Dr. Nico Kasanda's profound influence on African music stems primarily from his innovative guitar style. During his time with Grand Kalle et l'African Jazz (1952-1963), he and his brother, Dechaud, were instrumental in pioneering the mi-solo guitar style. This innovation added a third guitar—the "half-solo"—to the traditional lead and rhythm setup, which created a richer, more complex sound that quickly became a standard throughout the continent. Nico's personal technique, a ubiquitous Congolese finger-picked style, was often noted for its shimmering, crystalline tone, which many compared to an electronic keyboard. He also creatively incorporated a Hawaiian guitar with echo effects into his ballads, giving them a unique, haunting quality.
After leaving African Jazz to co-found L'Orchestra African Fiesta with singer Tabu Ley Rochereau in 1963, his prolific output of hundreds of singles, which often blended Cuban influences with traditional Congolese rhythms, helped solidify the foundation of what would become soukous music. Despite his musical genius, he was reportedly a difficult bandleader and a poor businessman. His career went into a premature decline after the mid-1970s following the collapse of his Belgian record label, which he felt cheated him financially. Although he briefly returned to the scene in 1983 for a new round of recordings and tours, this final burst of activity was cut short by his death in a Brussels hospital in 1985 at the age of 46. Despite the professional turbulence later in his life, his status remains that of a "Guitar God" and one of the most pivotal innovators in Africa's musical history.