Soukous originated in the Belgian and French colonies of Congo, influenced by the Cuban Rumba styles so popular in the ‘40s & ‘50s. It is known as “Congo” in West Africa because of it. In Zambia and Zimabwe it is called “Rumba” still; in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania it is “Lingala” after the native Congolese language of the lyrics. Borne across to the east African coast by people on the move, the songs were sung also in Kiswahili, common to people of central and eastern Africa.
Samba Mapangala’s path was similar. Originally from a port city on the river Congo, he left Mobutu’s Zaire in 1975 and travelled with other musicians to Amin’s Uganda, where they formed a band called Les Kinois (The Kinshasans), eventually reaching Nairobi in 1977. The band enjoyed great popular success there in Kenya but disbanded in 1980.
Mapangala formed Orchestre Virunga in 1981, and recorded “Malako” the same year. Four tracks of sinuous molten vocals over hypnotic interlocking guitar lines on fluid dancing bass patterns, percussion fast & light, sweet saxophones, beautiful harmonies, and brilliant solos.
Similarly to the Orchestra Baobab happenstance, cassette copies circulating around the expatriate communities of Europe became highly sought-after cult items that reached the attention of the burgeoning “World Music” industry.
The Earthworks label re-released it in 1990 (with a couple of extra tracks to boost the product to acceptable CD length) and broadened the Virunga audience enough to justify tours through Africa, Europe and North America. After a final Virunga tour in 1997, Samba settled with his family in Washington D.C.
The band name is taken of course from the volcanic mountain range in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, the place where Dian Fossey introduced the world to the mountain gorillas.
Orchestre Virunga - Malako (1982) 87MegaBytes
http://www.mediafire.com/download/8t95o694uqxmcll/Malako.rar
