Shama Shama: Nasambue

Shama Shama: (Nasambue) LP, Rythmes et Musique, REM 520, Paris, 198x

Where soukous guitars meet casio drumpad madness. Yes. Here's the story: in 1973, Dona Mobeti and Mopero Wa Maloba launched together Orchestre Cavacha, one of the strongest bands to emerge from the Congolese scene of the time. Two years later, Mopero would leave the group to start his own band, the mighty Orchestre Shama Shama - named after a song he wrote for Orchestre Cavacha. The two would only reunite ten years later (well, I can find no date on the sleeve but from the electronic sounds and from the sticker on the back of the cover I bet this one was recorded and released around 1985) for one single recording session. The present untitled LP (also known as Nasambue, from the first track of the album) marked the reunion of Dona Mobeti and Mopero Wa Maloba and put an end to the Shama Shama story. The magic of this recording lies in its bringing face to face, hand in hand, the electricified guitar solos the band made a reputation for and the sparkling crude electronic sounds produced by the then newly appeared computer drums and electronic gear. Later on, as mentioned in a previous post, Mopero would leave the show business to become a priest. This one is for Cheeku.