Soukous is a musical genre that originated in the Congos during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa. Soukous was the name of a dance that was popular in the late 1960s, and danced to an African variant of rumba music, although the word soukous has come to refer to the subsequent developments of the genre. Soukous is called Congo music in English-speaking West Africa, and lingala in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania - referring to the Lingala language of the region from which the music originated. Soukous is also sometimes called kwassa kwassa, which is a rhythmic dance that was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, as well as ndombolo, a variant of kwassa kwassa that is currently popular. Musical genres are categories which contain music which share a certain style or which have certain elements in common. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Rumba is both a family of music rhythms and a dance style that originated in Africa and traveled via the slave trade to Cuba and the New World. ... West Africa is the region of. ... Lingala is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa) and a large part of the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. ... Kwassa Kwassa (or kwasa kwasa) refers to a dance rhythm where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips, and was very popular in Africa in the late 1980s. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... This article is about the year. ...

Origins

Franco Luambo & TP OK Jazz

In the late 1930s and early 1940s in the Congos, musicians developed a music uniquely Congolese. This music was based on traditional Congolese music, West African highlife music, as well as Cuban and other Caribbean and South American sounds - rhythms that were not entirely foreign to Congo, having been founded to varying degrees on musical traditions from the area. A precursor to soukous emerged in the 1940s in the cities of Boma, Matadi, Kinshasa and Brazzaville. Most of the musicians performed in Lingala language, but some also used Swahili, Tshiluba and Kikongo. Image File history File links Franco5. ... Image File history File links Franco5. ... Francois Luambo Makiadi (6 July 1938 - 12 October 1989) was a major figure in twentieth century Congolese music, and African music in general. ... Franco Luambo & TP OK Jazz OK Jazz (later TPOK Jazz, short for Tout Puissant Orchestre Kinshasa) was a Congolese rumba band, founded by Jean Serge Essous and Francois Luambo Makiadi in the 1950s. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Republic of the Congo (light green) Democratic Republic of the Congo (dark green) Congo is a name shared by two neighbouring countries in Central Africa, drained by Congo River, and usually distinguished by their full official names and occasionally by adding their capital cities: The Republic of the Congo (ROC... West Africa is the region of. ... Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana and Sierra Leone in the 1920s and spread to other West African countries. ... The Caribbean, (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen) or the West Indies, is a group of islands and countries which are in or border the Caribbean Sea which lies on the Caribbean Plate. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The port town of Boma (1984 pop. ... The suburbs of Matadi Matadi is a port in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the province Bas-Congo. ... Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Image of Kinshasa and Brazzaville, taken by NASA. Brazzaville (population 600,000) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo and is located on the Congo River. ... Lingala is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa) and a large part of the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. ... This article is about the language. ... Contents // Categories: Bantu languages | Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Language stubs ... Kongo is the Bantu language spoken by the Kongo people living in the tropical forests of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo and Angola. ...

The big bands

By the 1950s, big bands had become the preferred format, using acoustic bass guitar, multiple electric guitars, conga drums, maracas, scraper, flute or clarinet, saxophones, and trumpet. Franco et le TP OK Jazz (TP OK Jazz) and Le Grand Kalle et l'African Jazz (African Jazz) became the leading orchestras. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A big band is a large musical ensemble that plays jazz music. ... Modern acoustic bass guitars The acoustic bass guitar is a popular modern term to describe an acoustic musical instrument based on the configuration of basses pioneered by Leo Fenders electric Precision Bass. ... An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electronic pickups to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. ... Conga is a drum, a type of music, and a type of dance (Conga Line). ... Maracas are simple percussion instruments (idiophones), usually played in pairs, consisting of a dried gourd shell (cuia - kOO-ya) filled with seeds or dried beans. ... In archeology, scrapers are unifacial tools that were used either for hideworking or woodworking purposes. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... A bass clarinet, which sounds an octave lower than the more common Bb soprano clarinet. ... Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ... The trumpet is the highest stringed instrument in register, above the horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba. ... Franco Luambo & TP OK Jazz OK Jazz (later TPOK Jazz, short for Tout Puissant Orchestre Kinshasa) was a Congolese rumba band, founded by Jean Serge Essous and Francois Luambo Makiadi in the 1950s. ... This is an article about an orchestra. ... An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. ...

