{{Use dmy dates, date=March 2022 L'Orchestre Bella Bella (also known as Frères Soki & l'Orchestre Bella Bella or simply Bella Bella; sometimes written Bella-Bella) was a prominent DR Congo

soukous Soukous (from French '' secousse'', "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music from Congo-Kinshasa and Congo-Brazzaville. It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, becoming known for its fast dance rhythms and intricate guitar impro ...

band that formed in the early 1970s. It was led by the Soki brothers ("Les frères Soki" in French). With Shama Shama and Lipwa Lipwa, it was one of the bands that popularized a smoother, softer style in the soukous scene. The band was a starting ground for many successful musicians, including Nyboma and

Pepe Kalle Pepe is a pet form of the Spanish name José (Josep). It is also a surname. * People Mononyms *Pepe (footballer, born 1935), real name José Macia, Brazilian footballer *Pepe (footballer, born 1983), real name Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira, ...

History

The band was founded in 1969 by the Soki brothers, Maxim and Emile Soki. Its lineup included guitarists Johnny Roger and Jean Bosco. Emile, who was only 16 when Bella Bella started, became a

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

of the youth of Kinshasa.Frères Soki & l'Orchestre Bella Bella
/ref> Since their early years, the band recorded several hits, such as ''Baboti bapekisi'', ''Sylvie'', ''Alexandrine'', ''Mwasi ya moto'', ''Luta'', ''Lina'', ''Mandendeli'', ''Mbuta'', ''Bipale ya pembeni'', and ''Sofele''.Orchestre Bella Bella
at Vibes d'Afrique Around 1972 the band experienced drastic changes in its lineup and internal quarrels, that eventually led to one the Soki brothers, Emile, leaving the band for a while to create a spin-off group called Bella Mambo. In the same period,

joined Bella Bella for a few years, in order to earn the money he needed to buy instruments for his own band

Empire Bakuba Empire Bakuba is an influential soukous band that formed in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1972. The name of the band refers to the Bakuba Kingdom; it is sometimes reported as Empire Bakuba du Grand Kalle, in honor of Grand Kalle, ...

. Nyboma joined at the same time. With Kalle as a replacement for Emile, Bella Bella managed to keep their leading position in the soukous scene, with hits like ''Mbuta'', ''Kamale'', ''Kimbundi'', ''Lipua Lipua'' and ''Sola''. In 1973 Emile quit Bella Mambo and rejoined his brother in Bella Bella. In the same year, the Soki brothers created their own

recording label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and Music video, music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher (popular music), pub ...

, Allez-y frères Soki, which released two major hits of their career, ''Bienvenue Doudou'' and ''Sentina''. Both were written with the contribution of Dizzy Mandjeku. These two singles were incredibly successful, and brought several talented musicians to ask the Soki brothers to join in. These two singles were followed by a string of other hits (e.g., ''Mwana yoka toli'', ''Menga'', ''De base'', ''Tikela ngai mobali'', ''Pambindoni'', ''Nganga'', ''Houleux-houleux'', ''Zamba''). Eventually, the Soki brothers became so rich that they would sponsor other ensembles, one notable example being Papa Wemba's Viva La Musica. In 1977, while the Soki brothers were on tour in Europe, Emile had health problems that would lead to a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

and, eventually, to his definitive departure from the band. Maxime made several attempts at revitalizing the band, but several longtime members left between the late 1970s and the early 1980s. New entries (including, most notably,

Kanda Bongo Man Kanda Bongo Man (born Bongo Kanda; 1955) is a Congolese soukous musician. Kanda Bongo Man was born in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He became the singer for Orchestra Belle Mambo in 1973, developing a sound influenced by Tabu Ley. ...

and Diblo Dibala) did not save the band from its decline.Bella Bella
at Benn loxo Maxime himself finally gave up Bella Bella and relocated in Germany.

Partial discography

* ''Les plus grands succès de l'orchestre Bella Bella – vol. 1'' (Ngoyarto NG 029) * ''Les plus grands succès de l'orchestre Bella Bella – vol. 2'' (Ngoyarto NG 030) * ''Les plus grands succès de l'orchestre Bella Bella – vol. 3'' (Ngoyarto NG 031) * ''Les plus grands succès de l'orchestre Bella Bella – vol. 4'' (Ngoyarto NG 032) * ''Les plus grands succès de l'orchestre Bella Bella: The serie single fetish'' (Ngoyarto NG 049) * ''La naissance de l'Orchestre Bella Bella: Jamais de la Vie'' (Ngoyarto NG092) * ''Les plus grands succès de l'Orchestre Bella Bella: Nono'' (Ngoyarto NG093) * ''Les plus grands succès de l'Orchestre Bella Bella: Sola & Sofele'' (Ngoyarto NG094) * ''Les plus grands succès de l'Orchestre Bella Bella: Muana Yoka Toli'' (Ngoyarto NG095) * ''Les plus grands succès de l'Orchestre Bella Bella & les frères Soki – vol. 5'' (Ngoyarto NG096) * ''Bella Bella des Freres Soki 1970/1973'' (Sonodisc CD 36541) * ''Frères Soki & Bella Bella 1970/1975'' (Sonodisc CD 36602) * ''L'Afrique danse avec l'Orchestre Bella Bella & Soki Vangu'' (Sonodisc 1976) * ''Compilation Orchestres de la generation "Bella-Bella"'' (VVAA compilation, Sonodisc CD 36532) * ''Jeunes Orchestres Zaïrois'' (VVAA compilation, Sonodisc CD 36517)

Footnotes

References

* ttp://vibesdafrique.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=1&action=display&thread=165 Orchestre Bella Bellaat Vibes d'Afrique Democratic Republic of the Congo musical groups