Zaire Volume 2- The Kinshasa United Artists: Dr. Nico et L'Orchestre African Fiesta b/w Orchestre Bana Mambo, 1981

This is a split LP between the great Docteur Nico (Side A) and Orchestre Bana Mambo (Side B). Both sides are full of great soukous. Docteur Nico's contribution is solid, but I was especially impressed with the Bana Mambo tracks. Although they are not as percussion-heavy as the songs on the A side, the two tracks making up the B side are full of intricate, inspired, driving guitar lines with a really raw sound. From what I can gather, Orchestre Bana Manbo was a short-lived project (this might have been their only release,) featuring singer Kanda Bongo Man, who would go on to have a very successful career. The record was a little warped, so both sides, especially the A side, start off with some record noise, but the sound quality is pretty good otherwise.

Mwana Na Ngai Pt. 1 & 2 by Easyjams