Congolese Musician Yohni Loboko on This Is Afrobeats? Monday October 21
8pm ET, a special fill-in episode of
Is This Afrobeats? with modrums: 100% Génériques Congolais with special guest
Yohni Loboko (Yohni Djungu Sungu), a virtuosic guitarist, singer and multi-instrumentalist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, based in Brooklyn. This episode is all about the concept of “génériques” in Congolese popular music: originally intended as an introduction for or summary of an album, the générique has become simply a powerful dance tune intended to showcase a group’s abilities, often running through complex arrangements with multiple rhythmic and harmonic changes. We’ll be listening, talking and dancing. Come by the booth!
Yohni has performed with legends of Congolese music Fally Ipupa and Soukous Stars. In 2019, Yohni founded
Loboko, a guitar-driven dance band from New York City. In 2023, Loboko released a
vinyl ’45 Kanyunyi with the acclaimed Brooklyn label Names You Can Trust.