Post-Colonial African Groove of the Week # 7 – Doublé Doublé
Posted on | October 9, 2009 | No Comments
Today we move back southward to Zaire (present-day DRC) for what is truly one of the finest soukous tracks of the 1980′s, “Doublé Doublé” by Nyboma (whose full name is apparently Nyboma Mwan Dido). Throughout his career, Nyboma has been known for his silky-smooth vocals, and this song is no exception.
He began singing with several relatively popular bands before having his first hit with a song called “Kamale” in 1973, after which he formed several incarnations of his own band under that name. By the time of this track, the band was called “Nyboma & Kamale Dynamique.” “Doublé Doublé”, from 1981, was one of his big hits and it’s no wonder why! The super-clean guitar work, killing basslines, and of course the ultra-smooth vocals are exciting and ultra-groovy without being overpowering, and the production has just the right level of funkyness.
Click to listen:
As I understand it, there was something of a division of styles in the 1980′s in Zaire, with Franco & the TPOK Jazz on one side (see my previous post on their song “Tantine” here), and Tabu Ley Rochereau & African Fiesta on the other side. Franco represented the ultra-large orchestra (3 guitars, bass, drums, percussion, 4 singers, many horn players) and was rooted in the very original Congolese Rumba sound of which he was one of the main originators. On the other side, Tabu Ley and many others were cultivating a lighter, smaller-group sound which eventually developed into what became known as soukous, the faster, more modern style of Congolese music.
This Nyboma track clearly fits into the second category, especially when contrasted with some of Franco’s big hits of the same era such as “Bina Na Ngai Na Respect”, with its large horn sections and snare-drum heavy grooves. Although that and many other similar Franco numbers are among my favorite pieces of music in the world, there is also a time and place for the effortless Nyboma sound. The hi-hat centric groove and especially that trademark ultra-clean guitar sound get me every time!
Here’s a YouTube clip of a live version from an Abidjan concert – as usual with a soukous concert it features a rockin’ dance section with a number of scantily clad dancers who emerge part way through the song – unfortunately it’s cut off part way through:
Enjoy, and we hope to see all of you Portlanders and Seattleites at Jimmy Mak’s tonight in Portland and Cafe Solstice tomorrow night in Seattle for some exciting Kora Band shows! Details here.
Have a great weekend!
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