Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba (13 July 1956), known professionally as Koffi Olomidé, is a Congolese Soukus singer, dancer, producer, and composer. He has had several gold records in his career. He is the founder of the Quartier Latin International orchestra with many notable artists, including Fally Ipupa and Ferré Gola.
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.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The white pants.
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.
One star haut of five
This might be a lyrical masterpiece, but I don't speak French... Also, it's island music the whole way through. Not my favorite.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Love this! Need it in my veins!
Fuckin love this
Cinco estrellas no son suficientes. Ya vi que ni les gustó tanto Os Mutantes, esto seguro les dio hueva. En fin, es hermoso.
So upbeat and happy! Loved it
Nice change of pace
Great album. Had an amazing time and was fully relaxed.
Delightful album! Hard to feel anything but joyful, start to finish.
Hermoso
great!
great
Very good, very groovy, 5 stars.
I danced a little
Fattede intet, men det lød okay
The music was groovy with strong melodies
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
Música "africana". A veces me recuerda a Juan Luis Guerra.
This right here reeks of the 90s and makes me want to go to the beach, I love it
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.
No conocía al artista pero fue muy interesante encontrarlo en esta losta
I like this style of music.. not a compete triumph but I’m feeling generous!
Enjoyable, uplifting
Rating: 7/10
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.
I had no idea what to expect with this one but I bloody loved it.
Awesome music that feels nostalgic in a strange way, not that I ever visited the Congo but it really puts you in a specific time and place.
Happy music! I love this style of music - call it soukous or jit, it's impossible not to want to dance
groovy as fuck, 8/10
Some french, some other stuff. Pretty good
Unexpected surprise. Couldn’t understand a word but really enjoyed the rhythm
This is some uplifting, upbeat, refreshing music. I listen to the album twice in a row.
Jammin
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.
A lot of the music I really love is influenced by this style of music. I can hear early Vampire Weekend in this down to the tone of the guitar and the lines played (I think the mixolydian mode is used quite a bit in both). Overall, I found this album to be enjoyable and accessible and it helped me to connect Afrobeat as played by western musicians with how it’s played by Africans. Both forms are similar and involve borrowing from the traditions of the other.
Really solid
7/10. Pretty good
Conversational baritone singing - very nice and easy to listen to. Vairety of rhythms are fun. Enjoyed this one greatly.
Riktigt dansant och roligt. Det svänger!
Liked very much
Vampire Weekend owe a lot to this guy.
Jag njöt av de extra mycke då ja visste att ja aldri kan lyssna pånytt
Nice vibes :)
Wasn’t sold on this at first, but Desespoir really hooked me. Instrumentation is interesting and lively, really glad I listened to this.
Loved it. French afropop? Yes
Amazing album. Just not something I would normally listen to. Still, a great listen.
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
This album caught me pleasantly by surprise. Very African good vibes, like classic African sound from the 90s. 7/10.
Not quite a 4 for me but almost. I liked having it on in the background
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
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
fun
This did seem a bit repetitive but I was still bopping along
Allegro e caraibico
listened
Very enjoyable music and very fun to listen to.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Just a niiiiice vibe
I liked this a lot! What joyful warm and rich music this is. I found it very soothing and uplifting to listen to
Fun background music for dinners
Very pleasant indeed
This one deserves more than one listen. It's good.
LP, other albums
3
This is pretty catchy stuff, lot of easygoing vibes, I don't understand enough French to know what's being said but I can't imagine it's that super-serious "African man you don't know your identity!" crap like Femi Kuti. I guess it's just good time music? I can picture people getting drunk and partying/dancing to this in the Congo. 3/5
Groovy
It's always a pleasant surprise when you discover something relatively fresh where you expected something bland. A consistently entertaining album from French-speaking Africa. Perhaps a bit too mid-tempo across the entire runtime.
Nice but quite samey. Probably won't listen again.
African pop music from the early 90s.
It wasn’t bad!
papa afrika
Not bad, just not really my forte.
3 stars
Sounded like the background music in a Portuguese restaurant
I think I listened to the right album? Or at least its closest equivalent on Apple Music. This is really enjoyable music! Not sure why this one was picked, but I'm always happy to see something other than rock or new wave show up. I couldn't tell you if this is groundbreaking or influential, but it's a very pleasant listening experience. Lots of great grooves that make me want to dance. Favorite tracks: Papa bonheur, Porte monnaie, Dit jeannot. Album art: Released in the early '90s, but looks incredibly '80s. Good, colors, good font. Koffi's fit is astonishing. 3.5/5
I liked it because it's cool to know new artists that I never knew, but the album itself is so monochromatic. Good songs to dance to, maybe some important message that I don't understand, but just a good album.
When I think of African music this is what I imagine. The music Paul Simon and Vampire Weekend obviously ripped off. BT: Papa Bonheur, Qui Cherche Trouve, Port-Monnaie
Enjoyed this album…….easy listening
Не, этнический чил я уважаю. Но латинский как-то пока больше заходит, нигерсий на его фоне теряется. Не особо интересно, порой надоедает однообразностью, хотя прогнал только пару раз. В целом, будь менее навязчивым, вполне себе видел бы как ост Цивилизации, возглавляешь нацию Зулулэнд, берёшь под контроль Шаку, и вот как в современность попадаешь, эта шляпа играет. В общем, имеет право на существование, на возвращаться, вероятно, не стану.
Eh, I can appreciate it for being different. Doesn't blow my mind or anything, also it's not the best example of this genre
New one to me (both the album and the artist). I enjoyed this one. Hard not to bob the head or tap the foot along to the whole album. I happen to really enjoy listening to the French language, spoken or sung, even though I can't speak it, so that added a sweet layer to the music for me. Great music.