african fiesta @ 45tours on vita 1963-5 docteur nico 04.1

4.1 repost adds 83a L'Age Et L'Amour, 83b Ya Gaby 2, 114a Una Sabroso, 115a Dit Coco, 121a African Club, 121b Porti Caliente, 122a Belinda, 122b Faux Millionaire, 124a African Fiesta Congo, 124b Tu Son, 125a Djeke, 125b Sangana, 133b Mwanza Distinguée.
Here's the final installment of the Nico Vita story, just in case the end of days has come. The next to last track, from a YouTube post, is a mystery. Nico discographer Alastair Johnston thinks it's probably African Fiesta Sukisa, formed in the wake of Nico's split with Rochereau. Whatever the case, it's killer. PS As it turns out, Kamulanga is Nico killing it with African Jazz, pre-Fiesta. Explore!

docteur nico african fiesta @ 45 tours
the far from complete vita singles 1963-5
part 04 - vita 76-128

01 76a Camalée
02 76b Kiboloso
03 77a Exhibition Dechaud
04 78a Mambo Hawaiienne
05 78b PB Zonga
06 79a Imana Ya Daring
07 81a Au Complet
08 82a Libala Nde Bisengo
09 82b Naleli Godee
10 83a L'Age Et L'Amour
11 83b Ya Gaby 2
12 100a Amartes
13 100b Minge Rumba Fiesta
14 101a Amasco Rwe Dima
15 101b Makila Eyina Nzoto
16 103a A Mimeza
17 103b Worriend
19 104b Nkulu Mobongisi
20 105a Asi Tu Viere
21 105b Molangi Ya Malasi
22 106a Foti Ya Ye
23 106b Le Chant De Malory
24 107b Calabosso
25 108a Sukisa
26 108b Tabalissimo
27 109a Cubana Na Vis-a-Vis
28 109b Pablito
29 110a Café Rio
30 110b Majolina
31 111b Jaloux Jaloux
32 113a Carolina Carolina
33 114a Una Sabroso
34 114b Mama Ida
35 115a Dit Coco
36 121a African Club
37 121b Porti Caliente
38 122a Belinda
39 122b Faux Millionaire
40 123a Kele Ya Nini Saka
41 123b Pablo Gonzales
42 124a African Fiesta Congo
43 124b Tu Son
44 125a Djeke
45 125b Sangana
46 128a Omeli Mavi Na Tonga
47 xxxx Kamulanga
48 133b Mwanza Distinguée 

cd and vinyl and downloads @ various bitrates

african fiesta @ 45tours on vita 1963-5 docteur nico 01.5

Version 01.5 adds 22b Kingo Mwambe
Version 01.4 adds 01b Tremendo Punto, at long last.
Version 01.3 adds 19b Liwa Na Ngai.
Version 01.2 adds 03a Eso La Vida.
Version 01.1 Enthusiast discographer Alastair Johnston has kindly provided information and files, resulting in the addition of four tracks - 08a En Guantanamo, 13b Nkembo Na Nzambe, 18b Willy Mopaya, 23a Azongi Na Bomengo. I thank him for his generosity and infinite wisdom.
According to Johnston's invaluable Docteur Nico Discography, African Fiesta came together in 1963, featuring Nicolas Kasanda on lead, his brother Dechaud on rhythm guitar and Tabu Ley Rochereau on lead vocals, with Roger Izeidi, Kwamy Munsi, Joseph 'Mujos' Mulamba, Joseph Mwena and Depuissant, adding Faugus Izeidi, Paul Mizele, Dominique Kuntima and Jeef Mingiedi in due time. Having developed his electric guitar skills in African Jazz and Rock-a-Mambo, Nico was really sailing by this time, exploring exotic tones and textures like a Congolese Jeff Beck. Cascades of single notes alternate with thick clusters, generally plucked instead of flat-picked, all purring and growling with natural tube sustain and distortion, tremolo and reverb. Check Angola Siempre for a characteristic 'Dieu de la Guitare' solo. African Fiesta managed to record over 250 sides in just two years, with 128 Vita singles released and nary a dud among the ones I've heard. This collection comes from my own vinyl and CDs along with many many downloads from across the interwebs, with Moos @ Global Groove a prime source. I've been advised that compilation tracks are not necessarily the same takes as the original 45s, but I don't often have multiple sources to compare. 25 Vita numbers will be covered in each post, however many tracks I actually have, with downloads revised if and when additions turn up. A list of missing sides is included in the rar, and any digital contributions would be very greatly appreciated.

docteur nico african fiesta @ 45 tours
the far from complete vita singles 1963-5
part 01 - vita 01-25

