Musician for:

Manu Lima

Genre:

Zouk Soukous Reggae Afropop

Instrument:

Male vocals Guitar

On the Internet
Music samples

Biography

Oliver N'Goma, nicknamed Noli, was born in Mayumba, in south-west Gabon in 1959. His father was a teacher and had a reputation to be the best harmonium player in the area, and he got young Oliver started on it at the age of 8.
In 1971 the family left Mayumba for the capital Libreville. There, Oliver studied accountancy at the technichal lycée. He very qiuckly joined the school band, Capo Sound, where he became a guitarist. Playing everywhere, from formal balls to dances, Oliver learnt about performing on stage.
Oliver wasn't that keen on his studies, preferring to devote himself to his two passions: music and the cinema. It was towards his filming passion that fate led him: He was hired as a cameraman by Gabon TV and went to France for training in 1988. During a long winter spent in Paris, he added the finishing touch to some musical outlines he'd done back home.
One day he met Manu Lima, by then one of the best producers on the Afro scene, former leader of Cabo Verde Show, and a man who has helped the careers of many great African artists to take off. The tunes that Oliver brought him interested Manu, and he handled the artistic direction of Oliver's first record. The album finally came out and enjoyed modest success, until it got more air-play, thanks to Radio Africa N.1 and Gilles Obringer on RFI. "Bane" became a big hit in 1990, all over Africa, in France and the French West Indies, where even today a party isn't a party unless "Bane" is on the turntable.
No other of N'Goma's songs has measured up to this one, in people's hearts or hit parades. "Bane" is Oliver N'Goma's one major hit, to be compared with "Mario" by Franco or Mory Kante's "Yeke yeke". The album became one of the biggest sellers in the history of African music.
The second album "Adia", also in partnership with Manu Lima, was released in December 1995. Five years later, Oliver took a new approach with "Seva", choosing to work with artists with different musical backgrounds.
More than ten years after he started out, Oliver N'Goma's music, a catchy combination of West Indian zouk and African beats, is as alive as ever.

Relevant artists:
Koko Dembele
Angelique Kidjo
Koffi Olomide
Alpha Blondy

ADIA
Logoo/1996/Lusafrica/2001

BANE
Sonodisc/1999

SEVA
Lusafrica/2001

BEST OF  
Lusafrica/BMG/2003

This is very light and simple music, the kind of stuff you want in your ears when walking to the beach in the sun, or later at night, when you want to dance with sand between your toes. It's all completely synthetic, except for a few tracks where an electric guitar is nicely added; "Elie" and "Muetse". These are among the better songs. Everything here is easy going and doesn't ask much of you. But who cares? This is what Oliver N'Goma has is mind: He wants you to relax and shake your body. This compilation contains all his best known tracks, among them of course "Bane".

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Design: Idar Lind
English: Katherine Stewart-Kreisman
Swahili: Francis Chagula (francis.chagula@malvik.kommune.no)
Swahili: Habiba Rajabu (habiba@online.no)
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