...
Within seconds of entering the room, the sense of anticipation was palpable. One felt sure that some exciting Congolese rhythms were certain to banish any rainy-day blues. The band made their way on to the stage, nonchalantly picked up their instruments and began to play their opening number, sung by...
If you were to introduce someone to the highlights of African music, your best bet would be to begin with Orchestra Baobab. Fusing African and Cuban jazz with strong elements of Congolese rhumba, Orchestra Baobab quickly rose to fame in the 70s and continued the spell-binding grip on their fans,...
Congolese music has a storied history and, over the past 40 years or so, Kanda Bongo Man has been right at the centre of it all, developing his sparkling brand of soukous initially with Orchestre Bella-Mambo and then, following a move to Paris at the end of the 70s, his...
If there’s a musician with the essence of soukous, that’s Kanda Bongo Man. Since the early ‘70s, the Congolese artist has helped to revolutionise the Central African style, bringing its popularity out of the African continent and letting people dance to it all over the world. So, it’s always exciting...
Come December, we are all in that greetings mood. So, join us on the 15th of December to say “Happy Birthday” to one of our favourite and liveliest new music spots in London. It was May 2017 when Balabam first opened its doors, but it was late in the year...
For the 16th year running, Joyful Noise will breathe African music deep into London. We don’t usually like to generalize or put different music in the same basket, but one of the best traits of the London African Music Festival is its all-embracing character, highlighting the richness and diversity of...
We know that Notting Hill Carnival is upon us and you only have thoughts about that. But, there’s another exciting community-driven event happening on the same long weekend. On Saturday 25th August, Rich Mix will go fully Congolese with the London Soukous Festival. Organised by ACASN Ent, a non-profit organisation...
The sun is shining as people from all corners of the globe – including artists from six continents and fifty countries – come together for this year’s eclectic celebration of world music and dance culture. Families, friends and couples of all ages erect tents, blow up mattresses and boil water...