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01. Ngwaka Son Systeme - Okokok
02. Ngwaka Son Systeme - Lakala
03. Ngwaka Son Systeme - Benda Singa
04. Ngwaka Son Systeme - Bo Lobi Pe
05. Ngwaka Son Systeme - Zanga Mbongo
06. Ngwaka Son Systeme - Dondwa
ARTIST
TITLE
Iboto Ngenge
FORMAT
LP

LABEL
CATALOG #
ECKECHO 008LP ECKECHO 008LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
6/14/2024

Ngwaka Son Systéme is led by musicians Love Lokombe and Bom's Bomolo, having previously founded the band KOKOKO!. This new project continues the contemporary Congolese tradition of reinventing electronic music by shaping and crafting music instruments made of household objects. "Iboto Ngenge" means "power struggle" or "seizing the opportunity" but while words can only be roughly translated, the music reaches listeners unambiguously. A potent mixture of techno, rumba, soukous, zagué and dancehall with the unique "Kinoise" brand -- the city that never stops innovating in the music landscape worldwide. As a means to continue strengthening the links between Africa and Latin America, Eck Echo has tasked Colombian dub engineer Diego Gomez with the analog mixing of the stems, originally recorded by Levy David at Timbela Ba Studio in Kinshasa. With the aim to bring the lexicon of shared Colombian and Congolese music into the next chapter, Eck Echo presents to the world the magnificent music of Ngwaka Son Systéme. The inadvertently techno-oriented "Lakala," a trance-inducing experience where listeners can quickly relish to the lyrics even without speaking Lingala, for the shapes of the words are already inviting listeners to dance, sing and smile, all the while virtuoso percussionist Steroy operates the DIY-drum kit at high-tempo. The call-and-response effect, where each musician lends their voice to the choir, is particularly felt in "Bo Lobi Pe," where the vocals guide listeners ever so playfully to the tune of an acoustic guitar that invites them to take off their shoes, kick back and relax. "Zanga Mbongo" (translated as "there is no money") is lyrically a proud anthem to celebrating life in spite of economic scarcity, and musically it is a triumphant renewal to the legendary soukous genre of the 1970s, championed by worldwide renowned stars such as Pepe Kallé and Sam Mangwana.