Kasai Allstars is a collective which regoups members from several other bands, including Masanka Sankayi and Basokin. They all originate from Kasai (a Congolese province of the size of France), but come from very diverse musical traditions, such as the Luba and the Lulua, which were thought to be incompatible until these musicians decide to put their resources together and form this "supergroup".
After recording several tracks for the Congotronics 2 album ("Buzz'n'Rumble from the Urb'n'Jungle"), Kasai Allstars went on to record and release the acclaimed ...
Kasai Allstars' music in the soundtrack of award-winning film
"Félicité" earned the Silver Bear Grand Jury Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and features the band, off and onscreen
Inspired by the music of Kasai Allstars and by their vocalist Muambuyi (whose voice is heard in the soundtrack), director Alain Gomis created the main protagonist of his film, a proud woman named Félicité who works as a singer with the band, and sets out on a breakneck race through the streets of electric Kinshasa in order to save her son.
The movie just earned the Silver Bear Grand Jury Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and the Golden Stallion at the FESPACO (Panafrican Film Festival).
The band wrote and performed most of the soundtrack, and appears onscreen playing their own part. Muambuyi's voice is omnipresent, and is being heard everytime Félicité (played by Congolese actress Vero Tshanda) sings in the bars of Kinshasa, backed by Kasai Allstars.
The "Around Félicité" album includes the film's main pieces, performed by Kasai Allstars and by the Kinshasa Symphonic Orchestra (who specially arranged three works by composer Arvo Pärt), alongside new tracks by Kasai Allstars, as well as interludes consisting of fragments of dialogues and sound bites taken from the soundtrack.
The album comes with a companion piece: "Félicité Remixes", a collection of 10 remixes of Kasai Allstars tracks by electronic music producers from Europe, North America and Africa, including reworks by Clap! Clap!, Daedelus and Africaine 808.
