Zanzibara 11: Congo in Dar: Dance No Sweat

This compilation paints a picture of a politically complicated yet incredibly musically fertile time. Zanzibara 11 tells the story of two Congolese groups that burgeoned during the fruitful time of post-independence Congo, who upped sticks and took their dynamic dance music to the nightclubs of Dar es Salaam. From the 60s onwards, Congolese music ruled the roost and the political and economic circumstances created titans of the industry. State funded bands’ song content and activities were regulated by Mobutu’s regime. Not so with Orchestre Maquis de Zaire or Orchestre Safari Sound: these were private bands, more at liberty to forge their own musical path, and so these groups were leading lights of the night clubs in Dar in a style called muziki wa dansi. Derived from soukous and rumba, this music is often energetic and syncopated, occasionally slower and more leisurely, always with crystal clear guitar lines and luscious harmonised vocals laced with reverb. An energetic number is ‘Mwanakwetu’, which closes with solos between brass sections and guitars underneath a rigid backing. ‘Maria Nyerere’ is relaxing, an anthem drenched in emotional vocals and rippling guitar lines.