Lokua Kanza | id

Lokua Kanza is a singer, songwriter, and composer from the Democratic Republic of Congo (the greater Congo). He is known for his soulful, folksy sound, which is atypical of the dancefloor friendly soukous music that is common in Congo. Lokua Kanza was born Pascal Lokua Kanza in 1958 in Bukavu, in the province of Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is the eldest of eight children, with a Mongo father and a Tutsi mother from Rwanda. In 1964, the family went to live in Kinshasa (Congo's capital) in a middle class area, until the...

Toto Bona Lokua is the trio of Gerald Toto (French-born singer from Martinique), Richard Bona (bass player, singer and composer from Cameroon), and Lokua Kanza (singer, songwriter and producer from the Congo). .

Faya Tess is one of the most popular rumba and soukous singers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She has recorded with many of her country's biggest stars, including Tabu Ley Rochereau and M'bilia Bel, setting dance-floors ablaze with searing old-school dance beats. On "Bana" (Children) she joins forces with countryman Lokua Kanza, who is known for his lovely acoustic compositions. Tess and Kanza were brought together as part of the Drop the Debt project, an all-star album that featured many of Africa and World Music's best-known singers in a plea for debt forgiveness to help the African continent...

Lokua (Joshua Keckner) is a master of melody, texture and mood. Many are yet to experience this musician’s full scope of ability. Lokua’s earlier works consist largely of down-tempo instrumental hip-hop. Recent works branch out to include a large scope of electronic genres with a significant amount of dance material. Lokua’s sound is characterized by the richness and sincerity of its emotional content with even the danciest of tracks retaining a deep, cerebral sophistication. A Chicago native, Lokua has fully embraced and embodied his environment. His sound is deeply rooted in the city’s music and social history and his countless...