Member of:

Empire Bakuba

Language:

Lingala

Genre:

Soukous

Instrument:

Male vocals

Articles:
Kenyapage - Article

On the Internet
Article in German
Remembering Pepe Kallé - music/interview
Music samples

Biography

Pepe Kalle belongs to the core of Congo's soukous artists. He was born in Kinshasa in the early 1950s and attended a Roman Catholic school, St Paul's, where he began singing with the school choir. He showed talent early on and was encouraged to sing by the priests and teachers. In secondary school he continued to develop his singing and slowly began to perform with local groups, mostly on the street with friends who played homemade instruments.
Pepe Kalle's professional career started early in the 1970s with the group Bella Bella, one of the most popular in Kinshasa at the time. Pepe Kalle’s powerful and somewhat melancholy voice attracted attention, as did his sturdy build, inherited from his mother. Together with the other vocalist in the group, Nyomba, Pepe continued to perfect his singing style to the point where he became the most noticed in Kinshasa of the 1970s. In the middle of this decade he left the band and formed his own, Empire Bakuba. This name was taken from the eastern province of Congo, Bakuba, from whence came his parents. Empire Bakuba still exists as a group, but the members come and go. Known guitarists from the group are Diblo Dibala and Kinanga "Boeing 737".
Pepe Kalle had his base in Paris in later years, like many other Congolese artists, and toured in both Japan and the USA. He played classic soukous and did not alter his style significantly over the last decade of his artistic life. But he still stands out as one of the all time best voices among the Congolese artists.

Relevant artists:
Kanda Bongo Man
General Defao
Diblo Dibala
Koffi Olomidé
Papa Wemba

GIGANT-AFRIQUE  
Globestyle/1990

Contains his major hit, "Pon Moun Paka Bouge", together with "Ce Chale Carnaval", one of his other early popular songs. Both are over 9 minutes long and have an incredible beat. The music is of course danceable, with Kinanga and especially Diblo Dibala, revving up the guitar magic all the way. The album is a classic within the genre, but more than 50 minutes of hard-hitting rumba rhythms may be a bit too much. If you want to hear all the songs in a row, that is.

LARGER THAN LIFE  
Sterns Africa/1992

Another solid enough album from "Congo's Elephant", as Pepe Kalle is often called. His old friend Nyboma collaborates on vocals and the album has bigger variations than the previously mentioned release, with a brass section in the backing on several tracks. Pepe sings unbelievably well and the more varied songs give his beautiful voice greater possibilities and challenges. The album is also produced by "Africa's George Martin", Ibrahim Sylla. Kalle had a big hit with the song "Roger Milla" from this album. This disk stands out!

GARDEZ VOTRE SOUFFLE  
SUN Records/1995

A completely straight soukous album but without distinction. The ubiquitous synthesizer in the backing makes the whole thing sound cheap. There are too few original songs to take this disk beyond the average. But there are plusses for "Rigo Teka" and "Muana M'Mobowa", where one can hear tendencies of renewal.

BEST OF
Syllart/1998

Tracks:
1. Moyibi
2. Milla
3. Pon Moun Paka Bouge
4. Djarabi Adjatou
5. Argent Ne Fait Pas le Bonheur
6. Diarrhee Verbale
7. Gérant
8. Zouke Zouke
9. Loin des Yeux

LA NAISSANCE DE L'ORCHESTRE
Ngoyarto/2003

KABASELE YAMPANYA
Ngoyarto/2004

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