01 01a Rendezvous Chez Labas
02 01b Tremendo Punto
03 02a Bilomba Ya Africa
04 02b Mwasi Abandaka
05 03a Eso La Vida
06 03b Naleli Leo
07 04a Angola Siempre
08 04b Permission
09 05a Moto Abungaka
10 05b Rythmo Ya Suka
11 06a Bandimi Ngaï Tata
12 06b Tembe Nde Tembe
13 07a Camalée
14 07b Seli Kutu
15 08a En Guantanamo
16 08b Keba
17 09a Pesa Le Tout
18 09b Vivo Africa
19 10a Toyei Na Sango
20 10b Vidas
21 13a Nico Azongi
22 13b Nkembe Na Nzambe
23 14a Conseil Monetaire
24 14b Barumbu
25 15a Boni Boye
26 17a Bisengo Na Capitale
27 18b Willy Mopaya
28 19a Arsène Dionge
29 19b Liwa Na Ngai
30 20a A.M. Decantonio
31 21b Natuna Nani
32 22b Kingo Mwambe
33 23a Azongi Na Bomengo
34 25a Ngonga Ebeti
35 25b Godee

cd and vinyl and downloads @ various bitrates

African Fiesta Sukisa 1966-73 Docteur Nico 06.2

Version 06.2 adds 88a Sukisa Liwa Na Ngai and 141a Makambo, subtracts Kamulanga, which is Docteur Nico w/ African Jazz, some years before Sukisa.
Version 06.1 adds 82b Mal, 86b I Got The Feelin', 90a Nalapi, 99a Baoule, 133b Mobali Akolimbisa Mwasizon and 506a Echantillon Ya Pambamazon.
Last batch of Docteur Nico Vita & Sukisa 45s. As always, Alastair Johnston's discography has been an invaluable resource, without which these six compilations would not exist. And of course, if you might possibly have any missing numbers you would consider sharing, let me know.

Docteur Nico African Fiesta Sukisa @ 45Tours
The Far From Complete Sukisa Singles 1966-73
Part 2 of 2 

01 80a Nakei Abidjan
02 80b Lion du Desespoir
03 82a Semeki Etali Yo Te
04 82b Mal
05 86a Chantal Komonela Ngai
06 86b I Got The Feelin'
07 87a Mobali Atulaka Te
08 88a Sukisa Liwa Na Ngai
09 89a Manzedi
10 89b Libaku Eponi Te
11 90a Nalapi
12 90b Olga
13 92a Capacite Ya Bolingo
14 93b Mokili Makambo
15 94a Pauline La Preferée
16 94b Mwasi Va Mibali Mibale
17 95a Boya Kobina
18 95b Lassen Yembila Ngai
19 96a Adeline
20 97a Mira
21 97b Mokili Ya Nzambe
22 98a Julienne Importée
23 98b Oluki Likambo Obangi
24 99a Baoulé
25 100a Sukisa Miziki Ya Lokumu
26 100b Aimé Zonga!
27 101a Okosi Ngai Libala
28 102a Cherie Julie Nalingaka
29 102b Marie Anne
30 103a Tekele
31 104a Motema Se Likolo
32 104b Kilimadjaro
33 105a Asala Malekoun
34 105b Mbanda Peugeot
35 107b Bolingo Ezali Mpo Na Kisi Te
36 108a Nakopenda Marie Nella
37 108b Ntumba
38 109a Adieu Freetown
39 109b Afrique de l'Ouest
40 110a Lucifer
41 112a Sadi Na Boyi Masumu
42 112b Ruguia
43 113a Nazali Se Mobali Na Yo
44 114a Kamunganzi Ko
45 116b Fanta Diara
46 119a Bolongo
47 119b Adios
48 129a Mandona
49 130a Celina
50 130b Mwika
51 133a Bolingo Ya Kobomba
52 133b Mobali Akolimbisa Mwasizon
53 141a Makambo
54 501a Yokolo Pt 1
55 501b Yokolo Pt 2
56 502a Nalingi Yo Na Motema
57 502b Ozali Suka Ya Mobali
58 503a Munka
59 503b Angèle Ozali Wapi
60 504a Talaka Na Miso
61 504b Merengue Nico
62 506a Echantillon Ya Pambamazon

