This program is presented every other Sunday on WRIR LP 97.3 FM in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
WRIR's mission as a nonprofit, publicly supported community radio station is to present unrepresented or under-represented news, opinions, issues and music.
With this program, the only such program in the USA that I am aware of, I hope to help to fulfill that mission by raising public awareness and appreciation of a wide variety of Congolese popular music.
A long look and listen at the Ambiance Congo Audio Archives at http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Ambiance+Congo will show that I make it my policy to only repeat any given song if that song has been requested by a listener. Over the course of the past eight years, that adds up to a lot of music and, hopefully, illustrates how many artists there are, how many groups there have been and the incredible amount of music has been recorded and produced.
People who are or have been unfamiliar with the genre are usually amazed by the sheer volume and constant quality. When this happens, I feel that WRIR and Ambiance Congo have been successful.
Twice a year, WRIR asks for your support. Today's program was recorded during our Spring 2013 Fund Drive. The program includes a lot of talk about the fund drive and about how you can help to keep WRIR on the air and to keep this program coming. If you appreciate the effort to introduce and present Congolese music to a wide range of listeners -and the results of that effort- please donate whatever you can and be sure to tell WRIR that you enjoy and appreciate Ambiance Congo.
https://wrir.wufoo.com/forms/fund-drive-donation-wrirlp-973-fm/
Thank you, and thanks to all who have already responded to the call. The Fund Drive ends soon.
The show is an all-vinyl program that filled a number of your requests and I hope that you will enjoy hearing all of the songs as much as I enjoyed presenting them.
Here are a few album covers:
You may download the podcast with track list here:
The link will be good for two weeks.
Here's the track list.
PART A
1)King Kester Emeneya & Victoria Eleison Dream Team Dream
Band
sebene from DORIS ILOKO (this program’s theme song)
from the CD PAS DE CONTACT
Black Music
2)African Fiesta
CAMALEE
from the LP AUTHENTICITIE VOLUME 2
African
3)Orchestre Les Noirs
MOSASA NDEMBO
from the LP HIT PARADE AFRICAIN VOL. 3
Pathe Marconi
4)Buesso M’Bemba *
PAPA JAQUES
from the LP FAFIKIDE
CILL World Wide
5) L'Amiral Cheri-Gau & Les Officiers of African Music
CONSPIRATION
from the LP NIANZI GAULARD *
Savas
6) Didi Raphael Louvila
GISELE *
from the LP DIDI RAPHAEL LOUVILA
Meya
7)Zaiko Langa-Langa
BETOSSIA
from the LP SOKITEMBE BOMEKA TATA NZAMBE SALISABETO
Gilette D’Or
PART B
8)L’Orchestre Kamale
AYINDJO
from the LP LES EDITIONS VEVE PRESENTENT L'ORCHESTRE KAMALE
& SON CELEBRE CHANTEUR NYBOMA (DAVOS)
African
9)Choc Stars
OZI
from the LP KELEMANI
Espera
10)Le N’Ganshie Stervos Niarcos *
KINSHASA-BRAZZA
from the LP DERNIER COUP DE SIFFLET
Americano Productions
11)Dally Kimoko
SABINA
from the LP LASSISSI PRESENTE DALLY KIMOKO
Sacodis International
12)Faya Tess, Tabu Ley & L’Afrisa International
SKOL ELEKI NYONSO
from the LP MOTO AKOKUFA
Africa 7
*= by request
David, thanks for putting together another really enjoyable playlist - & thanks for the Mbemba Bouesso track. Probably not on a par with Yembele Yembele but certainly not far off.
ReplyDeleteRe Didi Raphael Louvila; he was in a group with Mwana Congo (Orchestre T?) and then just did a couple of solo LPs, is that right?
By the way, is that Verckys on the cover of the Kamale LP with Nyboma? Wouldn't you just love a fur coat like his? Very dapper. Synthetic, of course.
Great show David, many thanks. Apurva from Pune, India.
ReplyDeleteDave:
ReplyDeleteYes. That's Verckys.
Just seeing this Apurva.
ReplyDeleteNice to have you aboard!