Empire Bakuba

Led by the top Zairean vocalist Pepe Kalle (b. Kabasele Yampanya, 1951, Kinshasa, Zaire), Empire Bakuba was one of the leading ‘punk soukous' bands popular in Kinshasa during the 80s, playing a stripped-down, high-energy version of the music of longer established bands led by Franco and Rochereau. Kalle, nicknamed The Elephant Of Zaire, was an imposing front man, having come through a strong musical apprenticeship that began in 1968 with membership of African Jazz. In 1970 he established African Choc with Pay-Tex and Dilu. He subsequently changed the name of the band to Empir...