Mekongo Président – 1979

🇨🇲 🎸 🎷 🎶 🌍 Mekongo Président was one of the key figures in modernising bikutsi. A multi-instrumentalist and exceptionally talented, he completed his musical training through travels across Africa and Canada before settling in France. He briefly joined the disco-funk group Ozila, alongside Jacob Desvarieux and Douglas Mbida. His self-titled debut album was released in 1979, immersing bikutsi in a richly arranged afro-pop sound, blending funk and disco. The album also nods to makossa, and Mekongo even ventures into slows. He is joined by the great Ben’s Belinga on saxophone, a steadfast friend and one of his few supporters during the depressive periods of his later life. Belinga, also the saxophonist for Touré Kunda, brings along Ismaïla Touré on percussion.