Ngwaka Son Systéme | Interview | New Album, ‘Iboto Ngenge’
Ngwaka Son Systéme will release their debut album, ‘Iboto Ngenge,’ out February 23, 2024 via Eck Echo.
The album brings together the newest talent of the megacity’s scene, under the musical direction of Love Lokombe (vocals, percussion) and Bom’s Bomolo (guitar), both seasoned veterans who learned their trade as founders of the band KOKOKO!. Iboto Ngenge means “power struggle” or “seizing the opportunity” but while words can only be roughly translated, the music reaches listeners unambiguously: A potent mixture of techno, rumba, soukous, zagué and dancehall with the unique “Kinoise” brand – the city that never stops innovating in the music landscape worldwide. ‘Iboto Ngenge’ was recorded and mixed by engineer and beatmaker Levy David in the studio Timbela Ba Timbela Yo, which serves as a gravitational centre for MCs and beatmakers to share their craft.
“We base the vision on the collective work of our extended family”
‘Iboto Ngenge’ will be released any day now, how much time and effort went into it?
Love Lokombe: It took us about a year to compose the songs and about five to six months to record them. It was brought forward by our common efforts and with the complicity of Eck Echo, which is our current label.
What would you say is the overall vision of the album and on that matter of the band?
We think of the concept in terms of shapes and colors and we base the vision on the collective work of our extended family. They continue to expand on the concept that me and Boms initiated with KOKOKO!. Our younger brothers [MCs] Lakala and Boomastyl are bringing in the hip hop and dancehall influences.
Can you share some further words about the recording and producing of the album?
The recording process was not easy. As it is usual in Kinshasa, there are sudden blackouts in the city so the recording stops and during those breaks we rehearse a bit and then resume. Thanks to the expertise of engineer Levy David we are able to maximize the productivity with the available equipment. As the group leader I am in charge of keeping up the spirits, especially when recording the choirs and vocals, this is when the energy of the whole group gets together. Once we got a budget available for the recording, the sessions and mixdowns happened very quickly. We already had a great relationship with the studio Timbela Ba.
Are you planning to tour?
Yes, we are planning to embark on a Euro tour. For some of our younger siblings in the band it will be the first time. Also we are hoping to travel to further places like Colombia, where the engineer who did the post-mixing is originally from.
Tell us about some of the main influences?
I cannot think of any references, for us music is part of our daily lives and I personally look back at our work with KOKOKO! as a continuation of our collective effort.
What are some future plans after the record is out?
As this is the debut album of this branch of our family, we are eager to present this line up to the world so they become familiar with our new style and the whole world gets to know more of us and from the scene in Kinshasa.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
I highlight the difference between the productions of our previous project [KOKOKO!] and the current one, and the evolution of the instrument crafting by myself and [guitarist] Boms.
Klemen Breznikar
Ngwaka Son Systéme Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Eck Echo Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
