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Mulele Matondo was born in Kinshasa but his career was built in Zimbabwe, working with the Lubumbashi Stars and the Real Sounds of Africa. Upon relocation to London in 2011, Matondo assembled a collective of Congolese and British musicians for the album Seben Steps to Heaven – a joyous celebration of African dance music styles [reviewed in #89]. And while seven years may have passed since their debut, Kongo Dia Ntotila's follow-up is a similarly upbeat and unfettered invitation to the dance floor.

Opener ‘Kongo’ is soaked in Kinshasa sunshine, with John Kelly's seben guitar lines shining resplendent. Kelly's versatility is also foregrounded on ‘Agbwaya’, which is based on the Ghanaian agbaja beat, his contributions are more John Scofield than Ebo Taylor, but joyously combine with the track's soaring horn lines and Matondo's urgent vocals. Elsewhere, album closer ‘Mutwashi’ features an instantly memorable vocal hook, with an interpretation of a blues from the Kasai region. The quintet's dynamic is captivating throughout, and their whistle-stop tour through Zambian kalindula, Cameroonian makossa and Congolese blues styles is nothing short of thrilling. ‘Koupe Dekale’ is perhaps the album's standout moment: a fiery take on the Ivory Coast's Coupé Decalé, inflected with killer grooves and mabanga (exultations).