Soukous (from French secousse, "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo).[1] It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, with faster dance rhythms and bright, intricate guitar improvisation,[2] and gained popularity in the 1980s in France.[3] Although often used by journalists as a synonym for Congolese rumba, both the music and dance associated with soukous differ from more traditional rumba, especially in its higher tempo, song structures and longer dance sequences.[3]
Soukous fuses traditional Congolese rhythms with contemporary instruments. It customarily incorporates electric guitars, double bass, congas, clips, a third guitar (mi-solo), and brass/woodwinds.[4][5] Soukous lyrics often explore themes of love, social commentary, amorous narratives, philosophical musings, and ordinary struggles and successes.[2] Singers occasionally sing and croon in Lingala, Kikongo, French and Swahili and bands often consist of a primary vocalist accompanied by several backing singers.[6][7]
^Appiah, Anthony; Gates, Henry Louis (2010). Encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 1. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 407–408. ISBN 9780195337709.
^ abAppiah, Anthony; Gates (Jr.), Henry Louis (2010). Encyclopedia of Africa. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. pp. 407–408. ISBN 978-0-19-533770-9.
^ abPeek, Philip M.; Yankah, Kwesi (2004). African Folklore: An Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Routledge. p. 548. ISBN 9781135948733.
^Davies, Carole Boyce (July 29, 2008). Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora [3 volumes]: Origins, Experiences, and Culture [3 volumes]. Santa Barbara, California: Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 849. ISBN 978-1-85109-705-0.
^Domosh, Mona; Jordan-Bychkov, Terry G.; Neumann, Roderick P.; Price, Patricia L. (2012). The Human Mosaic. Macmillan. p. 416. ISBN 978-1-4292-7200-1.
^Olwig, Karen Fog; Sorensen, Ninna Nyberg (August 27, 2003). Work and Migration: Life and Livelihoods in a Globalizing World. Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom: Routledge. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-134-50306-3.
^Russell, K.F. (1997). Rhythm Music Magazine: RMM. K.F. Russell. p. 45.
Soukous (from French secousse, "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and...
List of prominent Soukous musicians and musical groups: Antoine Kolosoy, a.k.a. Papa Wendo Aurlus Mabele Awilo Longomba Bozi Boziana Diblo Dibala Dindo...
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Babeti Soukous is a 1989 studio/live album by DR Congolese soukous musician and pioneer Tabu Ley Rochereau (using the longer name of Tabu Ley Seigneur...
Outside Africa, most music from the Democratic Republic of Congo is called Soukous, which most accurately refers instead to a dance popular in the late 1960s...
soukous style. Soukous contributed to the development of Congolese rumba by infusing social and political themes into its lyrics. Meanwhile, soukous bands...
Kanda Bongo Man (born Bongo Kanda; 1955) is a Congolese soukous musician born in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He became the singer for Orchestra...
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(born May 5, 1962), known professionally as Awilo Longomba, is a Congolese soukous singer, composer, drummer, songwriter, dancer, and producer. The second...
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songwriters. Along with guitarist Dr Nico Kasanda, Tabu Ley pioneered soukous (African rumba) and internationalised his music by fusing elements of Congolese...
Soukous in Central Park is a live album by the Congolese musician Kanda Bongo Man, released in 1993. Kanda promoted the album with a North American tour...
Congo. A rising musician since the 1980s, Remmy Ongala was part of the soukous scene (also known as "Congolese rumba"). In 1978 he travelled to Dar es...
Quartier Latin International (QLI), or Quartier Latin, is a soukous band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo established in 1986. The band was formed...
Orchestra Super Mazembe was a Kenyan soukous band. Originally formed in Zaire in 1967 under the name Super Vox, the group, led by Longwa Didos Mutonkole...
music originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Derived from soukous in the 1990s, with fast-paced hip-swaying dance rhythms, often accompanied...
the genres amapiano, jùjú, fuji, afrobeat, highlife, Congolese rumba, soukous, ndombolo, makossa, kizomba, Taarab, and others. African music also uses...
1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of soukous, an urban dance music style that evolved from Congolese rumba. Soukous led to diverse offshoots, such as ekonda...
Through his music and stage performances, he introduced the slower style of soukous known as Tcha Tcho and popularized a flamboyant fashion subculture called...
Pierre Moutouari (born 3 April 1950) is a Soukous singer from the Republic of Congo. A relatively popular and successful soloist during the post civil-war...
indirectly drawing from another. The two genres being Kadongo Kamu and Soukous (lingala). Indirectly, Kidandali is most times cemented by the Dem Bow...
Congolese rumba ensembles of the 20th century. A faster subgenre known as soukous (from the French word secouer, "to shake") was developed in the late 1960s...
founded by singer Papa Wemba in 1977. While Viva La Musica started out as a soukous band (essentially a spin-off of Zaiko Langa Langa), it eventually grew...
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