cd, vinyl and downloads @ various bitrates

African Fiesta Sukisa 1966-73 Docteur Nico 05.4

Version 05.4 adds 59b Si Te Que Moura Casa and 68a Ah! Mokolo Wana.
Version 05.3 adds 69a Tika Navanda Na Ya and 69b Oye Congo.
Version 05.2 adds 49b Yo Soy Tu Dolor and 50b Para Bailar, thanks to Moos @ Global Groove.
Version 05.1 adds 68b How Mi Closen, a phonetic translation of Buddy Holly's Words Of Love via Beatles For Sale. 'How mi closen, tummy now you feel...'
In 1965 African Fiesta split apart, with Docteur Nico carrying on as African Fiesta Sukisa while Tabu Ley Rochereau and band manager Roger Izeidi set up African Fiesta 66 and then African Fiesta National. I've divided what I have of Nico's Sukisa singles tracks into two posts. Plenty of great stuff here, as expected, although I miss the ambiance of the Vita stuff. Maybe Nico switched from tube amplifiers to transistors? These have been gathered from vinyl and CDs and downloads including YouTube, so bitrates and sound quality vary considerably. Thanks again to Alastair Johnston for his Docteur Nico Discography (new improved second edition now available), without which these humble compilations would not exist.  

Docteur Nico African Fiesta Sukisa @ 45Tours
The Far From Complete Sukisa Singles 1966-73
Part 1 of 2

01 11a Comono
02 14a Cimetière
03 20b Zongela Mbeto Na Yo
04 37a Doublez Doublez
05 47a Bougie Ya Motema
06 47b Runeme Mama
07 48a Tour d'Afrique
08 48b Yaka Toyambana
09 49a Chantal
10 49b Yo Soy Tu Dolor
11 50a Sule
12 50b Para Bailar
13 51a La Palomar
14 51b Pauline
15 52a Impercoque
16 52b Saouda
17 53a Mwa Kassanda
18 53b Pokwa Paris
19 54a Yo Canto
20 54b Zaido
21 55a La Jolie Bebe
22 56a Damela Que Tu La Tiennes
23 56b Je M'En Fous
24 57a El Tonto de Mi Lugar
25 57b Mbankada
26 58a Eramorando
27 58b Marie Pauline
28 59a Na Kendeki Na Poto
29  59b Si Te Que Moura Casa
30 61a Nasali Eloko Te
31 61b Sasonado
32 63a Nzongo
33 63b Sanduku Etundi
34 64a Sanza Zomi Na Mibale
35 64b Suavilo
36 66a Okosambuisa Ngai
37 67a Limbasa Ngai
38 67b Eh Bien Mon Ami
39 68a Ah! Mokolo Wana
40 68b How Mi Closen
41 69a Tika Navanda Na Ye
42 69b Oye Congo
43 71a Exhibition Dechaud
44 71b Nansha Nkayende
45 72a When A Man Loves A Woman
46 72b Charlotte
47 73a Soy Del Siboney
48 73b Sizarinne
49 74a Moni Mambo
50 77a Tu M'as Deçu Chouchou
51 77b Save Me
52 78a Doris
53 78b Si Yorando
54 79a Kiri Kiri Mabina Ya Sika
55 79b Sookie

Vinyl, CD and downloads various bitrates

balla et ses balladins @ 45tours

Vacillon added 9/14/16.
Nanfoule added 4/23/13 (belated thanks to Nauma.) The Balladins stand alongside Bembeya Jazz as the most sophisticated of Guinea's golden age authenticité bands, among so many great ones. Their Syliphone 45s hold much of their absolute best work, stunning in its quality and variety, as the Sakhodougou - Samba - Kognö Koura sequence shows. Whether languid or swinging, you can pretty much count on quivering Latin horns as well as electric guitars that use surf, soul and psychedelia to recast ancient stories in service of a revolution. This collection is now complete, the heretofore missing b-side Vacillon a very fine guitar workout.

balla et ses balladins
balladins @ 45tours
complete syliphone singles 1968-75

01 J.R.D.A. 1967 (Jardin de Guinée)
02 Diaraby 1967 (Jardin de Guinée)
03 Diaraby SYL 505a 1968
04 Yo Te Contres Maria SYL 505b 1968
05 Bedianamo SYL 506a 1968
06 P.D.G. SYL 506b 1968
07 Soumbouyaya SYL 507a 1968
08 La Guineé Moussolou SYL 507b 1968
09 Tara SYL 508a 1969
10 Nanfoule SYL 508b 1969
11 Moi Ça Ma Fout SYL 517a 1970
12 Vacillon SYL 517b 1970
13 Kaïra SYL 520a 1970
14 Sakhodougou SYL 520b 1970
15 Samba SYL 545a 1972
16 Kognö Koura SYL 547a 1972
17 Bi Diamana Möo SYL 545b 1972
18 Como Cocina Et La Corda SYL 547b 1972
19 Djina Moussö SYL 549a 1972
20 Manta Lokoka SYL 549b 1972
21 Ancien Combattant SYL 571a 1975
22 Nyo SYL 571b 1975
23 Hafia SYL 572a 1975
24 Wilikabo SYL 572b 1975

cd and vinyl @320vbr 

keletigui et ses tambourinis @ 45tours

Singles compilation featuring another of Guinea's wondrous state-sponsored authenticité outfits. Collection is now complete, adding another Franklin Boukaka 45 and the b-side of the Tambourinis' final single, a fitting farewell ballad. Enjoy.

