Pépé Felly Manuaku, also known as Pépé Fely (or Felly) is a Congolese Rumba

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

, songwriter, producer, arranger, Bandleader and lyricist from the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. He has been described as the foremost Congolese solo guitarist of his generation. He is a founding member of the iconic groups Zaïko Langa Langa, Les Ya Toupas and Grand Zaïko Wawa. His style of guitar is the last style officially credited as a "School" or Genre of guitar following the styles "Fiesta" created by "Le Docteur" Nico Kassanda and "Odemba" created by "Le Sorcier"

Franco Luambo Makiadi François Luambo Luanzo Makiadi (6 July 1938 – 12 October 1989) was a Congolese musician. He was a major figure in 20th-century Congolese music, and African music in general, principally as the leader for over 30 years of TPOK Jazz, the most po ...

. He is credited with establishing the guitar as the

lead instrument The term lead instrument carries a variety of connotations. A lead instrument could be a reference to an instrument that plays the melody of a piece, an instrument that has been designed for this purpose, such as clarinet or violin, or a specific ...

in contemporary Congolese music introducing Synthesiser,

Bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

, Advanced Guitar effect pedal techniques, new

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

and recording techniques. Pepe Felly Manuaku is a Congolese Rumba Guitarist from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was born in the mountain region of Zoma in what is now Angola. Zoma is known as a royal village in the time of the Kongolese Empire. His Grandfather, Manuel d'Oliveira was a pioneer of early Congolese Music with his group San Salvador. His uncle is Armando Brazzos, author composer and bassist on the iconic " Indépendance Cha-Cha" by Grand Kalle and African Jazz. A graduate of the

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

, he was one of the founders of the popular Congolese musical group Zaiko Langa Langa, and his rapid guitar-playing style was a distinctive feature of the group's music. In Zaiko Langa Langa he attracted critical praise for his ability to play continuously without a break, and earned the sobriquet "the hardest left hand in Zaire". He was noted also for his mastery of the sebene technique. He left Zaiko Langa Langa in 1979 to found another group, the award-winning Grand Zaiko Wawa, which in turn cultivated a new generation of prominent Congolese musicians. After teaching as a guest lecturer in the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...

Irish World Music Academy in 2017, Pépé Felly Manuaku has now joined Elikya Band as musical director. .

References

External links

Zaiko Langa Langa Official Site
Soukous musicians Democratic Republic of the Congo guitarists Living people People from Kinshasa 1954 births 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people {{DRCongo-bio-stub