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Kanda Bongo Man is the Soukous superstar in the continent of Africa. His music has always been driven by optimism and happiness; it contains melodies that curl through the patterns like vines on a trellis.

It ' s lilting, rippling, dance groove that seems to smile from every register, with inseparable melody and rhythm. He is without a doubt one of the most famous exponents of music from Congo and, has been at the heart of the Soukous scene since the 80 ' s.

Kanda is the man, who gave the world Kwasa Kwasa , the infectiously charged Congolese dance style. And, he is credited as being one of the pioneers of modern Soukous . He is, according to his fans, an icon, the one who brought Soukous to them. He has performed throughout the continent of Africa, in Australia, Europe, in the Middle East, in Canada, and of course in the USA. He met with so many African heads of states as the leading " ambassador " of popular culture in Africa.

Mr . Kanda ' s big break came with the album Iyole , which became a number one hit all over Africa in the mid 80 ' s. He performed at the Womad festival in England in 1983 and reached the audience he had hoped to find. In 1989, Kanda released his first American-distributed album, Kwasa Kwasa , which successfully reached a newer and challenging audience only used to Rock-N- Roll . Nevertheless, Mr. Kanda made his mark; Soukous was introduced into the American " World Music scene " via his projects with the famous record label Rykodisc of course and later with his countless performances at several prestigious venues such as the NYC B.B King, Prince ' s First Avenue in Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. ' s Zanzibar, the legendary Summer Stage at Central Park in front of 15,000 souls as the sole headliner for the day in New York City.

A smashing performance at the legendary Reggae on the River in California, an electrifying performance in presence of 30,000 fans at Celebrate Brooklyn in NY. Let ' s not exclude other institutions such as American prestigious Universities like Harvard University, University of Virginia, etc.

In United-Kingdom, from 2003 to 2004 Kanda Bongo man made countless successful and smashing performances at the big venues and festivals such as the Royal Festival Hall, Womad festival , Glastonbury festival , the forum London, Stratford Rex, Africa Oye festival Liverpool , BBC2 TV Later... with Jools Holland, John Peel session BBC Radio1, Manchester academy, Brighton Dome, Leicester University, etc. And recently he made a brilliant and successful performance at live8 Africa Calling in Eden project.  

Live performance at Eden project for Live8 - Africa Calling (June 2005)

" Kanda bongo Man was the highlight of the evening ..." quoted John Peel to Jo Wiley during a live Glastonbury broadcasting show, Glastonbury 2003

" John Peel said he was happy he'd finally seen the man perform live ..." Jools Holland introducing Kanda and his band during a "Later with...Jools Holland"TV show, in 2004   

Without a question, Kanda has created a winning Soukous formula that has moved millions of people throughout his career and it has also sold several hundred of thousands of albums worldwide, some of which are listed below:

Lyole

Non Stop-Non Stop

Amour Fou

Kwasa-Kwasa

Zing Zong

Soukous in Central Park

The Best of Kanda Bongo Man

Sweet

Balobi

Swalati

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Kanda Bongo Man , the nightingale from Congo presents an exciting & fast moving show of music and dance. His style is known for its shimmering duel guitar parts, which produce intensity, which is very hypnotic on the dance floor. He sometimes breaks the barrier between the audience and the performers to bring people on their feet for a better enjoyment of his performance. Audiences always take home a new dance move every time they go to his shows.

His dance moves are remarkable, rooted in Congolese tradition, he presents hundred and one moves effortlessly, but the one dance that has made its mark all over the world is the one that the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. It is also performed with amazing dexterity by his exhilarating female dancers who have become part of the Kanda Bongo Man show. Some press says: " if Kanda Bongo doesn ' t make you want to dance, call an ambulance. You ' re dead.

Kanda Bongo Man ' s vibrancy and experience on stage didn ' t come easy at all, although he makes it seem so. He is indeed part of the famous third generation of Congolese pop musicians. Born in Kinshasa, Congo. Kanda grew up listening to Congolese legends such as Le Grand Kalle , Luambo Franco , Vicky Longomba, Dr. Nico , Tabu Ley , Zaiko Langa Langa and a synthesis of traditional melodies and several other Afro-rhythms, which without a doubt developed into a distinctive Kanda ' s sound. His first professional musical experience came in the 1970 ' s when he was given the opportunity to front the then Zaire ' s Bella Bella of the very famous Soki brothers. And later Kanda partnered with Soki Dianzenza, one of the brothers , in his Bella Mambo, a group that gave him a center stage, and also influenced him tremendously like many others such as Pepe Kalle , Nyboma, Diblo Dibala and Madilu ,

He is a living legend in Soukous world today, the man who has paved the road for Congo music outside Central Africa . 

Photo gallery: - Live8 Cornwall 2005

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