Zaiko Langa Langa
Encyclopedia
Zaiko Langa Langa are a seminal soukous
Soukous
Soukous is a dance music genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa...

 band from DR Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

. The word "Zaiko" is a portmanteau for the lingala
Lingala language
Lingala, or Ngala, is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo , as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. It has over 10 million speakers...

 phrase Zaire ya bankoko, meaning "Zaire of our ancestors", where "Zaire" must be read as a reference to the river by that name, now called Congo
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...

. The meaning of the phrase "Langa Langa" is controversial; according to the band's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...

, it means "marvelous" or "almighty".

Founded in the early 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

 by Papa Wemba
Papa Wemba
Papa Wemba was born Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba in 1949 in Lubefu . He is a Congolese rumba musician, one of Africa's most popular musicians, and prominent in World music.-Zaiko Langa Langa:...

 and others, Zaiko Langa Langa survived into the 2000s, and have been largely popular through the decades. Because of their "rebel" and "hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...

" attitude, and their innovative approach to soukous, they became a symbol of the new generations of post-independence Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...

, and are sometimes compared to the Rolling Stones for their appeal on the Congolese youth.

The band has experienced several personnel changes, and a number of prominent soukous musicians have been in their lineup; examples are Bozi Boziana
Bozi Boziana
Mbenzu Ngamboni Boskill, better known as Bozi Boziana, is congolese guitarist and singer. He has been in several major soukous bands, including Bamboula de Papa Noel, Minzoto Sangela, Zaiko Langa Langa, Isifi Lokole, Yoka Lokole, Langa Langa Stars and Choc Stars, and founded his own band, Orchestre...

, Dindo Yogo
Dindo Yogo
Dindo Yogo or with his real name Théodore Dindo Mabeli was a Congolese singer and musician. He was also called La Voix Cassée .In 1978, Dindo Yogo joined Papa Wemba's Viva La Musica...

, Evoloko Jocker
Evoloko Jocker
Evoloko Atshuamo, best known as Evoloko Jocker or Lay Lay, is a popular congolese soukous singer. Since the late 1960s, he has been in several major soukous bands, such as Zaiko Langa Langa, Isifi Lokole, and Langa Langa Stars.-Biography:Evoloko was born in Belgian Congo...

 and N'Yoka Longo
N'Yoka Longo
N'Yoka Longo, also known as Jossart, is a DR Congo soukous singer, historical member and current leader of the popular soukous band Zaiko Langa Langa....

. Several soukous band formed as spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

s of Zaiko Langa Langa; these include Isifi Lokole
Isifi Lokole
Isifi Lokole were a soukous band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were founded in 1974. The word "Isifi" is an acronym for "Institut du Savoir Ideologique pour la Formation des Idoles", while the lokole is a traditional Congolese drum...

, Yoka Lokole
Yoka Lokole
Yoka Lokole was a soukous band from Zaire founded by Papa Wemba and others in 1975 and disbanded in 1978. Despite its short life, Yoka Lokole was a prominent band in Zaire in the mid-1970s, as its lineup comprised several of the most influential soukous musicians of the times, including Papa...

, Viva La Musica
Viva La Musica
Viva La Musica is a popular band from Zaire founded by singer Papa Wemba in 1977. While Viva La Musica started out as a soukous band , it eventually grew into a world music act, reaching some popularity and success in the European, American, and even Asian markets, as well as in most of Africa...

, Langa Langa Stars
Langa Langa Stars
Langa Langa Star were a popular DR Congo soukous band in the 1980s. The band had the peculiarity of featuring as much as seven lead vocalists, nicknamed the "7 Patrons of Langa Langa Stars"....

, Zaiko Familia Dei, Choc Stars
Choc Stars
The Choc Stars are a soukous band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The band was founded in 1983 by Ben Nyamabo, and has since published over 50 albums. The apex of their success was in the 1980s, when guitarist and vocalist Bozi Boziana wrote some of their most appreciated hits, such as...

, Anti Choc, and Zaiko Nkolo Mboka. This large group of related bands is sometimes referred to as "Clan Langa Langa" (i.e., "the Langa Langa family").

