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Extrait de EMOTION
(1995), avec: Vocals: Papa Wemba,
Juliet Roberts (voc); Guitar: Maika Munn, Maurice
Poto (keyb, guit, chorus); Lokua Kanza (guit,
bass, percu, chorus); Stephen Hague (Accordion);
The Kick Horns (Horns); Christian Polloni
(keyb, chorus); Jean-Philippe Rykiel (keyb); Noel
Ekwabi (bass); Andy Duncan (drums, percu); Paco
Sery (drums); Xavier Jouvelet, Udoh Essieh
(percu); Anne Papiri, Julia Sarr (chorus).
Biographie:
" b. Shungu Wembiado, 1952, Kasai,
Zaire. Wemba's musical roots can be traced to 1969 when
he formed Zaiko Langa Langa. The idea was to update traditional
African sounds with the imported rhythms and melodies of
the West, including rock and R&B. Zaiko Langa Langa was
an experimental concern, using multitudinous singers to
produce harmonies and chants, with electric instruments
and drum kits brought home by Zairean students living in
Belgium. He left in 1970 to form Isifi Lokole, then Yoka
Lokole and, in 1977, Viva La Musica. On leaving Zaiko Langa
Langa, he kept up the ragged, streetwise sound, the 'beau
desordre', associated with the group, his voice adding a
high wailing tone that cut through two decades of sweet
Kinshasa harmonies. Kinshasa's Radio Trottoir first fastened
on to Wemba during his Isifi Lokole days, when he was accused
of an illicit affair with a young girl and spent a few days
in jail. Viva La Musica took its name from a 'charanga'
song by Johnny Pacheco. He also re-introduced a traditional
instrument to the music, the lokole, a hollow tree trunk
played with two sticks like a drum, which was conventionally
used to pass messages between neighbouring villages. In
Zaire, Brussels and Paris, Wemba's followers, and those
of other great fashion leaders, are known as 'Sapeurs',
members of the Societe Des Ambianceurs et des Personnes
Elegantes. The hallmarks are the same: expensive clothes,
bearing the most prestigious of designer labels from Giorgio
Armani to Cardin and Jimmy Weston. One particular song,
'Matebu', has become the Sapeurs' hymn. During the course
of such songs, Wemba has been known to balance his shoes,
doubtless Westons, on his head and turn round his vest to
show off the labels. Overseas, Wemba has also made an impact
- with 'La Firenze', which praises Florence, Paris, Tokyo
and other style centres, introducing electro handclaps and
a beat-box into a straight, sharper soukous style. For the
true, exuberant Wemba, though, it is necessary to listen
to albums like La Vie Comme Elle Va Bola (1984), with its
electric-saw vocals rising above echoing guitars and a wall
of ragged harmonies that seem to have come straight off
a night-time Kinshasa street. His debut solo album, recorded
in collaboration with producer Martin Messonier, was released
in 1988. Genuine acclaim, though, arrived with Le Voyageur,
which saw him make his debut on Real World Records. Here
he risked alienating African purists by forging an international
style which was both distinct and innovative. Even more
cosmopolitan was 1995's Emotion, overseen in the studio
by Pet Shop Boys / Erasure producer Stephen Hague. Just
as important was the contribution of keyboard player Jean-Philippe
Rykiel (a collaborator with Salif Keita and Youssou N'Dour
), Papa Noel (bass) and Christian Polloni (guitar), though
regular backing vocalists Reddy Amisi and Stino had been
replaced by female accompanists. Of many notable tracks
perhaps the most interesting was a cover version of Otis
Redding 's 'Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)', Wemba's favourite
singer. Despite his obvious desire to seek international
success, elsewhere his impressive vocals remained rooted
in his own native Lingala language, helping to offset accusations
that he had turned his back on the continent of his birth.
He also maintains a separate, 20-piece soukous orchestra
for 'real African music fans', as further evidence of this
commitment. His third album for Real World was co-produced
by noted English producer, John Leckie ( Fall, Radiohead
), and proved to be a more vibrant collection than previous
albums. "
(source http://music.yahoo.com/)
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