In the 1950s and 1960s some artists who had been groomed in the big bands of Franco Luambo and Grand Kalle formed their own bands. Tabu Ley Rochereau and Dr Nico Kasanda formed African Fiesta and transformed their music further by fusing elements of Congolese folk music with soul music, as well as Caribbean and Latin beats and instrumentation. They were joined by Papa Wemba and Sam Mangwana, and classics like Afrika Mokili Mobimba made them one of Africa's greatest bands, rivalled only by TP OK Jazz. Tabu Ley Rochereau and Dr Nico Kasanda are considered the pioneers of modern soukous. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... A big band is a large musical ensemble that plays jazz music. ... Francois Luambo Makiadi (6 July 1938 - 12 October 1989) was a major figure in twentieth century Congolese music, and African music in general. ... Joseph Kabasele Tshamala (1930 Matadi, DRC - 11 February 1983 Paris, France), popularly known as Le Grand Kalle (the Grand Kalle), Congolese singer and bandleader, considered the father of modern Congolese music. ... Taby Ley Rochereau Tabu Ley Rochereau (born 1940 Bandundu, Democratic Republic of the Congo as Tabu Ley) is one of Africas most influential vocalists and one of its most prolific songwriters. ... Dr Nico Nicolas Kasanda wa Mikalay (1939 Mikalayi, Kasai province, DRC - 1985 Brussels, Belgium), popularly known as Dr. Nico was a guitarist, composer and one of the pioneers of soukous music. ... African Fiesta was a Congolese soukous group started by Tabu Ley Rochereau and Dr. Nico in 1963. ... It has been suggested that Folkies be merged into this article or section. ... Soul music is a combination of rhythm and blues and gospel which began in the late 1950s in the United States. ... The Caribbean, (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen) or the West Indies, is a group of islands and countries which are in or border the Caribbean Sea which lies on the Caribbean Plate. ... Latin American music, sometimes simply called Latin music, includes the music of many countries and comes in many varieties, from the simple, rural conjunto music of northern Mexico to the sophisticated habanera of Cuba, from the symphonies of Heitor Villa-Lobos to the simple and moving Andean flute. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Papa Wemba, real name Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, is a Congolese singer and one of Africas biggest music stars. ... Sam Mangwana (1945-), is a Congolese rumba (soukous) vocalist. ...

Zaiko generation

Zaiko Langa Langa concert poster

While the influence of rumba became stronger in some orchestras, including Lipua-Lipua, Veve, TP OK Jazz and Bella Bella, younger Congolese musicians looked for ways to reduce the rumba influence and play a faster paced soukous, inspired by rock n roll. A band of students calling themselves Zaiko Langa Langa came together in 1969. The high energy of their music, and the high-fashion sense of the singers and dancers, inspired by founding vocalist Papa Wemba, made them very popular. Pepe Kalle, Grand Kalle's protégé, created the band Empire Bakuba together with Papy Tex, and they soon became Kinshasa's most popular youth band, equaled only by Zaiko Langa Langa. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (524x749, 149 KB) Summary Zaiko Langa Langa Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (524x749, 149 KB) Summary Zaiko Langa Langa Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Zaiko Langa Langa has been one of the hottest and most popular bands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since its formation in the early seventies (when Congo was still called Zaire), through the eighties and the nineties and into the new millenium. ... Rumba is both a family of music rhythms and a dance style that originated in Africa and traveled via the slave trade to Cuba and the New World. ... Franco Luambo & TP OK Jazz OK Jazz (later TPOK Jazz, short for Tout Puissant Orchestre Kinshasa) was a Congolese rumba band, founded by Jean Serge Essous and Francois Luambo Makiadi in the 1950s. ... Zaiko Langa Langa has been one of the hottest and most popular bands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since its formation in the early seventies (when Congo was still called Zaire), through the eighties and the nineties and into the new millenium. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Papa Wemba, real name Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, is a Congolese singer and one of Africas biggest music stars. ... Pepe Kalle Pepe Kalle (November 30 1951 – November 28, 1998) was a Congolese (DRC) soukous singer, musician and bandleader. ...