In 2000, Zaiko Langa Langa were awarded by the Congolese Media Association as the best Congolese musical group of the 20th century.

History

The band was formed in 1970 with the provisional name "Orchestra Zaiko". The original lineup was composed of Papa Wemba
Papa Wemba
Papa Wemba was born Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba in 1949 in Lubefu . He is a Congolese rumba musician, one of Africa's most popular musicians, and prominent in World music.-Zaiko Langa Langa:...

, Henri Mongombe, D. V. Moanda, Dela Marcelin, André Bita, Manuaku Waku (also known as Pépé Fely) and N'Yoka Longo
N'Yoka Longo
N'Yoka Longo, also known as Jossart, is a DR Congo soukous singer, historical member and current leader of the popular soukous band Zaiko Langa Langa....

. Moanda, Mongombe, Marcelin, Waku, Longo and Bita were all from a former band called Bel Guide National. They were mostly students coming from upper-class families of Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....

.

The sound of Zaiko Langa Langa was revolutionary with respect to the soukous tradition. They adopted a more up tempo beat, abandoned wind instruments and emphasized snare drum
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...

s and lead electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

s (and eventually also synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

s). The percussion rhythms were adapted from traditional Congolese music and the sebene
Sebene
The Sebene is a kind of instrumental bridge typically executed on the electric guitar and is a characteristic element of the Congolese rumba. The development of the sebene in congolese music has been credited to both Franco Luambo and Belgian-born guitarist-producer Bill Alexandre, but it predates...

 became more prominent. Their vocal lines made a large use of the call and response
Call and response
Call and response is a form of "spontaneous verbal and non-verbal interaction between speaker and listener in which all of the statements are punctuated by expressions from the listener."...

 schemes. Their frenetic stage shows featured a frontline of almost a dozen singers.

Because of these innovations, they are sometimes referred to as the founders of the "third school" of soukous, while they "rebel" attitude, which resembled that of the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...

 movement, earned them the sobriquet of "Zaire's Rolling Stones".

Zaiko quickly became one of the most popular groups of Zaire, and had a large fan base among Kinshasa's juvenile. In the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

, Zaiko's singer Evoloko "Lay Lay" Joker
Evoloko Jocker
Evoloko Atshuamo, best known as Evoloko Jocker or Lay Lay, is a popular congolese soukous singer. Since the late 1960s, he has been in several major soukous bands, such as Zaiko Langa Langa, Isifi Lokole, and Langa Langa Stars.-Biography:Evoloko was born in Belgian Congo...

 popularized a dance known as cavacha
Cavacha
Cavacha is a type of rhythm found in the popular music of Zaire and Kenya. It is a fast-paced rhythm typically played on a drum kit, often with the snare drum or hi hat. Zairean bands such as Zaiko Langa Langa and Orchestra Shama Shama popularized this form of rhythm in the 1960s and 1970s....

, that was a decade-lasting craze in most East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...

.

In 1974, Zaiko Langa Langa were amongst the Zairean bands to be invited to play in Zaire '74, a huge musical event celebrating the Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event that took place on October 30, 1974, in the Mai 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire . It pitted then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and challenger Muhammad Ali...

.

In the mid 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

 the band lost some of its most important members. Papa Wemba, Bozi Boziana and others left in 1974 to create Isifi Lokole
Isifi Lokole
Isifi Lokole were a soukous band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were founded in 1974. The word "Isifi" is an acronym for "Institut du Savoir Ideologique pour la Formation des Idoles", while the lokole is a traditional Congolese drum...

; that same year, Evoloko Jocker abandoned to complete his studies in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. In 1975, guitarist Manuaka Waku also founded his own group, Grand Zaiko Wa Wa. After a brief period of inactivity, the band returned in 1976, and in the following years maintained a prominent position in the soukous scenes, while competing with its own spin-offs such as Isifi Lokole, Isifi Melodia, Yoka Lokole
Yoka Lokole
Yoka Lokole was a soukous band from Zaire founded by Papa Wemba and others in 1975 and disbanded in 1978. Despite its short life, Yoka Lokole was a prominent band in Zaire in the mid-1970s, as its lineup comprised several of the most influential soukous musicians of the times, including Papa...

