It goes without saying that we will miss Bandcamp Fridays… Today, till midnight (Pacific Time), is indeed the last appointment with one of our favourite initiatives meant to support and bring some well-deserved fee-free income to the pocketsof labels and musicians. So, to celebrate the 10th Bandcamp Friday of this...
Tag Archives: Congolese Rumba
2020 marks 60 years since independence for 17 African countries. For his latest Rendez-Vous à Bobo, Rhythm Passport’s Lucas Keen revisits 1960 sometimes known as ‘The Year of Africa’ to explore the euphoria and cultural renaissance of the epoch that followed via music from Nigeria, Congo, Burkina Faso and Mali....
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...
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...
Senégalese group Orchestra Baobab is a legend in its own lifetime, influencing generations of musicians and entertaining countless Afro-Cuban music lovers. Despite ups and downs in the group’s forty-five year history these dynamic and virtuosic musicians have continued to produce groundbreaking new music. Their latest album, Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng (World...
![Album Review: Jupiter & Okwess – Kin Sonic [Glitterbeat Records, 7th July 2017]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/a0517546476_10-335x335.jpg)
Fans of contemporary music from the African continent have been blessed in 2017 with releases from Zimbabwe’s Mokoomba and Mali’s Tamikrest and Songhoy Blues – illustrating that there’s a wealth of new artists and contemporary sounds emanating from the continent. Jupiter & Okwess from the Congo, cement this reputation by...