The duo, composed of French producer Nadjib Ben Bella and South African artist Aero Manyelo, returns to the streets of the DRC capital for a new electric track.
Filmed on the streets of Kinshasa by filmmaker Renaud Barret (Systeme K, Benda Bilili!), Montparnasse Musique’s new music video offers a glimpse of a unique street art movement — a fitting visual accompaniment to the duo’s sound, which connects an African acoustic grit with the house music pulse of modern Johannesburg.
Featured in the video are members of the Bakoko collective, a group of fashion designers who combine their unique art with body performance. In their weekly ghetto catwalks, the performers pay homage to the Congo’s famous La Sape movement, representing it in a brand-new way. The collective’s primary creators Arnold Mbo and Pipiyu see their creations as a political statement, and part of a process of de-alienation, urging Congolese youth to reconnect with ancient spiritual values instead of diving into heavy consumerism.
Lyrically, “Makonda” conveys the message that “man is all alone in the face of life and death”. It features the first new music from acclaimed Kinshasa-based band Konono No1 since 2016. Montparnasse Musique’s upcoming self-titled EP, on which Konono No1 will be featured alongside Mbongwana Star, Kasai Allstars and Basokin, will be released on limited edition on January 14th, 2022 via Real World X, an imprint of Peter Gabriel’s label Real World Records.
Listen to “Makonda” in our Songs of the Week playlist on Spotify and Deezer.