, Viva La Musica
Viva La Musica
Viva La Musica is a popular band from Zaire founded by singer Papa Wemba in 1977. While Viva La Musica started out as a soukous band , it eventually grew into a world music act, reaching some popularity and success in the European, American, and even Asian markets, as well as in most of Africa...

, and others. The outcome of the personnel changes in the band was the establishment of N'Yoka Longo as the new leader, and new entries such as Lengi Lenga, Bimi Ombale
Bimi Ombale
Debaba was a Congolese singer and musician.He joined the band Zaiko Langa Langa in 1969.In 1988, Zaiko Langa Langa was split up into Zaiko Langa Langa Nkolo Mboka, and Zaiko Langa Langa Familia Dei. Bimi Ombale joined the latter.-References:...

, Dindo Yogo
Dindo Yogo
Dindo Yogo or with his real name Théodore Dindo Mabeli was a Congolese singer and musician. He was also called La Voix Cassée .In 1978, Dindo Yogo joined Papa Wemba's Viva La Musica...

, Meridjo and Bapius. Zaiko Langa Langa's production of the latter 1970s are particularly sophisticated both in terms of melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...

 and orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...

, and the coreography of the live performance was also richer than it was in the early years. In 1977, Bozi Boziana rejoined the group, followed by Mashakado Mbuta.

Despite new internal quarrels and personnel changes, Zaiko Langa Langa were successful throughout the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...

. At the end of the decade, the band experienced another major split, with Meridjo, N'Yoka Longo and Dindo Yogo creaing a new group Zaiko Langa Langa Nkolo Mboka and the rest of the ensemble, led by Lengi Lenga, Ilo Pablo and Bimi Ombale, being renamed to Zaiko Familia Dei. Later on, N'Yoka Longo's group reacquired the original name "Zaiko Langa Langa", which has maintained until today. N'Yoka Longo is still the leader of the group.

Clan Langa Langa

Zaiko Langa Langa were both influential in their own right and through their many spin-offs. Most of these maintained a strong link to the original formation, and this is often reflected by the names they adopted. The groups that somehow belong to the Zaiko Langa Langa "franchise
Franchise
Franchise generally means a right or privilege. It may refer to:*Suffrage, the civil right to vote*Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business, such as:...

" are collectively known as the "Clan Langa Langa". This includes:
  • Isifi Lokole
    Isifi Lokole
    Isifi Lokole were a soukous band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were founded in 1974. The word "Isifi" is an acronym for "Institut du Savoir Ideologique pour la Formation des Idoles", while the lokole is a traditional Congolese drum...

     - Papa Wemba
    Papa Wemba
    Papa Wemba was born Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba in 1949 in Lubefu . He is a Congolese rumba musician, one of Africa's most popular musicians, and prominent in World music.-Zaiko Langa Langa:...

    , Bozi Boziana
    Bozi Boziana
    Mbenzu Ngamboni Boskill, better known as Bozi Boziana, is congolese guitarist and singer. He has been in several major soukous bands, including Bamboula de Papa Noel, Minzoto Sangela, Zaiko Langa Langa, Isifi Lokole, Yoka Lokole, Langa Langa Stars and Choc Stars, and founded his own band, Orchestre...

    , Evoloko Jocker
    Evoloko Jocker
    Evoloko Atshuamo, best known as Evoloko Jocker or Lay Lay, is a popular congolese soukous singer. Since the late 1960s, he has been in several major soukous bands, such as Zaiko Langa Langa, Isifi Lokole, and Langa Langa Stars.-Biography:Evoloko was born in Belgian Congo...

  • Yoka Lokole
    Yoka Lokole
    Yoka Lokole was a soukous band from Zaire founded by Papa Wemba and others in 1975 and disbanded in 1978. Despite its short life, Yoka Lokole was a prominent band in Zaire in the mid-1970s, as its lineup comprised several of the most influential soukous musicians of the times, including Papa...

     - Papa Wemba, Bozi Boziana
  • Grand Zaïko Wa Wa (1975-?) - Manuaku Waku
  • Viva La Musica
    Viva La Musica
    Viva La Musica is a popular band from Zaire founded by singer Papa Wemba in 1977. While Viva La Musica started out as a soukous band , it eventually grew into a world music act, reaching some popularity and success in the European, American, and even Asian markets, as well as in most of Africa...

