Soukous, the speeded-up, dancefloor version of Congolese rhumba, might be made primarily by artists from the Congo and Zaire, but its popularity exists mostly in Europe, particularly France. Apart from the voice, its prime instrument has been the guitar, as was the case with rhumba, and soukous has produced its share of instrumentalists who are equal to any rock or jazz great, but who go largely unheralded; listen to Nene Tshakou on "Sana" and be blown away by the dexterity he shows. But the same is true for almost all the ...
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Soukous, the speeded-up, dancefloor version of Congolese rhumba, might be made primarily by artists from the Congo and Zaire, but its popularity exists mostly in Europe, particularly France. Apart from the voice, its prime instrument has been the guitar, as was the case with rhumba, and soukous has produced its share of instrumentalists who are equal to any rock or jazz great, but who go largely unheralded; listen to Nene Tshakou on "Sana" and be blown away by the dexterity he shows. But the same is true for almost all the guitar players here. Unfortunately, but quite true to form, most of them are uncredited. The art of soukous guitar -- and most bands employ three guitars: lead, rhythm, and mid, as it's called -- is the fluency and the particular ringing tone of the soloist, such as the one T. Matilene achieves on "Zoukunion" (which isn't exactly soukous, but a mix of that and the Caribbean form called zouk), and the interplay between the guitarists, which can only be managed over time, as well as the rich bass and drums backing them. While the artists here might not be the very best -- no Franco or Papa Noel, for example -- they're still quite stunning, with liquid ripples of notes embellishing the songs. While far from a good introduction to soukous, it's worth having just for the guitar work. ~ Chris Nickson, Rovi
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Seller's Description:
Fair. This item has very light surface scratches that do not affect the use of the disc/s. This is a USED item. Case and cover may or may not have wear or damage. All items unless otherwise noted will include disc, case, and artwork. Codes have been used. Other contents such as booklets may vary, please inquire for details. All items ship Monday-Friday within 2-3 business days.
