One of the iconic bands from Central and East Africa during the past 25 years is Samba Mapangala and his ensemble, Orchestre Virunga. Samba, who is well-known and adored for his incredible voice throughout East Africa and beyond, innovated by fusing the best soukous and rumba from the Congo with a more authentic Kenyan aesthetic.On lists of the greatest African records of all time, their song Malako Disco and the CD bearing the same name-originally released in 1984 and later known as Virunga Volcano in Europe-almost always appear. In the Rough Guide book series, Virunga Volcano is listed as one of the 100 Essential (World Music) CDs. Samba Mapangala, who was born in Matadi, Zaire (DR Congo), played with several Kinshasa bands in the early 1970s, including Super Bella Bella, before establishing his first band, Les Kinois, in Kampala, Uganda, where he had relocated. After a brief stay in Uganda, Samba led his group of musicians east, and in 1977 they moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where they quickly became a household name. Les Kinois were given the recognition they needed to stand out from the other bands competing for gigs in Kenya thanks to Samba's singing and songwriting abilities. Samba quickly incorporated East African elements, including the melodic benga rhythms of Kenya, after becoming dissatisfied with the generic Congolese rumba (also known as soukous) that was being produced.
After a successful but taxing North American tour, Samba finally made the decision to reside in Washington, DC, in 1997.
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17 окт 2024
