Artist Spotlight

IS VICKY LONGOMBA CONGOLESE RUMBA GREATEST VOICE?

January 24, 2025 - 05:00 AM When enumerating the families in Congolese music, the Longombas occupy a prime position among the most prominent, in the league of the Isenge siblings and the sons of Lola along with his siblings. The Longombas comprise OKJ and African Jazz singer Vicky Longomba, Viva La Musica and Loketo drummer Albert Willam Longomba aka Awilo, Super Mazembe singer Lovy Longomba, and the Longomba siblings of the Nairobi who did contemporary hip hop. Vicky Longomba is the patriarch of this music lineage. Born on 13th December 1932, Vicky is the fourth musician in the hierarchical ranking of the Brussels sex...

UNLUCKY LUCKY: LOVED BY THE WORLD, STOPPED BY A BULLET

October 19, 2024 - 06:25 AM UNLUCKY LUCKY: LOVED BY THE WORLD, STOPPED BY A BULLET. We are living in a crazy world, We we can't know what tomorrow brings, People are dying lie fries everyday, You will only know about it, when a man in a long black coat knocks your door, Because you are his next victim, This is an exerpt from Lucky Dube's song crazy world. The man in a long black coat, an artistic pictorial representation of death as captured in song, knocked the doors of the South African reggae star one afternoon of 18th October 2007 at Rossetenville a suburb of Johannesburg. Without recognizing him, three robbers shot at his car, just after he had dropped his children at their uncle's place. Although a......

BOY ON THE DRUMS

October 14, 2024 - 01:21 PM BOY ON THE DRUMS This is Albert William Louis...most people know him as Awilo Longomba.Back then aged just 24 years old in the group Viva La Musica, during their first tour of Japan in 1986. They used to call him 'the boy on drums' as he was the youngest in the group when he joined a few years earlier. In one interview, he remembers his late father, the famous Rumba singer, Vicky Longomba one of the founding members of T.P OK Jazz. Awilo said his father was his greatest inspiration though he never wanted the young man to venture into music...but as if his destiny was marked- to be in music.To date, Awilo has celebrated close to 40 years in the music industry and has won more world music......

FACTS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT LUAMBO MAKIADI

September 26, 2024 - 05:30 PM GRAND MAITRE: IN BRIEF These are interesting facts you might not know 1. Grand Maitre always walked with a notebook and a pen. He was always writing a new song. 2. He had 18 children from 14 mothers. 3. He puffed but in hiding. He never wished his band members to know. 4. Franco didn't drop out of school for lack of fees as often said. He was never interested in education. 5. Franco recorded his first song on November 17th, 1953 at Loningisa studio, backed by Watam band. 6. That song was titled Kombo ya Loningisa. By then he was 15 years old. 7. Isaac Musekiwa, a long-time Franco saxophonist put the number of OKJ songs at 3000 and also said 50% of the songs......

THE ATIA JOKE

September 26, 2024 - 05:20 PM ATIA, MAMA ANAKUITA I had previously asked here why Atia Jo, the Super Mazembe legendary bassist was also known by the sobriquet 'mama anakuita'. I've just called the only surviving of the Super Mazembe legends, Bua Mangala aka Loboko Passie, and he gave a long hysteric laughter before responding. Apparently, the question evoked nostalgic memories of their days. His response was that women naturally hunt musicians and there was a specific one who was madly attracted to Atia Jo, and he kept pestering him even while on stage. She kept sending emissaries who delivered the message "Mama anakuita" very frequently. It came to be a joke within the band, everyone chiding Atia,......

LETHAL GUITAR FORMATIONS IN AFRICAN MUSIC

September 11, 2024 - 06:45 PM These are just but a few of the guitar formations that have rocked the rumba world Which one is your favorite? Bavon with Bholen (Negro) Nico with Dechaud (Fiesta Sukisa) Franco with Simaro ( OKJ-60s) Franco with Gege ( OKJ-70s and 80s) Ngereza with Omari (Les Wanyika) Dizzy with Lokassa ( African Stars) Roxy with Pierre (Veve) Lusuama with Vata (Lupua Lipua) Michelino with Lokassa (Afrisa) Guvano with Bokassa (Fiesta National) Bwamy with Siama (Viva Makale) Diblo with Kazidona (Loketo) Dino with Makondele (Afrisa) Dally with Lokassa (Soukouss) Kifoto with Oguro (Maroon) Damoisseau with Casino (African Jazz) Dino with Maika (Afrisa) Johnny with Pierre (Conga......

HOW JOSKY FOUND HIS SINGING EQUILIBRIUM

September 08, 2024 - 04:12 PM JOSKY KIAMBUKUTA By the monk Josky, who died on 7th of March, 2021, in clinic in Ngaliema, found a home at Franco's OKJ, after two sojourns at African Fiesta Sukisa of Nico in the late 60s and Orchestre Continental in 1971 and 1972. Sampling three of the songs he did, one with each of the three bands, and the conclusion as to why OKJ was his ultimate music home, comes out clearly. The three songs are Orchestre Continental's "mama na nicole" as composition of Bopol Mansiamina, dedicated to his girlfriend. This song has Josky on the lead vocals and is backed up by Wuta Mayi. The second song is "bolingo ya sens unique" his own composition with African Fiesta Sukisa......

Wise Phrases From the Song Mbongo by Djo Mpoyi

August 10, 2024 - 04:44 PM LEARN THESE LINGALA PHRASES FROM THE SONG MBONGO BY DJO MPOYI, COMPOSER [SIMARO]. Bomengo tozali komona na mokili etonda makambo.The wealth that we see in this world is full of issues. Mosusu mbongo na ye moko ya mitoki, mpo otika ye asakana.One gets his money out of his own sweat, let him celebrate/be joyful. Mosusu heritage akuta na katia fami, olanda ye té okoiba.Someone else got an inheritance from his family, and if you follow him, you will steal. Mosusu mieke asilisa bato na fami, olanda ye té okotikala yo moko!Another used charms to finish his family, you follow him, you'll remain there alone! Mosusu escroquerie na mbogo ya leta... Another is out of swindling......

The Ambassadors of Rumba music

August 06, 2024 - 10:00 PM The Ambassadors of Rumba music. KEKELE This is a group of 5 veteran Congolese musicians who have come together with the main aim of keeping the old Rumba music alive: 1. Boumba Massa - a well-known singer of the 70s who worked with the late Vicky Longomba.2. Syran Mbenza - a veteran guitarist and composer of the 4 Etoile group.3. Nyboma Mwandido - a singer whose career started in various popular bands of the 70s.4. Wuta Mayi - a former TP Ok Jazz singer and member of 4 Etoile.5. Loko Masengo Djeskain - a former member of the group Trio Madjesi. The idea of forming this super Rumba group came from a well-known African music producer, Ibrahima Sylla (who died in 2013), the owner of the......

Celebrating the Works of the Bass Master

August 06, 2024 - 07:00 PM Celebrating the works and contribution of the bass master, in Soukous Music They call him 'the vibration of the Python' or 'Power of the bass'. Shungu Omba is his name but he goes by the popular stage name 'Ngouma Lokito'. He has been the guy behind the bass lines in many...many Soukous projects over the years, he says that he has played in so many songs over the years that he has lost count! He has played with every musician in the Soukous music world!Since the days of Minzoto Wella Wella in 1983, Choc Stars, AntiChoc 1985-89, and Soukous Stars throughout the 1990s. Three albums under his name, LEDDY 1991 with Soukous Stars, WABI 1993 with Soukous Stars, and TALISMAN......

Artist Spotlight