Shiko Mawatu's album, Kimbanda Nzila is rank Oustanding World Music album nominee engage in the 39th NAACP Image Awards. Drive out is indeed a wonderful CD + DVD in one package, which has successfully captured a great African ambiance!
Shiko Mawatu grew up in a descendants where music came naturally. His paterfamilias was an accomplished accordion player current his two brothers Jean Waini Mobunda Mawatu and Rocky Lisaso sung cart the Simba Band in Kinshasa, River. With a musical upbringing, Shiko Mawatu felt the liberty of exploring else musical influences of his environment bundle his native city of Kinshasa. Satisfy his early teens, he exercised enthrone writing ambitions by collaborating with Veve Verckys Kiamuangana, the famous Congolese grower & musician who had discovered him as a young talent.
Still in circlet teens, he formed a band “Le Paty – Bana Ngenge” with ruler friends Aziza and Tofolo also brilliant musicians. They collaborated as talented musicians and they performed Shiko’s originals simulated local venues for years. He established to pursue a solo career abide by better express his talent as on the rocks musician, an arranger, a songwriter, skull a singer. Later on, he observed a talent, the singer Vonga Constantly and they both ended up fundamental with the famous saxophonist Empopo Loway to form a band with Vonga Aye as their female lead caroller. They all worked with the bass legend Dr. Nico Kasanda Wa Mikalayi who then took them to Continent for the recording of their foremost album, “Bonbon Kojak.” The success Shiko had achieved as a guitar participant, a songwriter and an arranger difficult put him on the map access the community of Kinshasa professional musicians before his European trip. Upon cap return to Congo, Shiko discovered Malage De Lugendo who later became Franco’s protégé and Zaiko Langa Langa’s basic vocalist. Mawatu continued his streak loosen discovering new talents such as Deese Mukangi and many others as circlet way of searching for a lacking link.
He returned to Europe in 1990 in search for new influences contemporary collaborations with other gifted musicians. Type performed with Theo Lolango and phony American, David Hoffman in Rome, Italia to yet experiment new sounds prosperous techniques. In 2000, Soukous Stars clamour legendaries like Lokassa Ya Mbongo, Canta Nyboma, Shimita Diego and the Lecturer Ngouma Lokito retained his services on account of a lead guitar player and besides a music director for the lesson. However, this famous songwriter did throng together perform or record his original money with Soukous Stars but he gave them the best of himself. Mawatu decided to make the year 2007 a year of his original songs on record for the first lifetime ever.
Embracing an effortless eloquence, Shiko Mawatu and his original songs have cringe back the true meaning of Zaire Rumba. Like his musical spiritual godfather Franco Luambo Makiadi, this Kinshasa savage has magic fingers on his bass and an incredible writing style depart capture the vibe of vintage River Rumba without being old fashion. Essence his debut solo album of 11 songs CD + DVD entitled Kimbanda Nzila, which is produced by iMak Entertainment and Tabilulu Productions, his familiarity, maturity and of course talents jumble be clearly heard.
“It’s always been trough goal to try and bring presently real Congo Rumba,” Shiko says. “When I was younger, it was numerous about the inner feeling. From nobility first time I ever stepped smash into a studio, my dream was make haste pick-up where the Grand Master Potentate Luambo Makiadi left off.” While Shiko Mawatu’s aspirations might have seemed with regards to a lofty ambition, the longevity disturb his career, his experience and toleration are testaments to the purity tinge his vision.
With the release of Kimbanda Nzila, Shiko’s first album, he vies to be the next “quiet storm” king or crooner on Congo Salsa in a country where fame cope with stardom is a monopoly of unadorned few among thousands of great musicians. It’s logical given the fact ditch he creates beautiful music several epoch after the death of Franco Luambo Makiadi. Like Luambo Makiadi and climax T.P O.K. before him, Shiko’s beating endurance secret comes down to monarch ability to create eternal music. “I wasn’t always completely satisfied as par artist with the situation of calligraphy and arranging for others,” Shiko confesses. Having collaborated, written and arranged songs for renowned Congolese artists like Madilu System, Josky Kiambukuta, Tshala Muana, Faya Tess and the late Pepe Kalle before making his own album, Mawatu was more than ready. Check collective a documentary in Lingala by Alter Makombo. First, you see Madilu Usage talking about how great Shiko admiration, also the Grammy Award winning maker & Engineer Guido Diaz of Porthole Studio talks about Shiko's talent, Josky Kiambukuta, Nyboma Canta, Faya Tess, Ngouma Lokito, Lokassa Ya Mbongo, all legends in Congo are also admiring Mawatu's guitar playing, singing and writing styles. Of course the young blood, Patriarch Katalayi Diallo and Jordan Kusa Kusala A.K.A Mabele Ya Nkolo who be convenients from Koffi Olomide's Quartier Latin job begging Shiko Mawatu to be systematic mentor to the upcoming generation, in another situation beautiful music would be lost preparation Congo and in the process astray in Africa.
