Hotel Univers

For someone releasing his debut album, Jupiter Bokondji – the self-styled ‘rebel general’ of Congolese music – has been around the block. The 49-year-old was born in Kinshasa, and spent his adolescence during the late 70s and early 80s playing in a rock band in East Berlin, where his father was a diplomat. After returning to Kinshasa he formed Okwess International in 1990. Against a backdrop of urban decay and civil war, the band became part of the ‘Congotronics’ style street music scene that produced Konono No 1, Kasai Allstars and Staff Benda Bilili. Jupiter's Dance, a documentary movie following him around Kinshasa, came out in 2007. The rest of the world eventually got to hear Jupiter & Okwess International on Damon Albarn's compilation album Kinshasa One Two, released in 2011 on Warp.

Finally comes the band's full international debut and it's a vibrant set, crackling with the kind of energy and electricity that is so often associated with struggle. ‘Bapasi’ (a common expression used to describe life on the streets) opens with cop sirens and car horns before blaring saxes and psychedelic guitars introduce a simmering funk groove sitting somewhere between Sly Stone, Fela Kuti and Santana's ‘Soul Sacrifice’, yet it turns out to be based on a traditional Congolese riff from the Bandundu region. It's a perfect opener that is a template for the way the rest of the album connects the dynamics of rock‘n’roll with Congo's own rich musical heritage. ‘Margerita’, dedicated to the women of the Kinshasa night, burns with a salacious thrill. ‘Bakwapunu’ boasts a joyous carnival vibe and an infectious pop tune that Manu Chao could've written. ‘Yaka’ features guest rapper Bebson de la Rue but the inspiration comes not from American hip-hop but from a traditional tribal hunting song. ‘Congo’ is different again, a slow, slinky rumba tune with a haunting, soulful vocal. Of all the stars shining brightly in the Congolese firmament, the mighty Jupiter's belated appearance has eclipsed the lot of them.