Empire Bakuba is an influential soukous

Soukous

Soukous is a dance music genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa...

 band that formed in Zaire

Zaire

The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...

 (now Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

) in 1972, founded by popular singer Pepe Kalle

Pepe Kalle

Pepe Kalle was a soukous singer, musician and bandleader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

. The name of the band refers to the Bakuba Kingdom; it is sometimes reported as Empire Bakuba du Grand Kalle, in honor of Grand Kalle

Grand Kalle

Joseph Kabasele Tshamala , popularly known as Le Grand Kalle, was a Congolese singer and bandleader, considered the father of modern Congolese music...

, the "father of Congolese music", who was also Pepe Kalle's mentor

Mentor

In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...

. The band has never formally disbanded, although its activity has been scarce since Pepe Kalle's death (in 1998).

History

Pepe Kalle founded Empire Bakuba in 1972, after having been in several other prominent soukous groups, including Bella Bella and, most notably, Grand Kalle

Grand Kalle

Joseph Kabasele Tshamala , popularly known as Le Grand Kalle, was a Congolese singer and bandleader, considered the father of modern Congolese music...

's African Jazz. Besides Pepe Kalle, other famous musicians in the band included Dilu Dilumona, Papy Tex, Diblo Dibala

Diblo Dibala

Diblo Dibala, often known simply as Diblo, is a Congolese soukous musician, known as "Machine Gun" for his speed and skill on the guitar. He was born in 1954 in Kisangani. He moved to Kinshasa as a child, and aged 15 won a talent competition which led to him playing guitar in Franco's TPOK band...

 and Kinanga "Boeing 737".

Empire Bakuba was one of the bands that dominated the soukous scene in the 1970s

1970s

File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

 and 1980s

1980s

File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...

, and was a constant presence in the Congolese charts. Compared to that of other popular soukous bands of the time, such as Zaiko Langa Langa

Zaiko Langa Langa

Zaiko Langa Langa are a seminal soukous band from DR Congo. The word "Zaiko" is a portmanteau for the lingala phrase Zaire ya bankoko, meaning "Zaire of our ancestors", where "Zaire" must be read as a reference to the river by that name, now called Congo...

, Empire Bakuba's sound was characterized by the strong influence of Congolese traditional and tribal music. This also reflects in the kwassa kwassa

Kwassa kwassa

Kwassa kwassa is a dance rhythm from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that started in the 1970s where the hips move back and forth while the hands move to follow the hips. It was very popular in Africa in the late 1980s. The words kwassa kwassa may have come from the French quoi ça?...

, a dance style that was popularized by Empire Bakuba and later adopted by several other Congolese acts, most notably Kanda Bongo Man

Kanda Bongo Man

Kanda Bongo Man, born 1955 in Inongo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a prominent soukous musician.Kanda Bongo Man become the singer for Orchestra Belle Mambo in 1973, developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley...

 and Koffi Olomide

Koffi Olomide

Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba, also known as Koffi Olomide , is a DR Congolese soukous singer, dancer, producer, and composer. He is also known by a multitude of other names and aliases.-Background:...

. Empire Bakuba's live performances were highly scenographic, with frontman Pepe Kalle, who was six feet tall and weighing 300 pounds, accompanied by dwarf

Dwarfism

Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches  , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....

 dancer Emoro.

In 1992 the band had to face Emoro's sudden death. By this time, the apex of Empire Bakuba's success had passed, yet the group remained quite popular. Emoro was replaced by three Pygmy dancers and Empire's live performances became even more similar to circus

Circus

A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...

 shows. When Pepe Kalle died in 1998, and his death was followed by a serious car accident involving Papy Tex. For a while, Empire Bakuba was considered by the media to have ceased to exist. By 1999, nevertheless, Papy Tex had recovered and become the new leader of the band, which released a few more albums. Papy Tex is still with Empire Bakuba, although the band has not been very active in recent years.

Partial discography

Note: The following discographic references have been retrieved from and

• Nazingi Maboto
• Chérie Ondi (Editions Veve 198?)
• Zabolo (Rythmes et Musique 1982)
• Amour propre (Editions Veve 1984)
• Tête africaine (DK 1985)
• Bombe atomique (Mélodie 1985)
• Muana Bangui (Rythmes et Musique 1985)
• Trop c'est trop (Rythmes et Musique 1985)
• La Belle Etoile (Rythmes et Musique 1985)
• Bonana 85 (PF 1985)
• Kabambare (1985)
• Livre d'or (DV 1986)
• Dans Masassi calculé à Abidjan (ACMP 1986)
• Adieu Dr. Nico (Sonodisc 1986)
• Obosini Kisomele (Syllart 1986)
• Allah (Rythmes et Musique, 1986)
• Bakuba Show (Syllart 1987)
• Sombokila (Syllart 1987)
• Blanche neige (Rythmes et Musique 1987, with Grand Zaiko Wa Wa)
• Nzoto ya chance / 8000 km, also known as Kwassa Kwassa (Leader Records Repro 1987)
• Joe Dikando (LS 1987)
• Pon Moun Paka Bougé (Afrorythmes 1988)
• Moyibi (Syllart 1988)
• Ya Moseka de l'Empire Bakuba (SIC 1988)
• Show times (1989)
• Cé Chalé Carnaval (Afrorythmes 1989)
• Pepe Kalle chante le poète Simaro (JM Production 1989)
• Atinze Mwana Popi (BB 1989, reissued by Sonodisc in 1993)
• Gigantafrique (Globestyle 1990)
• L'argent ne fait pas le bonheur (Gefraco/Kaluila 1990)
• Mavuela Somo & Pepe Kalle (MDL 1990, with Mavuela Somo)
• Stop feu rouge - voisin (Bleu Caraibes 1990)
• Le tube de vos vacances: Liya Liya Faina (SIMS/Sonodisc 1991)
• Feux d'artifice (Sonodisc 1992)
• Hommage à Emoro (Syllart 1992)
• Larger than Life (Stern's STCD 1992)
• Divisé par deux (Sonodisc 1993)
• Poto Malili: Kinshasa Moto! Moto! (Musicanova 1993)
• Mamie (Gefraco/Kaluila 1993)
• Savoir vivre (B-Mass BMP 1995)
• Gardez votre souffle (SUN 1995)
• Kamola Basse (1995)
• Wasiwa (Sonodisc 1996)
• Welcome in Africa (Babi/Jimmy's 1996)
• Full Option (Babi Production 1997)
• Souci ya Likinga (Flash FDB 1997)
• Merci Maman (B-Mass BMP 1997)
• Loin des yeux, Dieu seul sait (Flash FDB 1997)
• Les plus grands succès (Ngoyarto 1998)
• Cocktail (Ndiaye/Sonodisc 1998)
• Best of... (Syllart 1998)
• Young Africa (EXW 1999)
• Souvenirs (Syllart 1999)
• The Best of Pepe Kalle (BMG-Milan 1999)
• Sauvetage (2001)
• Sango Ya Mawa (Ngoyarto 2003)
• La naissance de l'Orchestre: Nazoki (Ngoyarto 2003)
• Johnny Bitoto (Ngoyarto 2004)