Other greats of the Zaiko generation include Koffi Olomide, Tshala Muana and Wenge Musica. Soukous now spread across Africa, and became an influence on virtually all the styles of modern African popular music, including highlife, palm-wine music, taarab and makossa. Antoine Koffi Olomide (born August 13, 1958), is a Congolese soukous singer, producer, and composer. ... Africa is a large and diverse continent, consisting of dozens of countries, hundreds of languages and thousands of races, tribes and ethnic groups. ... Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana and Sierra Leone in the 1920s and spread to other West African countries. ... Palm-wine music (known as maringa in Sierra Leone) is a West African musical genre. ... Taarab is a kind of East African music, most popular in Tanzania and Kenya. ... Makossa is a type of music which is most popular in urban areas in Cameroon. ...

As political conditions in the DR Congo deteriorated in the 1970s, some groups made their way to Nairobi, Kenya. By the mid-seventies, several Congolese groups were playing rumba music at Kenyan night clubs. The fast paced cavacha, a dance craze that swept East and Central Africa during the seventies, was popularized through recordings of bands such as Zaiko Langa Langa and Orchestra Shama Shama, influencing Kenyan musicians. This fast paced rhythm, played on the snare drum or hi-hat, quickly became a hallmark of the Congolese sound in Nairobi and is frequently used by many of the regional bands. Several of Nairobi's renowned Swahili rumba bands formed around Tanzanian musicians-groups like Simba Wanyika and its offshoots, Les Wanyika and Super Wanyika Stars. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya. ... Methods and media for sound recording are varied and have undergone significant changes between the first time sound was actually recorded for later playback until now. ... Zaiko Langa Langa has been one of the hottest and most popular bands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since its formation in the early seventies (when Congo was still called Zaire), through the eighties and the nineties and into the new millenium. ... The snare drum or side drum is a tubular drum made of wood or metal with skins, or heads, stretched over the top and bottom openings. ... The hi-hat stand has changed little since its invention. ... Simba Wanyika is a band, consisting of Tanzanian musicians Wilson Peter and George Peter Kinyonga, brothers. ... Les Wanyika was a prominent band with Kenyan and Tanzanian members and was based in based in Kenya. ...

The late 1970s, Virgin records got involved in a couple of projects in Nairobi that produced two acclaimed LPs from the Tanzanian-Congolese group, Orchestra Makassy and the Kenya-based band, Super Mazembe. About this same time, the French label Afro Rythmes had just released Orchestra Virunga's Malako LP recorded in Nairobi. One of the tracks from this album was the Swahili song Shauri Yako (It's Your Problem), which became a hit all over East Africa. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Virgin Records is a British recording label founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972 after a period of selling discount records via their small shop in London. ... A gramophone record, (also vinyl record, phonograph record, LP record, or simply record) is an analogue sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides (Very early in the history of the medium, cylinders with helical...

