Mbongwana Star

Congolese group Mbongwana Star play boisterous, electrically charged music that draws from classic rumba and soukous rhythms, but takes them to the outer limits through distortion, heavy electronic grooves, and experimental production, incorporating influences such as acid rock, post-punk, and techno. The band's debut album, From Kinshasa, was released in 2015 to worldwide acclaim. Mbongwana Star formed in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 2013. The band was founded by Coco Ngambali and Théo Nzonza after both members had left Staff Benda Bilili, a group of paraplegic and homeless street musicians, following the cancellation of a European tour and accusations of mismanagement. Other players in Mbongwana Star include Dublin-born bassist and producer Liam Farrell, and additional Staff Benda Bilili contributors Cubain Kabeya and Randy Makana Kalambayi. Mbongwana Star's debut album, From Kinshasa, was released by World Circuit in 2015; it was originally intended to share its title with the opening track, "From Kinshasa to the Moon." A studio production through and through, the record incorporated mutated rhythms, psychedelic guitar soloing, and distorted field recordings of the Kinshasa cityscape. Konono No. 1, a long-running, widely influential Kinshasa-based collective, guested on one song. From Kinshasa was extremely well received, garnering rave reviews from numerous publications and appearing in many year-end lists. The group resurfaced in 2021, collaborating with African electronic duo Montparnasse Musique on a song called "Bitumba," from a self-titled EP that also included appearances by Konono No. 1 and Kasai Allstars.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo