Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

People giving this a 1 while criticizing the artist's past transgressions, at the same time handing out 5s to albums with Lennon, Paige, Bowie or James Brown, I see you.... If we manage to separate the art from the artist, we get a lively, upbeat, infectious, dance-able record that serves as the de facto representative of soukous music on the list. I don't know enough about the genre to judge weather it serves as a fair representation, but I do know that Congolese music as a whole is very much worth in depth exploration.

My opinion about the music is irrelevant. From the wikipedia page - 'In 2019, He was found guilty by a French court of statutory rape of one of his former dancers when she was 15 years old.[8] He was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence in absentia, as he did not attend court in France.'

Absolutely nothing about this did anything for me. It sounds like a "safe for the tourists" soundtrack at a cruiseship bar. I can't, in good conscience, give it a one-star review because the actual musicianship isn't bad, but I also can't, in good conscience, give it anything more than a two-star review. The only thing exceptional about this album is how exceptionally soft and boring it was.

I am truly impressed with the amount of non-western music that is on this list. I loved this album, a unique sound, and very melodic. You can hear some of the French/Belgian influences there, but this is really its own thing. As with a lot of African albums on this list, I do not really feel qualified to rate this in any sort of objective way. But I found this so groovy that I HAVE to give it at least 4.

Man, I had a *great* one-line review making a pun out of the title of the first track, but then I read about this guy and his sex criminal status and realized that joke would make light of his crime and reflect extremely poorly on me if I published it.

Interesting and pleasant enough but I really lack context for this to fully appreciate it. I dig the MS Paint cover though.

One star haut of five

The white pants.

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche Bit of a character by the looks of things from his Wikipedia page, and by character I mean he looks like a bit of a wrong’un. I’m not at all familiar with Soukous music apart from perhaps hearing the name once or twice, so I don’t really have a frame of reference for this, but from reading about it looks like it’s a good representation of it, and he’s one of the most popular African musicians of all time. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable album though, apart from the odd occasion when some 80s/early 90s production and sounds creep in, like the very dated piano on Desespoir, the start of Elixir and the synths on Porte-monnaie, and an hour is also quite a long runtime for the 9 songs. Despesoir also carries more than a hint of I Know What I Know in the bass, although that may be a common motif in African music (although I would presume) DRC Congo and South Africa have different musical cultures. And after the danceable upbeatness of the first two tracks I really like the slower pace of Koweit, Rive Gauche, and the slightly more low key Qui Cherche Trouve. Elixir, Porte-monnaie are very good, Dit Jeannot is excellent and Conte de Fees and Obrigado are decent enough. Even if I don’t think I actually know enough about this type of music to distinguish what is actually good, this coming up is what’s great about doing the list, I’d never have found this on my own - it’s great to find things in styles and genres outside my normal stuff and outside of the UK/US. I’d definitely listen again and will try some more Soukous music too, so for those reasons I’ll tip it into a 4. 🌍🌍🌍🌍 Playlist submission: Koweit, Rive Gauche.

Great African music from the early 90s. My naive comparison would be the Paul Simon's Graceland but without Paul Simon.

I must admit that this record immediately took a stranglehold of my heart. Its playful elegance put me in mind of when Ralf Little tickled my virgin anus with a feather duster all those years ago. What a little angel.

This was such an unexpected and fun album. I didn't have my expectation high after looking at the cover but I'm glad I listened to it.

First 2 songs were OK, the rest of the album went downhill and lost my interest.

Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez! Poussa! Poussez!

This was awesome. Perfect relaxing music with bits of excitement. There was a great variety between each song but all felt perfect for the beach or a relaxing shindig. I've said it before but these are the albums I'm trying to get on this list. Really liked Desespoir but cruised through most of the rest as well.

Super groovy!! The music gave me lilo and stitch vibes. I tried to read more about the artist but literally every article is in french

Sweet jacket on Koffi, but a little more effort for the cover could have been put forth. Highly enjoyable and pleasant album - I wouldn't say I got chills from the music but nearly the entire hour is both easy to listen to and mostly not boring ("Obrigado" is where it begins to tire me, maybe the repetitive nature of the last songs or the fact that we're pushing 50+ minutes at that point). Overall excellent clarity with the instruments although it's a bit heavy-handed with the reverb... I'm finding that I like non-English albums much more than I realized - vocals/lyrics are too often distracting - with my not understanding them they become an instrument melding in with the rest of the music - nice. 6/10 3 stars

For years I'd wondered why The Kinks were so lauded, but it turns out this is it. Their legacy echoes through the 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond. The album itself paints a picture of Britain at a particular point in time, where things didn't feel so great, to the point where a young hopeful Brit might uproot their entire life and move to the other side of the world, in search of a better existence. Arthur is about what's left behind and also the things that you can't ever leave behind. Well crafted pop, including the scorching opening track "Victoria".

