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.

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.

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.

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

The white pants.

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

One star haut of five

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.

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

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

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.

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'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."

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.

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?

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".

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

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

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.

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

Weekend at Bernie’s dancing the congo line music.

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

5 / 5 songs. 5 / 5 album art.

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

Love this! Need it in my veins!

upbeat and smooth. Could listen and dance to this groove

Good vibes

great

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

Very good, very groovy, 5 stars.

Fuckin love this

Nice change of pace

great!

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.

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

Absolute vibes, great energy

Hermoso

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

I absolutely fucking loved this shit! 5

So upbeat and happy! Loved it

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.

Fire

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...

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

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.

Música "africana". A veces me recuerda a Juan Luis Guerra.

Delightful. I’m a big fan.

love the hypnotic interwoven intricacy of melody & rhythm

Jammin

Really fun

I don't know how this album can even be counted as music as it's just noise and screaming noises. If this was an art istalation I would understand but you can't really call this music. I can see what they were going for but it didn't really work.

LP, other albums

Fun to listen to! Unfortunately, the album review spent most of the time here criticizing the choices of African music albums to include in the 1001 albums list rather than teaching me about the artist. However, it was a little vindicating to hear someone else criticize this list!

I enjoyed approximately ⅔ of this album. If I'd heard the other ⅓ at another time, on another day, I'd probably have enjoyed it then, but the relentless sunny optimism of this music is rather taxing on a snowy November day.

Fun background music for dinners

fun Congolese music, can see the roots of jamacan music or maybe it influenced this. Can't understand it but fun

This one deserves more than one listen. It's good.

Fattede intet, men det lød okay

Very pleasant indeed

Very enjoyable music and very fun to listen to.

Interesting album. Much different than what I usually listen to, but I enjoyed it.

I liked this a lot! What joyful warm and rich music this is. I found it very soothing and uplifting to listen to

listened

Allegro e caraibico

Thoroughly enjoyable. Just a niiiiice vibe

I like this style of music.. not a compete triumph but I’m feeling generous!

Enjoyable, uplifting

Good hot drinking music

Good fun and maybe because the sound is the new to my ears - but fresh and just simply puts you in a good mood. A tad long but not too much - I’d definitely pick this one up again

Disco alegre (aunque esto pareciera estereotipo de la música de África o del Caribe), con ritmos que suenan a artistas de Senegal o Camerún que he escuchado antes. Quizá no aprecio mucho que haya pistas muy largas, pero definitivamente como música ambiental funcionan bien. Es un disco al que regresaría sólo en momentos específicos, pero no para oír diario. Mis canciones favoritas: "Koweït, Rive Gauche", "Qui cherche trouve" y "Conte de fées". 8.5/10

fun

This album caught me pleasantly by surprise. Very African good vibes, like classic African sound from the 90s. 7/10.

When I saw the album cover I instantly knew this album was going to be fantastic, any person who puts all their effort into the music and absolutely none into the album cover always produces feel good music

Música "africana". A veces me recuerda a Juan Luis Guerra.

Not quite a 4 for me but almost. I liked having it on in the background

This is some uplifting, upbeat, refreshing music. I listen to the album twice in a row.

Great vibes but in french

This did seem a bit repetitive but I was still bopping along

haut de gamme / koweït, rive gauche was a refreshing listen. i have lamented the lack of world music part of this project, so koffi olomide's presence is very appreciated. but despite my excitement, i want to be fair in my review. this album was quite fun. the beat was fast but playful. it could be soulful, or deep with african music, or even encouraging the listener to dance along. this album makes for a good introduction to this kind of music, and it's no wonder olomide is so well known in all of africa. 3.5

Koffi Olomide is a new artist for me. This is a very happy sounding album, with some interesting rhythms throughout the album. I enjoyed listening to somethin new, even if I couldn't sing along. With only one listen, the album falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but I did like it enough that I'd be willing to have a second listen.

I danced a little

Some french, some other stuff. Pretty good

Rating: 7/10

Nice vibes :)

Eve is such a good influence :) I'm learning to appreciate this kind of music much more! Honestly super fun and unique, at least to me.

Jag njöt av de extra mycke då ja visste att ja aldri kan lyssna pånytt

This right here reeks of the 90s and makes me want to go to the beach, I love it

Wasn’t sold on this at first, but Desespoir really hooked me. Instrumentation is interesting and lively, really glad I listened to this.

Vampire Weekend owe a lot to this guy.

La verdad me deleitan las guitarras en el soukous; sí me dan ganas de bailar jajaaj. En esta nota, me gustó bastante Qui cherche trouve y la segunda parte de Désespoir y el final de Conte de Fées. Mood: Kwassa Kwassa todo el día y toda la noche.

Loved it. French afropop? Yes

Happy music! I love this style of music - call it soukous or jit, it's impossible not to want to dance