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kinshasa sounds.
so there's more or less 3 generations of sound--the earlier rhumba, soukous and some newer stuff that's being marketed internationally by crammed records under the name congotronics.
franco and the tout puissant ok jazz orchestra was one of the great bands in the universe, in my humble opinion. these tracks give and idea, but not more than that. you can hear the tunes tipping toward soukous---the pepe kalle track is totally there, and if you think backward, you'll hear the movement.
the congotronics bands are quite different---they're street bands which make their own instruments and sound systems. alot of this stuff is just great---but it's much harder. the economic and political situations in dr congo are not good at all---so the older stuff, which was more an elite music (hugely popular too) has kinda broken up---and these other bands are just starting to get out.
no doubt this is so simplified a notion of kinshasa music as to mean almost nothing for someone who is closer than essex massachusetts---but it's so cool and there's so much great music.
i'm kinda obsessed with the kasai allstars, btw. so great.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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