This might be a lyrical masterpiece, but I don't speak French... Also, it's island music the whole way through. Not my favorite.

The album cover just looks dodgy… but you know what I do respect, with the little bit of french I understand he’s the only artist that is thankful for being on the list according to his Spotify bio

Ah yes, music for white people who have carved African salad tongs aka music played at free trade stores aka music written for white people who watch PBS aka music for anthropology and English professors to get their rocks off on the dance floor aka music played at the local Zoo’s summer concert series. I don’t want to tear this down because it is such happy music. It definitely got my toes tapping. But the dated 90s synth just assassinates any pleasure in my ears. I’m going to be nice though, 3.

I was instantly attracted to soukous when I first heard it decades ago. In the late 90s I got a pair of tickets to a soukous show at a very intimate venue. It was hard to find someone to come with me. The typical reaction was: "wtf is soukous?" I eventually found someone but from the looks of it many others attending the show were less successful finding a date; there were only around 50 people there. Travelling to another continent is much harder when you’re from the DRC. I expect the musicians that played that gig have to pursue a detailed Visa process from just about everywhere they travel to and it's unfortunate that a multicultural city like Toronto couldn't find more than a handful of people to attend. Unlike Mali and South Africa, DRC never had a Ry Cooder or Paul SImon to tell the North Americans they should check this out. I don't remember who was playing at the gig I went to, but they were much better than Koffi imo. The guitars were sizzling that evening. I'm not a big fan of the ballad-like songs that Koffi plays so only like half the songs. Nonetheless, the guitar licks that the soukous players all seem to have in their repertoire make this an enjoyable listen.

I'll have to admit, this is very different from music I normally listen to. It was very refreshing. I don't know if I would put this on and listen to this every day, but I would imagine listening to it every so often; it was very "joyous."

This album makes me feel like I am watching any 80s movie that has a scene at some beach resort, and this is the live band playing in the background.

I know some grandmother LOVES this man to death

A fun album, sounds like you are on a cruise ship in the caribbean. But sadly, as is the case with most world albums on this list, it's probably not worthy of a spot on it. The musicianship is fine, the melodies are fun and uplifting. Songs are easy going and breezy, perfect for a relaxing day on the beach or a yacht. The vocal go well with the music, nothing stands out. Having said that, the album isn't really special in any way, it feels average and doesn't offer much quality to the listener. One more average world album, hope they get better later on.

An OK offering of bright beats, though does nothing to effectively showcase the Congolese roots or drive the African sound into the 90s. After the first two tracks, there is very little to talk about. Best Tracks: - Papa Bonheur Worst Tracks: - Porte-Monnaie - Obrigado Rating: 4/10

There was not enough variety in this one to keep me hooked. I imagine it would be fine to listen to while laying on a beach with a drink in hand, but in normal circumstances it becomes quite boring and repetitive. Someone mentioned it sounds like royalty free music and I'm afraid it's an accurate description. 2 stars

Jolly. Unlike the chap himself, it seems he has had few transgressions. Gets really repetitive after a certain point without being able to understand what's going on with the lyrics. There was one track in the middle with a few bells and whistles but otherwise perfunctory.

I always appreciate it when the generator gives me the opportunity to hear a new genre and/or culture. That being said, this sounds like background music at a resort with some dude moaning in French over it. Best song: Désespoir

Doesn't have the beat or funk to be setbreak music. How this compares to similar music in its genre? Who knows but it was kinda boring

It's a treat hear music that I otherwise would never be exposed to, but I'm pretty sure there are better examples than this. There are moments that are nice to bob your head to, but generally this isn't very notable. It's certainly not an album that I NEEDED to hear, you know?

med risk för att låta hemsk men det blir för mycket afrika.

Is this a list of sex offenders rather than albums you should listen to before you die? They seem to be indifferentiable.

This was a chore to get through. I had to break it into 3-4 sections just to get through. Oof

I tried but couldn't get through this one.

Not really my type of music.

Absolutely not for me.

Now look, I'd love to talk about all the horrible things this man has done but this is a site where we review music, not people. Not that it matters anyway because Haut de gamme / Koweit, rive gauche absolutely sucks. There is of course the fact that Koffi himself gets way too into the lyrics making them sound creepy even though i don't know what he is saying as i do not speak French, But the main issue is the music. While the novelty of them sounding like Super Nintendo songs in CD quality was there at the beginning, it quickly wore off when the songs went on for so long and did absolutely nothing to earn their length. Typically, i would say this is a case of separate the art from the artist but i don't think i need to do that when the art sucks. Best Song: Elixir Worst Song: Conte de fees

