Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Last Band Standing (2017)

It starts with a horn fanfare, then eases into lilting Congolese rumba, Kenyan-style, with three singers backed by a rock-solid rhythm section, intertwining guitars and horns. From the opening bars of Kanemo, it’s evident that Orchestre Les Mangelepa are as potent today as they were in the 1970s, when they sported platform shoes and became dancefloor heroes across east Africa. Originally from eastern Congo, they moved to Nairobi and succeeded by mixing the massively popular music of their homeland with Kenyan influences and lyrics in Swahili. But despite their success in Africa, they didn’t tour in Europe until last year. This new studio album, their first for the international market, includes old favourites such as Maindusa, but also the new, keyboard-backed Ma Lilly, featuring the powerful, pained vocals of founder member Kabila Kabanze. After all these years, they deserve a new following in the west.

Tracklist:
01. Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Kanemo
02. Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Malawi Zikomo
03. Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Mbungu
04. Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Maindusa
05. Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Nyako Konya
06. Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Suzanna
07. Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Mimba
08. Orchestre Les Mangelepa - Ma Lilly