Joanie Loves Tcha Tcho: Koffi Olomide and "Loi"

Today's random tune is by Koffi Olomide, and is called Loi. Koffi Olomide is the performing name of Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba, a Congolese soukous singer, dancer, producer and composer. After studying in Bordeaux, France and obtaining a bachelors in business economics and reportedly a masters in mathematics, Olomide returned to The Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1970s and joined Papa Wemba's band Viva la Musica where he became lead vocalist. In 1986 he formed Quartier Latin International, and performed with them and solo, along the way developing the slower type of soukous into a genre he called Tcha Tcho. He is not afraid to take on controversial topics in his music, such as current events and taboo subjects, but unfortunately, he has also been controversial and known for assault - he kicked a cameraman at a concert, assaulted his producer, and kicked a female dancer in his show which led to his temporary deportation and a prison sentence. You can find Loi on his 2014 album of the same name.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koffi_Olomide

The Voice: Tabu Ley Rochereau and "Mokolo Nakokufa"

The late Tabu Ley Rochereau brings us our random tune for today, called Mokolo Nakokufa. A legendary African musician from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rochereau had one of the two most influential bands in Africa, the Orchestre Afrisa International which he formed in 1970 after fronting an earlier band, African Fiesta, which was also hugely successful. He was also responsible for providing the jump start to the careers of many well-known African musicians, such as Papa Wemba and Sam Mangwana. He pioneered African soukous (rumba), and made it international by incorporating Cuban, Latin American and Caribbean rumba styles with Congolese traditional music as well his own. He purportedly wrote over 3,000 songs, and made 250 albums in the course of his career, and he has been known both as the Elvis of African music and as the Frank Sinatra of African music. Rochereau was also involved in politics. Initially a supporter of the Mobutu regime in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), he eventually had to go into exile in 1988 and he spent time abroad in Paris and the United States. His music was banned at times as well. However, after Mobutu was deposed, he returned and joined the government of Laurent Kabila and then Joseph Kabila. Rochereau is reportedly responsible for fathering over 100 children with different women, including the French rapper Youssoupha. He passed away in 2013 and was given an official mourning by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can find Mokolo Nakokufa on many albums; we got it on the compilation album Tabu Ley Rochereau: The Voice of Lightness (2007)

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabu_Ley_Rochereau

Two by Two: Thornato with Kongo Elektro and "Deux a Deux"

Today's upbeat song, Deux a Deux, is by Thornato and features Kongo Elektro. Thornato is the stage name of Swedish/American producer Thor Partridge, who has produced sought-after remixes and artists in countries as various as India (for Bollywood), South Africa, Colombia and Kenya. He also toured extensively with Oakland-based Beats Antique. He is joined on Deux a Deux by Kongo Elektro, a duo consisting of American/South African musician Daniel Eppel and Congolese/South African musician Mapumba Cilombo, who bill themselves as reinventing African dance music through electronic soukous and live looping. You can hear Deux a Deux on Thornato's 2017 album Bennu, released by Wonderwheel Recordings.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Don't Mess with It: Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca with "Tu No Sabes (No te Metas)"

Today's random song is by Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, called Tu No Sabes (No te Metas). Of Angolan descent but now living in Los Angeles, Lemvo and his band Makina Loca blend music encompassing styles ranging from Cuban salsa, samba and African genres such as soukous and kizomba. He has released seven albums. Tu No Sabes (No te Metas) can be found on his album São Salvador (2000).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Long Live Papa: Papa Wemba and "Sala Keba"

Today's tune is by Papa Wemba, who recently departed this life while performing on stage on April 24th, 2016. A Congolese musician and singer who worked primarily in the genres of rumba, soukous and ndombolo, he was one of the most popular African musicians of his time. He performed with a number of bands in the 70s before starting his own group, Viva la Musica. He especially developed his sound after his group performed in Paris in the 1980s. He also became internationally known, especially after performing with Peter Gabriel on his Secret World Live tour in 1993. He eventually maintained two incarnations of his musical group, one in Paris and the other in Kinshasa. In the early 2000s, he ran into legal troubles after being suspected of trafficking illegal immigrants into France - he spent over three months in jail. Regardless, he had a deep impact on a younger generation of Congolese musicians, and will be deeply missed. This song, Sala Keba, can be found on his 1995 album Emotion.