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|  | Orchestre Bella Bella
« Thread Started on Sept 23, 2007, 10:17am » | |
This is a rough translation of an article from Groupe l'avenir
BELLA BELLA
During the 1970s, people in Kinshasa were focused on a youthful voice which seemed to leave the beaten tracks. Everywhere people spoke about only one person: Emile Soki. He was not alone, there was also a certain Maxime Soki, his elder brother. If Maxime was a famous unknown, Emile was not to the music lovers. In 1969, he came first in a song contest organized by Gerard Madiata. The second place was occupied by tantine Abeti Masikini. This was in 1970, Emile was sixteen years and his big brother Max twenty three.
Max has just left Kasapa where he was a student to start Bella Bella with his brother. It was born out of the ashes of Orchestra Miredo from the commune of Kas-Vubu. All the Kinois swore only by Bella Bella. Very quickly Emile became the favourite of the Kinoises and Kinois. From the David bar at Malandila and the Petrous bar without forgetting Vat 33, the two brothers stole the limelight from other artists.
Accompanied by the guitarists Johnny Roger and Jean Bosco, the two Soki brothers were incomparable at an artistic level. Hits like Baboti bapekisi, Sylvie, Alexandrine, Mwasi ya moto, Luta and many others, released on the Musette label of Lukelo, made the Kinoises and Kinois dance.
Towards the end of that year, the band joined the Vévé Empire of Verckys but this is the beginning of a mass defection of the musicians of Bella Bella. But as opposed to what everyone believed, the band rises again out of the ashes with new members like Emmany Kahamba Shaba (bass player), Kinzunga Tonton Ricos (soloist), Dino Vangu (soloist), Bissikita (rythm), Kayembe (mi-soloist), Nkuka Nono (drummer), Kialungila (sax), Michael (saxophonist), Domain (trumpet player), Manzenza (trumpet player) Wawanko Zoe (tambourinor  ).
At that time Bella Bella was one of the most loved bands in Kinshasa. But every medal has its reverse side, people began to notice that the Soki brothers could not bear the weight of success any more. They started to miss concerts and repetitions, leaving Bella-Bella to its sad fate. After a quarrel with some members Maxime engaged Danos Canta Nyboma who brought new life to the band. Hits like Lina, Mandendeli, Mbuta, Bipale ya pembeni, Sofele and many others were the rage at that time. Dissatisfied, Emile Soki left the band?? to create his own called the Bella-Mambo.
At that time, Empire Bakuba had already been formed. Its members Pépé Kallé, Papy Tex and Dilu Dilumona couldn’t acquire musical instruments to play concerts. That is why Pépé Kallé joined Bella-Bella for a couple of months. He sang on songs like Mbuta, Kamale, Kimbundi, Lipua Lipua, Sola, to name but a few. Emile Soki had hits with Tongo etani and Mazina by Kanda Bongo. All that occurred between 1972 and 1973.
At the end of 1973, Emile Soki gave up Bella Mambo to rejoin his brother in Bella Bella. Feeling cheated by Verckys, the two inseparable Soki brothers decided to leave him.
Emile Soki: Wild success
Reconciled the Soki brothers are ready to continue their musical career. But where will they find a financer? To earn money, the two brothers create their own label Allez-y frères Soki. They release two songs with the contribution of Dizzy Mandjeku. They are Bienvenue Doudou by Maxime Soki Vangu and Sentina by Emile Soki Dianzenza. With these two hits they had an immense success to such a degree that artists like Tedia, Kilola, Diasi, Mboma Julien joined the band to lend a hand to Pongi Mananga Firmin the cousin and Shaba, the companion of all times of Soki brothers. The adventure starts again, Bella-Bella mobilizes the crowds in all the bars where they play. The two brothers haven’t forgotten how to compose hits, Mwana yoka toli, Menga, De base, Tikela ngai mobali, Pambindoni, Nganga, Houleux-houleux, Zamba, and many more songs are successes in the discotheques during two years. Business is booming. Soki Vangu builds a house of three floors in the commune of Bandalungwa. They also make trips to Europe. They help Papa Wemba and Viva-La-Musica by lending them their instruments.
The end of Emile Soki
In spite of appearances, all is not well within the band. In 1977, Maxime Soki Vangu takes Emile to Europe for a series of concerts but surprisingly Emile returns to Kinshasa after three days because he could not support the cold. His health deteriorates and he leaves the band definitely. Strangely enough he is seen across Kinshasa doing play back concerts in particular in the Zaire or Haut Zaïre bar. He was in a pittufull state and almost reduced to begging. The nerves of the young man had cracked. During this time his brother Maxime Soki tried to help him but it was a waste of time and effort. The musicians desert one after the other. Maxime goes to Abidjan in Ivory Coast where he records Zizina. A great success in the country, but it is only one last attempt. Nothing goes right anymore, this is at the end of the end of the 1970’s. In 1980 things really turn sour, long time members like Shaba, Pongi Mananga and Diasi Kadi join Tabu Ley’s orchestra Afrisa. During this time, other members of Bella Bella stop coming to rehearsals and just disappear. The result was that Bella Bella lost its impact and did not make money anymore. Rather desperate Maxime Soki goes to Europe in 1982 to try to make a comeback. Sometimes he is in Belgium, France, Sweden or in Germany where he had established himself. In Kinshasa his little brother Emile Soki is going nowhere, he goes from bar to bar singing his old songs for pittifull alms.
Eugide Abalawi
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| | Re: Orchestre Bella Bella
« Reply #1 on Sept 24, 2007, 10:25pm » | |
They were the masters of the infectitious music of that era booming from radio Bukavu and others. I was surprised on a recent dvd to see their stage activities - very youthful performers (I did not expect).
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