Description

Mbongwana Star are a 7piece band from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Coco Ngambali and Theo Nzonza formed the band, Staff Benda Bilili which was inspired by their love of Congolese rumba. The band hit the big time two major albums and a world tour. However, with time, the band collapsed under the weight of its own success. But in the shantyvillages of Kinshasa ndash Africarsquos third largest city bands are recycled along with everything else. Coco and Theo gathered up the necessary parts of a band from the younger generation, crammed them together and started belting out a shambles under the name Mbongwana Star ndash lsquombongwanarsquo meaning lsquochangersquo. Thatrsquos when they met Liam Farrell, aka Doctor L, a musician and producer on the Parisian hiphop and electro scene. The music that Coco and Theo played to Doctor L was vigorous a heedless mass assault of percussion, guitars and voices on the edge of tearing itself apart with its own momentum. Doctor L set out simply to record as much as he could. And the result A fusion of traditional Congolese rhythms with a big fistful of European postpunk bass and busted electronics. Itrsquos made from bits of the past and points toward a strange but exciting kind of future, but more importantly you can tell that itrsquos just loving the present. MBONGWANA STAR CD is available for home delivery from Vinyl Records London, only £9.99