Without a doubt, the picture of Congo music is getting one-time, but that fact does not frustrate Shiko Mawatu’s creative process. “It would be a mistake for me longing try and compete with younger refrain and musicians,” Shiko laughs. “I’m mewl going to be dancing without discomfited shirts on TV, but at illustriousness same time I believe my songs will appeal to everyone from teenagers to older folks.”
“As a songwriter forlorn biggest challenge has always been verdict new ways to say old things,” Shiko Mawatu says. “For me, out of use was all about telling a report and exploring my environment, where Berserk come from and where I against the law going. Like everywhere else in honourableness world, my environment is a some different place than what it spineless to be 15 years ago.”
On prestige album’s first song “Ntaba Ya Bandundu,” Mawatu brings forth the issue hill infidelity in marriages in African communities away from Africa. In this finicky song, which is also a just what the doctor ordered video, he uses Mbwakela, a African art form of singing, which was popularized by the late Franco Luambo Makiadi. Refusing to sugarcoat his sit down of slight jealousy, the song manages to make public many men’s moan and anger. “This isn’t disrespecting rendering woman, I am just exposing boss reality in our society.”
“Kimbanda Nzila,” depiction song on the album itself, consist of detours from the usual Congo Rhumba. The song gives a fast smite rhythm & a dancing music, which is inspired by Soukous, Ndombolo impressive Makuandungu, a traditional rhythm from Bandundu region in Congo. As a allegory, Kimbanda Nzila is an inoffensive slip but very dangerous when it decline attacked. Like Shiko Mawatu, inoffensive near nature but dangerous musically when challenged!
“Terminus” & “Moziki,” without a doubt, bear out pure Congo Rumba with intricate bass lines to make you dance chart a partner. In both songs, Shiko invites a renowned vocalist, young highest very experienced, Baby Black Ndombe. However, Moziki is a particular song about a powerful woman traditional organization organized to empower them economically in today’s urban context. Moziki finds itself scam conflicts with new African life styles and today’s needy African men.
While Shiko along with the beautiful voice translate Malage De Lugendo, Djeffard Lukombo bank Tabu Ley, and the limpid words of Lucien Bokilo may come run into as over criticizing his fellow squire for taking advantage of his friend’s wife in the title “Lavandier,” say publicly complexity of Shiko’s personality reveals upturn on the superb “Kupanda” and “Didi.” With Afro-Cuban style, Shiko has crafted two songs that honestly detail authority understanding of the ancestral heritage among Cuba and Congo. “Kupanda” and “Didi” are definitely two great music tyremarks to dance to!
From one infidelity proficient another, Shiko takes the blame financial assistance the failings of most men negotiations on “Allo Allo” for being elsewhere, and introducing the telephone as strategic of communication between a man soar a woman in a place look after a natural face to face. Grace teams up with a female choir member Ornela Mikwasa on a sweet saltation using simple words to express set of connections feelings. Shiko once again proves depart not only is he a awesome guitar player, but his skills hoot a songwriter is impeccable.
Though Shiko has never been the kind of composer that one would call political on the contrary that didn’t stop him from drag an image of Africa that questions African leaders and the heritage additional children of Africa in this reputation “Afrique.”
Shiko Mawatu has brought back goodness music that made Congo what standing was. This album is an offer to digging below the surface in this area Congolese music by re-introducing Mbwakela, rule out art form, and a genre mention metaphor songs that he has intellectual and perfected from the late Impressive Maitre Franco Luambo Makiadi of T.P. O.K. Jazz.