In the United States there is a group of water parks in Wisconsin known as the Wisconsin Dells. This includes various massive, themed water resorts in which you'll get the "premium" water park experience. That is, to say, as little used band aids in the lazy river as possible. One of these parks is known as the Wilderness, which is vaguely jungle themed. Of course, that means cheap sounding, vaguely African music plays throughout the whole location. On repeat. All day. This album, is that music. A bare minimum, diverse selection of tropical songs that fail to sound any different from one another, being just "not American" enough to fit the oddly racist themeing, while still not scaring any visitors away with anything too different. Just like the Wilderness, this album was selected by a white guy trying his best to be open to other styles and cultures, but does the bear minimum in actually embracing these vultures and looking beyond surface level. Not helping things is of course the selection chosen is a pedophile. I'm pretty sure Wisconsin Dells at least avoids that with its selection. Maybe. Who knows. This album sucks.

Album number 1,000 and it's by a convicted rapist making music you would find in touristy bars and restaurants. Yay…

1.5

Nope. 1/5

Possibly the crappest music I’ve heard for this project so far that isn’t by Robert Wyatt or The Residents. Just very crappy conga music caked with bad vocals and ultra cheesy Whitney Houston keyboards too often. On top of that, this dude has been accused and found guilty of sexual assault and battery numerous times so no need to give his music any extra consideration. Think I’ll stick to my Ryan Adams and Ducktails, thanks.

Well guys, I think we've found the least deserving album of being on the list. I mean, this album doesn't even have a wikipedia article! It just links to the artist. That doesn't do this album any favors, and neither does the article itself, as all I got from it was that Koffi Olomide is a horrible person. As for the album, I don't like it. It's boring. The actual instrumental sound is fine enough, but it does nothing for me. The singing isn't really my thing. The writing means nothing to me, but that's because of the language barrier. Remember, giving an album a low score because it's a language you don't speak is not valid and also prejudiced. From the google translates, the lyrics don't mean much to me anyways. So that's not that big of an effect on the score. While I can not critique this album for being in a foreign language, I can critique it for other things like being way too long and repetitive. However, as much as I don't like this album, I can't justify giving this a one as the musical contents aren't inherently bad. I have to eliminate my bias of the low cultural impact and heinous actions of the musician, and at least give this album some credit for being well made... is what I would say if this thing AT LEAST HAD A WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE. High 1/5. I AM upset that I had to listen to this.

Weekend at Bernie’s dancing the congo line music.

I kind of hated this. Way too long and gave me a headache. Bongos are the only thing I really like. 3/10

Irirlevant. From the wikipedia page: 'In 2019, He was found guilty by a French court of statutory rape of one of his former dancers when she was 15 years old.[8] He was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence in absentia, as he did not attend court in France'. It would be zero stars.

I can see why this is on the list, big rhumba album and I do like a lot of the sounds, but looked into the guy and he's a convicted child rapist, so fuck 'im.

Ok I’m ready to die for this album. At first I saw the album cover and I got excited cause I thought “omg is there outsider music on this list?! I fucking LOVE outsider music!” Unfortunately I don’t think this can legally be called outsider music in any way, but it did not disappoint at all. Imagine a low budget/low-fi Disney soundtrack set in Africa. Bang! That’s the album, that’s literally what it sounds like. It’s so joyful and happy, it’s fun and exciting. While also being extremely lowfi to the point where it’s comedy, like legitimately funny. But in the most endearing and adorable way possible. But I don’t want it to sound like I’m talking down to the album. Yes it has moments that are funny and cute, but it’s also legitimately good music. When I compare it to a Disney soundtrack I don’t mean that lightly or as a slight against it. It is a wildly energetic and euphoric album with so much life to it. I don’t think that is an easy accomplishment. I think to make something like this that’s so honest and pure without coming across as fake or sleazy is incredibly difficult. I’ve become a Koffi Olomide fan just from this one album. I have no idea if his other work is as good or if it’s even the same but I do know that I’ll be on the hunt for a copy of this album because it might be one of my favorites now.

I had never heard this kind of music before. It’s very fun to listen to and fascinating.

This made me want to dance

2nd song rewired my brain

This is a masterclass in percussion and vocal instrumentation. I don't understand a word but can feel the joy, the pain, and the praise as intended in every track.

This is the 50th album I’m rating. This probably isn’t in English so this’ll be very interesting. The last foreign language album I got was fantastic so I hope this’ll be great too. Adding to my Playlist - Papa Bonheur, Désespoir, Koweït, Rive Gauche, Qui Cherche Trouve, Élixir, Porte-Monnaie, Conte de Fées, Obrigado, and Dit Jeannot. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. Papa Bonheur - My French teacher would be very disappointed in me because I don’t understand this. All in all I liked 9/9 songs. This was kinda boring but it was pretty good and pretty fun.

Coming across gems like this, is the reason why I decided to do the project.

