Musician for:

Matchatcha Loketo Kanda Bongo Man Pepe Kallé

Language:

Lingala

Genre:

Soukous

Instrument:

Guitar Male vocals

Articles:
Additional biography

On the Internet
Article (Africanmusic)
Article (Africasounds)
Music samples

Biography

Diblo Dibala began playing the guitar as a 12-year-old. When he was 15 he entered a competition alongside Franco, one of Congolese music's biggest stars in the 1960s and 1970s.Diblo's impressive efforts resulted in his securing a job in Franco's band. This was the beginning of a career as a studio musician and arranger.Diblo collaborated on a number of disks with other artists. In 1979 Kanda
Bongo Man managed to convince Dibala to join his band and when Bongoman went to Paris Dibala contributed strongly to his success. In 1988 he left the band to form Loketo, together with the singer Aurlus Mabele. Since the splitting up of Loketo in 1991, Diblo Dibala performed with his own group, Matchatcha, which has released several albums.

Relevant artists:
Pepe Kallé
Kanda Bongo Man
Remmy Ongala
Sam Mangwana

MY LOVE
AfricMusic/1987

BOUM TONERRE  
AfricMusic/1988

Not exactly newly created music, but "Boum Tonerre" has charm enough to carry it off. And the length is sympathetic; five tracks, bridged by an excellent, sauntering love song in French(!) with the refrain, "I am rich in love, but poor in money". Excited guitar riffs play in the background. Is it any wonder that one is charmed? The other tracks are also done with humour and irony, not forgetting the chief's energetic and distinctive guitar playing.

MONDO MY
Melodie/1989

EXTRA BALL (Loketo)  
JIP/Melodie/1990

Full power here from Loketo who play a simple and danceable soukous, with
sparkling contributions on guitar from Africa's Eric Clapton. There is much
humour and ado, but at times it sounds a bit cheap. However, Diblo shows that he has more inside him with a pearl of a song, "Tchiku Ninha", that is clearly jazz-influenced.

SUPER SOUKOUS
Shanachie/1990

Click record company for sound samples

Aimer la danse NYEKESSE  
AfricMusic/1992

Diblo is not able to convey something new. Not bad, really, but endless
limping sebene, of which one becomes weary.Better try "OK, Madame"!

LAISSEZ PASSER  
AfricMusic/1991

An amusing album where the guitar magic continues to bubble out of Diblo's
guitar. This is straight and true soukous for the most part.The problem for Diblo is that the traditional soukous is too uniform for a whole album.He tries to vary things a bit, for example, on the jazz-inspired instrumental "Fodi".But this doesn't ever become more than just an OK album, even though the guitar playing is brilliant.

OK MADAME  
AfricMusic/1993

More of the same, as on "Laissez Passer", from guitar virtuoso Dibala.On the
title track, "OK Madame", he really lets loose with improvisations to gold medal
standard.More varied song material makes this a better album than "Laissez Passer".Makes more use of its jazz-stamped material.Diblo Dibala is a delight to listen to when his fingers play along the strings.

DERNIER JUDGEMENT
Melodie/1998

BEST OF - VOL. 1
AfricMusic/2000

IWOOH
DrRecords/2000

Diblo does what he can, and his does it well.

Tom Chandler, All Music Guide

MECHANT GARCON
JPS Records/2002

Clique record company for sound samples.

CA PASSE OU CA CASSE
Melodie/2003

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