{{unreferenced, date=May 2019 Isifi Lokole (later known as Isifi Melodia) were a

soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo). It derived from Congolese rumba in ...

band from the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. They were founded in 1974. The word "Isifi" is an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

for "Institut du Savoir Ideologique pour la Formation des Idoles", while the ''lokole'' is a traditional Congolese drum. Since Isifi Lokole was mostly composed of former Zaiko Langa Langa members, it is sometimes said to be in the so-called "Langa Langa

Clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

History

Isifi Lokole were a creation of

Papa Wemba Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba (14 June 1949 – 24 April 2016), known professionally as Papa Wemba (), was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of ...

, who left Zaiko Langa Langa in the mid-1970s together with Evoloko Jocker, Mavuela Somo and Bozi Boziana. Isifi Lokolo had a widespread success in Congo; their most famous hit was ''Amazone''. Despite this, in 1975 Papa Wemba, Somo and Boziana left to create another band called

Yoka Lokole Yoka Lokole was a soukous band from Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) founded by Papa Wemba and others in 1975 and disbanded in 1978. Despite its short life, Yoka Lokole was a prominent band in Zaire in the mid-1970s, as its lineup compri ...

. Evoloko continued Isifi Lokole for a while, eventually changing the name of the band to "Isifi Melodia".

Personnel

The original lineup of Isifi Lokole was: * Evoloko Athsuamo (Evoloko Jocker): vocals * Shungu Wembadio (Papa Wemba): vocals * Mavuela Somo: vocals * Bozi Boziana: vocals * Chora Mukoko: guitar * Djo Mali: bass guitar * Biko: drums * Otis Koyongonda:

lokole The lokole is a traditional slit drum played in different areas of the Congo region, e.g., in the Kasai area. It is used both as a musical instrument and as a log drum to send messages in the bush; for example, it is known to be played to announce ...

drum

Partial discography

*'' Ainsi va la vie, amazone'' (1975) *'' Matembele bBangi, lisuma ya zazu'' (1976)

Footnotes

Democratic Republic of the Congo musical groups French-language musical groups from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Musical groups established in 1974