Corona and the lockdown are causing a huge financial crisis in many sectors of the economy, hitting the musical sector extra hard with all club concerts and festivals cancelled until the end of August. The sector launched the hashtag #playlocal to support local bands once the club gigs and festivals...
Tag Archives: Soukous
![Album review: Various – Léve Léve Sao Tomé & Principe Sounds 70s-80s [Les Disques Bongo Joe; January 2020]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/leve-leve-335x335.jpg)
Swiss-based label Les Disques Bongo Joe releases another superbly chosen compilation of African sounds. This time, thanks to the expertise and work of DJ Tom B, they take us to the islands of Sao Tomé and Principe, former Portuguese colonies located off the west coast of Africa. According to the...
At times, we are the first to lose track of how many exciting music events happen in London each month, so we have decided to offer you some sort of “public musical service”, meant for all the locals and passers-by, with the aim of suggesting where to listen to some...
The 2020 edition of the London Short Film Festival will undoubtedly have its main star in Baloji. On the 18th of January, the Congolese musician and filmmaker will bring to London some of his short movies, but as Rhythm Passport, we are more interested in what is going to happen...
At times, we ask the Rhythm Passport family some cruel tasks. For example, to musically retrace their 2010s and pick only five albums among the hundreds (or thousands) they have listened, loved and/or felt particularly important considering the world music world. Click on the names below and you will meet...
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...
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...
