New album from Lokua Kanza: "I wanted something very, very greedy"

Audio 01:55

Congolese musician-singer Lokua Kanza is releasing a new album called "Moko".

© Mr Marabout

Text by: RFI Follow

4 min

It's been 11 years since he released an album.

It is the return of one of the great voices of the continent.

Lokua Kanza unveiled 15 new tracks this month under the title Moko.

An album he wanted ambitious, recorded with a hundred musicians, in 12 different countries.

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All is well

, it is the title that Lokua Kanza had released in April, to celebrate his 63 years, and to give a taste of his new album, which took eight years to see the light of day.

I said to myself, I want to have almost all the great musicians that I have always loved, Sidiki Diabaté, Charlotte Dipanda, Wasis Diop, etc.

There are plenty.

And that's why it took so long.

I really wanted a big big thing actually.

Like an old childhood dream.

From Brazilian bossa to Senegalese mbalax, from the Mandingo guitar to Mongo rhythms from his father's region in the DRC. The singer and composer from Bukavu drew on all sources for this album, undoubtedly the most dancing he ever came out.

I wanted something very, very greedy, but very different.

Today, we are in the drum machines and the like.

I wanted everything to be played.

With real drummers, real bassists, real guitarists, cellos, and so on. 

An album sung in 14 languages, and full of optimistic messages, calls for unity, and to move forward.

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