Cavacha, also known as masini ya Kauka or machine ya Kauka, is a type of drum beat created by Meridjo Belobi. It is a fast-paced rhythm typically played on a
drum kit
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
, often with the
snare drum
The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...
or
hi hat. Zairean bands such as
Zaiko Langa Langa and
Orchestra Shama Shama popularized this form of rhythm in the 1970s.
Cavacha was created in 1973 by the member of
Zaiko Langa Langa, Meridjo Belobi. The idea came first from
Meridjo Belobi during a train trip they took from
Brazzaville
Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CL ...
to
Pointe Noire,
Congo Brazzaville. The singers of the band sang along the trip on the train rhythm. Back in Kinshasa, Meridjo proposed to the band that they should create some new music rhythm based on the sound of a train. Everybody agreed and worked on it. The result was the birth of cavacha. Locally in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the rhythm cavasha is called , meaning literally from
Lingala
Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree i ...
: "The Engine of Kauka". Kauka is a neighbourhood in the city of Kinshasa that headquarter the transportation company
Onatra, which operate ferries and trains. means ''The Engine of Kauka''. Because the sound that the rhythm cavasha produce, is similar and was created from the sound of a train.
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Democratic Republic of the Congo music