keletigui et ses tambourinis
tambourinis @ 45tours
complete syliphone singles 1968-72

01 Soundiata 1968 5.51
02 Nosotros 1968 5.00
03 Famadenké 1968 3.58
04 Cigarettes Allumettes 1968 3.22
05 Kesso 1970 3.05
06 Chiquita 1970 3.04
07 I Boyein-Boyein 1970 3.41
08 Tambourinis Sax Parade 1970 4.46
09 Quinzan 1970 3.06
10 Il Tomatero 1970 4.02
11 Banankoro 1970 4.20
12 La Loma de Belen 1970 2.56
13 J.R.D.A. 1970 5.02
14 Guarjira Con Tumbao 1970 3.14
15 N'Nadia 1970 4.43
16 La Bicycletta 1970 5.14
17 Ilole Gbanina 1970 4.00
18 Tambourinis Cocktail 1970 4.28
19 Kiss My Noose 1970 2.46
20 Mi Corazon 1970 4.53
21 Munu Ngiedi (w/ Franklin Boukaka) 1970 3.02
22 Kitoko Mingi (w/ Franklin Boukaka) 1970 3.54
23 M'Bongi Eyi (w/ Franklin Boukaka) 1970 3.04
24 Tata Aleleti (w/ Franklin Boukaka) 1970 2.42
25 Donsoké 1972 4.04
26 Guanguanco a Todos Los Barrios 1972 4.38
27 Beni Yarabi 1972 4.21
28 Gerona Son 1972 3.49
29 Miri Magnin 1972 5.04
30 Marie 1972 4.30

from cd, vinyl and downloads

zaire: musiques urbaines à kinshasa

The tale of how a collection of Congolese thumb pianos provided the missing link between punk, techno and all points in between, has taken 25 years to tell. And like fellow music visionaries across the globe, the remarkable sound they created was forged in the most desperate of circumstances and in the harshest of places.
Konono No 1 emerged from the Angola/Congo border bush and relocated to Kinshasa, steeped in the traditional Bazombo trance music. They amassed a collection of differently pitched likembé (thumb pianos, or metal rods attached to resonators and pick-ups), plus pots, pans, cutlery, microphones adapted from car parts, whistles, massed vocals passed though megaphones and a massive sound system.
This remarkable, unique noise soon garnered a fanatical following at home. The DIY nature of their equipment provided an integral, distorted sound, a healthy hum seeping into every rhythmic pause. The combination of all these elements created something notably African in pace and texture, coincidentally nodding to Western electronica.
The likembé merge to provide a brutal, hypnotising beat, the cousin to The 13th Floor Elevators' electrified jug or John Cale's manic viola. The rapid intensity of rhythm matches the finest exponents of Krautrock, occasionally drifting close to the confused energy of Aphex Twin or Autechre, with the damaged tempo of Beefheart or Marc Ribot slithering in.
It could really be from anywhere, at any time; its rawness at odds with the slow fall towards slickness and a polished, homogenised sound so sought after these days. And like all the best music, it needs to be played loud, as loud as their legendary, dizzying live performances...
This music comes from somewhere unknown and offers hope that there are worlds of music out there, unexplored and waiting to be discovered.
- Dale Shaw BBC (UK)

zaire: musiques urbaines à kinshasa
ocora c559007 hm65 (1987)
Recorded live November 1978 Kinshasa

cd @320vbr
01 ORCHESTRE SANKAI Rythme Kuatankuaka 14.25
02 ORCHESTRE TOUT PUISSANT LIKEMBÉ KONONO No. 1 Mungua-Mungua 26.50
03 ORCHESTRE BAMBALA Animation Kifuti 9.25
04 ORCHESTRE BANA LUYA Animation Bana Luya 23.05

super-expanded dual-cassette set @192
01 ORCHESTRE BANA LUYA Animation Bana Luya 28'50
02 ORCHESTRE BAMBALA Animation Kifuti 28'33
03 ORCHESTRE SANKAI Kuata Nkuaka 28'16
04 ORCHESTRE T.P. LIKEMBE KONOKO (sic!) Mungua-Muanga 28'41
05 ORCHESTRE T.P. TULU LISANGA BANGANGA Animation (unnamed) 15'14 (extra track!)
(see Bolingo69's comment)