Just took one look at this guy and knew I was going to love this album immediately. Bright, joyful, and catchy; it could almost be the music from Sonic The Hedgehog. I wish every Monday morning started with this soundtrack.

Didn’t listen to it all, but given he’s arranged this whole operation I’ll give him 5 stars. Keep up the great work KO

I've never heard of Koffi Olomide before. I often enjoy music sung in a different language. Since I don't understand what's being said I focus more on the music and melody. This stuff makes me want to be on a beach.

Absolute vibes, great energy

This was a complete discovery for me but it was a pleasant surprise. Such fresh contagious beats. You know your humble critic was dancing hella often listening to this while completing household chores. It was a lengthy album and yet I still wanted to move my body the full duration. Think about that. No matter how unique each track started, it felt like most the songs found their way to the same joyous soukous jam by the end of it, but I actually thought that was a fun connective tissue and not a demerit for the record.

Fantastic music for a hot and sunny day, so upbeat and joyful! The genre is "soukous" apparently, and according to last.fm Koffi Olomide is one of most popular artist in that genre, so maybe this is a good pick? I really wish Dimery had spent a lot more time listening to world music to put this list together! Despite not having knowingly listened to this before, it gets a big nostalgia bump because as a young kid I had a crystal radio kit that attached to a radiator as an aerial, and one of the strongest stations it could pick up was playing world music like this. Fave track - eh, "Elixir", let's say, but the whole album is a vibe...

I absolutely fucking loved this shit! 5

the first album i have found via this service that i would definitely have not found on my own and its a joyful one

5 / 5 songs. 5 / 5 album art.

This is the type of album I was hoping for from a list like this. Just a great, fun time. I was dancing to this album while cooking this morning

Fire

I have a moderate love for West African music but this is really good music. Lots of variety and Koffi's voice is so rich and beautiful. Good quality music.

Good vibes

upbeat and smooth. Could listen and dance to this groove

Don’t know what he was singing about but shit out me in a good ass mood

Very good, very groovy, 5 stars.

great

great!

Hermoso

Delightful album! Hard to feel anything but joyful, start to finish.

Great album. Had an amazing time and was fully relaxed.

Nice change of pace

So upbeat and happy! Loved it

Cinco estrellas no son suficientes. Ya vi que ni les gustó tanto Os Mutantes, esto seguro les dio hueva. En fin, es hermoso.

Fuckin love this

Love this! Need it in my veins!

4 good vibes

4 stars. Really good despite not being able to understand the song lyrics. However, just because I can't understand the lyrics does not mean I can like the music.

Happy, funky music.

A very chill and strangely uplifting album even though I don’t understand a word. It feels as though I’ve been teleported to the beach with people dancing around.

So 90’s. Always fun to hear bongo xylophone sounds

No better day to have this sort of music than when the sun is shining and you're driving round the countryside, this has probably led to it getting one more star...

V weird

Fit right in

20/1001 This was a nice addition to the list and frustrated me a bit. Not because it didn’t belong, it absolutely belongs. I throughly enjoyed this record and am glad I learned about Koffi. It frustrated me because I am only 20 albums in and I’ve had 6 70s folk rock (4 being Neil Young) and 3 post punk/new wave albums. 1001 albums should be more diverse with more albums like this (not from US or UK). I’ve looked at the list and know of amazing albums from Spain, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Brazil that didn’t make the list. I think The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen could all be limited to 2 or 3 albums and the point would still be made. I know it isn’t possible to truly represent every country and/or genre, but the fact that about 12 or so artists own about 10% of this list when I know all their names and most of their work and there’s more artist like Koffi out there that aren’t on the list is a bit frustrating. To be “need to hear before you die” should entail more of the “obscure” and less of the stuff we in the US here in every grocery and gas station everyday. Ok, end rant, begin review. This was so good, so fun, so energetic. I was at my desk dancing in my chair for the full hour (I listened to 3 more hours of Koffi and related artists afterwards). I speak a little French but by and large I knew no lyrics, but it didn’t matter. The passion and joy is his voice spoke a language we all can understand. The beats were infectious and the rhythms were captivating. Loved the album.

Funky fun album for summer vibes. I actually really enjoyed this album while working outside.

Hell yes, so amazing this is on the list!! Loved it!!

This rocked, it was such a fun listen. 4/5 Fav song: papa bonheur

African (?) instrumentation, baritone (?) singing

Not bad. Varied and high energy. French. 4/5

FINALLY, something unfamiliar! French Afropop? More more more please

Millions of Africans can’t be wrong, can they? And think of all the dancing that gets done to this music. One finds that good enough, plus it's sweet and pleasing to hear.

Fun African Congolese Soukus. Fantastic beat. Even has some cheesy ballads. Quite varied album. Makes you want to dance.

This was so fun!