     (1977-?) - Papa Wemba
  • Choc Stars
    Choc Stars
    The Choc Stars are a soukous band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The band was founded in 1983 by Ben Nyamabo, and has since published over 50 albums. The apex of their success was in the 1980s, when guitarist and vocalist Bozi Boziana wrote some of their most appreciated hits, such as...

     - Mavuela Somo, Bozi Boziana
  • L'Orchestre Anti-Choc - Bozi Boziana
  • Langa Langa Stars
    Langa Langa Stars
    Langa Langa Star were a popular DR Congo soukous band in the 1980s. The band had the peculiarity of featuring as much as seven lead vocalists, nicknamed the "7 Patrons of Langa Langa Stars"....

     (1981-1984) - Evoloko Jocker
  • Zaïko Langa Langa Nkolo Mboka - N'Yoka Longo
    N'Yoka Longo
    N'Yoka Longo, also known as Jossart, is a DR Congo soukous singer, historical member and current leader of the popular soukous band Zaiko Langa Langa....

    , Meridjo, Dindo Yogo
    Dindo Yogo
    Dindo Yogo or with his real name Théodore Dindo Mabeli was a Congolese singer and musician. He was also called La Voix Cassée .In 1978, Dindo Yogo joined Papa Wemba's Viva La Musica...

  • Zaïko Langa Langa Familia Dei - Lengi Lenga, Ilo Pablo, Bimi Ombale
    Bimi Ombale
    Debaba was a Congolese singer and musician.He joined the band Zaiko Langa Langa in 1969.In 1988, Zaiko Langa Langa was split up into Zaiko Langa Langa Nkolo Mboka, and Zaiko Langa Langa Familia Dei. Bimi Ombale joined the latter.-References:...

  • Langa Langa Rénové - Evoloko Jocker

Partial discography

  • 1970 : Pauline
  • 1972 : L'amoureux decu
  • 1973 : Mete la vérité, chouchouna
  • 1974 : Liwa ya somo
  • 1981 : Sarah Djenni
  • 1983 : La Tout Neige
  • 1985 : Zaiko Eyi Nkisi
  • 1985 : Eh Ngoss! Eh Ngoss! Eh Ngoss!
  • 1986 : Bongoville
  • 1986 : Pusa Kuna... Serrez! Serrez!
  • 1987 : Bongama Kamata Position
  • 1987 : Subissez les conséquences
  • 1988 : Nippon Banzai au Japon
  • 1989 : Jetez l'Eponge
  • 1990 : Zaiko Langa-Langa F. D.
  • 1992 : L'Autentique Zaiko Langa Langa
  • 1993 : Jamais sans nous
  • 1993 : Zaire-Ghana (recorded in Accra in 1976, produced by Henri Bowane
    Henri Bowane
    Henri Bowane was an influential figure in the birth of the rumba in the Congo. He was the first professional boss and early mentor to the legendary guitarist François Luambo Makiadi, known as Franco.-Early career:...

    )
  • 1995 : Avis de recherche
  • 1995 : Zekete Zekete
  • 1996 : Sans issue
  • 1996 : Pacha labaran
  • 1997 : Papa Omar
  • 1997 : Onassis
  • 1997 : Muvaro
  • 1997 : Le beau temps
  • 1997 : Bongo bouger
  • 1997 : Backline Lesson One
  • 1997 : Poison
  • 2000 : Etumba ya la vie
  • 2001 : Legend
  • 2002 : Anthologie
  • 2003 : Sentiment Awa / Essesse
  • 2003 : Eureka!
  • 2004 : Empreinte
    Empreinte
    Empreinte is a 2004 album by DR Congo soukous band Zaïko Langa Langa.- Track listing :All songs are written by N'Yoka Longo except for Malgré tout and Delestage , by Papy Cockson.# "Qui.....

  • 'Zaire Congo Dance
  • Zaiko Langa Langa
  • Saisie en Douane... 20 Ans Déjà
  • Ici Ça Va... Fungola Motema
  • Out of Africa

External links

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