Group Review: Diamond Musica
THE Congolese rhumba group Diamond Musica died a little each time the outfit released a new album.
About 10 years ago, Diamond Musica, who originated from the Democratic Republic of Congo, came to Zimbabwe, fell in love with the country and fans and decided to stay put. After a while, they recruited local musicians to widen their music’s appeal.
Although Diamond Musica faced stiff competition from the likes of Bana Des As, College Musica and New Stars Musica, the group enjoyed unprecedented popularity.
Comprised of Jacko Pirence, Suncet Lofaba, Tipo Tipo, Rams Mambo, Bao Mokonzi, Tina Titanic, Cecilia Meteo, Kamuke Sukula, Shoushuna Econet 091, Lipati Zabwadi, Depitshou, Allan Mulumba Kashama, Lyva Hasson and Alyston Angay Shaka Zulu and Aripage, the group was founded in Kinshasa (then Zaire) in 1996.
Like other groups before them, Diamond Musica played in Nairobi before finding their way to Zimbabwe where they recorded their debut album in 1998.
In subsequent years, Diamond Musica became a regular fixture at several festivals including the popular Jenaguru Arts Festival at Gwanzura Stadium where the song Amaule was a hit. In 2002 a second album, This is Good, that carried songs in Lingala, Shona, Swahili and French hit the streets.
The plug song was Shumba Inogara Yega Musango and remixes of Sina Makosa, the 1979 classic by Les Wanyika, whose band members were drawn from Kenya and Tanzania.
A year later the group was invited to play at the Standard Bank Jazz Festival in South Africa before recording a third album titled Prisons.
But for all its fame and scintillating performances, Diamond Musica resembled a tablet of soap that withers away with each bath.
Just after its debut album, Tipo Tipo, Pirence and Lofaba decided to go their own way and formed Diamond Madowadowa and in 2002 Mambo and Mokonzi left to form College Musica which recorded One Kilometre Peg and Nyiragongo.
Two years later, dancers Titanic, Meteo and Sukula left for Zambia a few months before Depitshou relocated to South Africa where he remains to this day.
In 2005 Kashama retraced his footsteps to Kenya leaving Shaka Zulu, Hasson, Aripage and others in the group but even though they were committed to soldier on, Shaka Zulu’s departure killed their hopes.
The rest of the diamonds are still in the country trying hard to rediscover the glitter that made them a household name.
[Via The Herald]
