Saturday 7 November 2009

L'Afrique Danse Presents Orchestre Stukas (1976)



Glorious Rumba/Soukous from the mid-'70s. This is frantic, psyched-out stuff, twitchy drums and madly phased, wah-wah guitars. Here's what Gary Stewart had to say about the band in his great book Rumba on the River:

"The Stukas Boys had gotten their start as a neighbourhood band doing James Brown covers in 1968, nearly two years before their more successful competitors Bella Bella and Zaiko came along. In 1970 the group had improved to the point that it was able to secure a booking at the prestigious Para Fifi night club...and the next year it cut some records. By than a fairly stable core had evolved that included singers Lita Bembo, Lomingo Alida, Kisola Nzita, and Suka Bola, guitarists Samunga Tediangaye and Bongo Wende, and drummer Bakunde Ilondjoko

Like the Trio Madjesi, The Stukas Boys were known less for their music than for theirgreat live performances. And Zaire's developing show system was made to order for their front man, the incredible Lita Bembo. Young and athletic, Lita...had a workmanlike voice but the instinctive moves of a premier dancer. Once on stage, he alone commanded the audience.

Samunga, barely into his twenties, anchored the band with a flashy lead guitar which he sometimes plucked with his teeth a la Jimi Hendrix. But when the 'showman' Lita Bembo appeared, no one else had a chance. 'The young man will literally dominate the scene,' reported. 'He will make the mike "suffer." Dropping to his knees like a voodoo man in a trance, exhibiting his sacred dance...Lita Bembo proves his skill by showing off his impossible postures.' After his stellar performance at Zaire 74, Salongo declared 'he set the tone for the evening. And the concert he presented to the public brilliantly confirmed his rank as a great star of Zairean music'"
Here's a clip of this great band in action on a Saturday night variety show:



Tracklist:

01 C'est La Vie
02 Esta Bibisha
03 Colombo
04 Awuti Poto

Get it HERE.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beggars can't be choosers but... thanks for your tasty selections and all the hard work that go into your carefuly chosen posts ...but why the lousy 128k? Same work to post at 192 or xx and give us all something worth keeping and listening to over and over.

Obviously we're all supposed to go out and buy it if we like it but you know that's not happening.

Hard to complain about something somebody's doing/sharing for nothing but finally all the hard work a little for naught.

Mr Tear said...

Hi anonymous,
I've posted mp3's at 128k because that's the default setting on the software I use to convert the vinyl to mp3. I also felt that much of the vinyl I post is so old and crackly that its not worth posting at a higher bitrate because of larger file sizes and longer download times. However, if enough people want me to post better quality mp3s then I will do that thing. Post a comment and let me know what you think...

Anonymous said...

You really can hear the difference between 128 and 192, so if it's not too much trouble, 192 would be great, and the file size is not too much bigger...

Hate to quibble when you have such great posts! Thanks for sharing this great music that is impossible to otherwise find!

Anonymous said...

Yes 192 (considered kind of a min. file size for decent listening for anything recorded post 1950) or 320 would be MUCH appreciated on some of the 'impossible to find in stores' posts - there is an enormous difference in quality, especially played through speakers and not earbuds. Thought it was idealogical reasons but glad to see its not. Would be great...

Many people today are on fast connections and difference between 40mg and 90 meg dl negligible.

avocado kid said...

Thanks a lot! I agree that 192 would be preferable...

johnc said...

Mr. Tear,
I greatly appreciate your blog, your fortitude and your taste in music! I have downloaded more than a few of your postings. That said, I think a higher bitrate is sensible. It can always be downsampled if someone wants, but it can never be upsampled... (are my terms misused.. oh well, you know what i mean). I say: go the max... when i rip albums i do it at 320 (via Audacity) and have never regretted it. Storage size and internet speed are becoming less and less relevant... Regardless, whatever you choose to do, i will return for more great music! Again, thanks for the fine work.
johnc

Mr Tear said...

OK. Thanks for all the comments. The last two albums posted have been ripped (??) at 256K (??), and you're all right, the difference in quality is massive. I feel quite humbled but am pleased to tell you that all future mp3's will be of this standard. And if I get time I'll re-record some of the old posts at 256 as well. Any requests?

07URNf30 said...

would love this at a higher bitrate, thank you for the post. another thing to look into would be VBR at the highest settings (variable bitrate, or "-v0")

Mr Tear said...

Hello,
The link should now take you to a zip file of the 256k version of the album. Hope you like. I'm also trying out a new file hosting site, so please tell me how well it works.

07URNf30 said...

thank you so much! filehost works just fine. sharing this awesome post on twitter...

Anonymous said...

didn't realize this was ever a lower bit-rate at any juncture but i musta nabbed it from u some drunken night. did a search to find out more/give daps from whence it came as i been jammin the living shit out of it, specially when i wake up in the mornin on the weekends. so yea just came rown to say a thousand thanks & ask for more helpful hints as to psychedelic african or just psych music in general here at yr fine blog. killer tooons
joveal b

Mr Tear said...

Hi Joveal B, glad to hear you've been enjoying this great music. Other psychedelic african music? Well, I think lots of the Afro sounds that are being posted around the net are pretty psychedelic, but not in an overt way. I love the interweaving guitars on Franco's records, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe's music has some pretty sneaky wah-wah stuff going on. I posted a lovely guitar driven COngolese album by Kalos et Buffalo a while back...I think with a bit of exploration you'll soon find lots of stuff that's to your liking, and exploring is all I'm doing here. Most of this music is new to me when I buy it, but thats the beauty of charity shops, flea markets and jumble sales!

viagra online said...

Obviously we're all supposed to go out and buy it if we like it but you know that's not happening.

Anonymous said...

now, I'll have to chip in, though it's over a year since you posted this awesome album.if you have jumped to 256 and found a huge difference, go to 320 and you will have near-lossless quality and notice another big jump in quality.thanks!!

oh, I found this essay on sound quality:
http://rhythmconnection.org/?p=490

Anonymous said...

can't download :(

Mr Tear said...

Hi anonymous,
Yes I just checked the link and the file is no longer hosted on ADrive. I will re-record this fantastic album at 320kps and re post it through mediafire. Just give me a week or so.
X

Mr Tear said...

Alright people, a new zip file can be found here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?clcd78lkoz9i6l6

øשlqæda said...

i sent a friend over here, but i guess yer link got smoted. snap, crackle & croak, bloke :)