The Paris scene

Mbilia Bel

In the 1980s soukous became popular in London and Paris. A few more musicians left Kinshasa to work around central and east Africa, before settling in either the UK or France. The basic line-up for a Soukous band included three or four guitars, bass guitar, drums, brass, vocals, and some of them having over 20 musicians, lyrics were often in Lingala and occasionally in French. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Parisian studios were used by many big stars, and the music became heavily reliant on synthesizers and other electronic instruments. Some artists continued to record for the Congolese market, but others abandoned the demands of the Kinshasa public and set out to pursue new audiences. Some, like Paris-based Papa Wemba maintained two bands, Viva la Musica for soukous, and a group including French session players for his international pop. Image File history File links Mbilia_bel. ... Image File history File links Mbilia_bel. ... Ba Gerants Ya Mabala Paka Wewe: CD cover Mbilia Bel is a Congolese soukous singer, known as the Queen of Congolese rhumba. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... The classical guitar typically has nylon strings. ... Bass guitars typically have four strings instead of six as found on regular guitars. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular resonator (mouthpiece). ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Lyrics are the words in songs. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... This article is about the year. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... A classic FM synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7. ... An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. ... Papa Wemba, real name Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, is a Congolese singer and one of Africas biggest music stars. ...

Kanda Bongo Man, another Paris-based artist, pioneered fast-paced, short dance tracks suitable for play on dance floors everywhere, and popularily known as Kwassa kwassa after the dance moves popularized by his music videos and South African mbaqanga. This music appealed to Africans and to new audiences as well. Groups like Diblo Dibala, Mbilia Bel, Yondo Sister, Loketo, Rigo Star, Madilu System, Soukous Stars and veterans like Pepe Kalle and Koffi Olomide followed suit. Soon Paris became home to talented studio musicians who recorded for the African and Caribbean markets and filling out bands for occasional tours. Kanda Bongo Man, from Congo, is one of the pioneers of African soukous music. ... Kwassa Kwassa (or kwasa kwasa) refers to a dance rhythm where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips, and was very popular in Africa in the late 1980s. ... A music video (also video clip, promo) is a short film or video meant to present a visual representation of a song. ... Mbaqanga is a style of South African music that is usually sung by people from rural areas. ... Diblo Dibala is a Congolese soukous musician, known as Machine Gun for his speed and skill on the guitar. ... Ba Gerants Ya Mabala Paka Wewe: CD cover Mbilia Bel is a Congolese soukous singer, known as the Queen of Congolese rhumba. ... Pepe Kalle Pepe Kalle (November 30 1951 – November 28, 1998) was a Congolese (DRC) soukous singer, musician and bandleader. ... Antoine Koffi Olomide (born August 13, 1958), is a Congolese soukous singer, producer, and composer. ...

Ndombolo

Just like Kwassa Kwassa, the rhythmic dance craze that accompanied the music of Kanda Bongo Man, Loketo and Diblo Dibala in the 1980s and early 1990s, the fast paced soukous music now dominating dance floors in central and eastern Africa is called soukous ndombolo, performed by Awilo Longomba, Aurlus Mabele, Koffi Olomide and others. Antoine Koffi Olomide (born August 13, 1958), is a Congolese soukous singer, producer, and composer. ...

The hip-swinging, booty-shaking dance to the fast pace of soukous ndombolo has come under criticism amid charges that it is obscene. There have been attempts to ban it in Mali, Cameroon and Kenya. After an attempt to ban it from state radio and television in DR Congo in 2000, it became even more popular. On 11 February 2005 Ndombolo music videos in DR Congo were censored for indecency. Video clips by Koffi Olomide, JB M'Piana and Werrason, were banned from the airwaves for indecency.^{[1] [2] [3]} This article is about the year 2000. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Footnotes

See also

• Category:Musicians of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Music of Africa

Africa is a large and diverse continent, consisting of dozens of countries, hundreds of languages and thousands of races, tribes and ethnic groups. ...

External links

• A brief introduction to Soukous
• A brief summary of African Popular music
• François Luambo Makiadi, the James Brown of Africa
• Rumba Lingala as Colonial Resistance
• Congo music
• Rumba in the jungle - The Economist
• Ndombolo Fever, The Hip-swingin' Sound from Congo