Kanda Bongo Man (born Bongo Kanda; 1955) is a Congolese

soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music from Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, becoming known for its fast dance rhythms and intricate guitar improv ...

musician. Kanda Bongo Man was born in

Inongo Inongo is the capital of Mai-Ndombe Province in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of 2009 it had an estimated population of 45,159. Transport The town is served by Inongo Airport Inongo Airport is an airstrip servin ...

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. He became the singer for Orchestra Belle Mambo in 1973, developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley. His solo career only started to take off after he moved in 1979 to Paris, where his music started to incorporate elements of then-vibrant

zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martin ...

music popularized by

Kassav Kassav' is a French Caribbean band formed in Guadeloupe in 1979. The core members of the band are Jacob Desvarieux, Jocelyne Béroard, Jean-Philippe Marthély, Patrick St. Eloi, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur, and Georges Décimus (who left ...

(originating in the

French West Indies The French West Indies or French Antilles (french: Antilles françaises, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy fwansez) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloup ...

). His first solo albums, ''Iyole'' in 1981 and ''Djessy'' in 1982, were hits. He is known for the structural changes he implemented to soukous

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

. The previous approach was to sing several verses and have one

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular ...

at the end of the song. Kanda Bongo Man revolutionized soukous by encouraging guitar solos after every verse and even sometimes at the beginning of the song. His form of soukous gave birth to the

kwassa kwassa Kwassa kwassa (or kwasa kwasa) is a dance created by Jeanora, a mechanic in Kinshasa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that started in the 1980s, where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. It was very popu ...

dance rhythm where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. Like many African rumba and soukous musicians before him, Kanda Bongo Man also had an entourage of musicians. Many of Kanda's musicians later moved on to start their own solo careers. Most notable of these was

Diblo Dibala Diblo Dibala (born 9 August 1954), often known simply as Diblo, is a Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese soukous musician, known as "Machine Gun" for his speed and skill on the guitar. He was born in 1954 in Kisangani. He moved to Kinsh ...

. Known as "Machine Gun", Diblo Dibala was a vital part of Kanda Bongo Man's lineup on several albums, playing guitar on both ''Kwasa Kwasa'' and ''Amour Fou''. Kanda Bongo Man still tours in Europe and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. In July 2005 he performed at the LIVE 8: Africa Calling concert in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

. He has performed several times at the Africa Oyé Festival in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, most recently in June 2022.

Discography

* ''Iyole'' (1981) * ''Djessy'' (1982) * ''Amour Fou'' (1984) * ''Malinga'' (1986) * ''Lela Lela'' (1987) * ''Sai Liza'' (1988) * ''

Kwassa Kwassa Kwassa kwassa (or kwasa kwasa) is a dance created by Jeanora, a mechanic in Kinshasa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that started in the 1980s, where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. It was very popu ...

'' (1989) * ''Isambe Monie'' (1990) * '' Zing Zong'' (1991) * ''Sango'' (1992) * ''Le Rendez-vous des Stades'' (1993) * ''

Soukous in Central Park ''Soukous in Central Park'' is a live album by the Congolese musician Kanda Bongo Man, released in 1993. Kanda promoted the album with a North American tour. Production The album was produced by Ned Sublette and Sean Barlow. It was recorded in Cen ...

'' (1993) * ''Welcome to South Africa'' (1995) * ''Francophonix'' (1999) * ''Balobi'' (2002) * ''Swalati'' (2003) * ''Non-Stop Feeling'' (2010) * ''Sweet'' (2010)

Notes

References

*''The African Music Encyclopedia: Music From Africa and the African Diaspora''

External links

*
Soukous.com Kanda Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanda Bongo Man 1955 births Living people People from Mai-Ndombe Province 20th-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers Democratic Republic of the Congo songwriters Soukous musicians 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo male singers 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people