Explore Congolese Rumba on Josplay Music It has a slow to moderate speed and combines elements of swing, blues, and African traditional music. The beat is centered on a syncopated pattern of drums and percussion, with guitar, bass, and horns accompanying it.
Congolese Rumba is a popular music genre that developed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo around the mid-twentieth century. It has a slow to moderate speed and combines elements of swing, blues, and African traditional music. The origins of Cuban Rumba may be traced back to Congo and the African rhythms carried over by slaves to Havana, Cuba.
The term "Congo Rumba" was coined in 1934 by Jean Réal, a French entertainment director from Martinique, who established a musical ensemble in Brazzaville. A possible origin of the word "rumba" is the Kikongo term nkumba, meaning "navel," which refers to a traditional dance in the former Kingdom of Congo, covering areas in today's Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, and Angola.
In the 1940s and 1950s, maringa evolved into "Congolese rumba" due to the influence of Son Cubano bands, with imported records by Sexteto Habanero, Trio Matamoros, and Los Guaracheros de Oriente being mistakenly labeled as "rumba." These bands became highly influential and widely imitated.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Congolese rumba gave rise to soukous, an urban dance music style characterized by lively rhythms, intricate guitar melodies, and large brass and percussion sections. Soukous gained international popularity, especially in France during the 1980s, where its energetic rhythms and distinctive guitar work captivated audiences.
Congolese Rumba singing is distinguished by its emotive and soulful delivery, as well as its use of harmonies and call-and-response rhythms. The vocals are generally performed in French and Lingala, and they frequently include a wide spectrum of expression, such as vibrato, falsetto, and melismatic embellishments.
The theme of Congolese rumba are wide and frequently mirror current social and political situations. Love, relationships, ordinary life, and political or social criticism are all prominent subjects. The song frequently praises Africa's beauty and culture while also tackling social and political concerns such as poverty, injustice, and corruption.
Rumba has its roots in the traditional Kikongo dance called "nkumba," which means "waist." According to folklore, Rumba originated as a dance called "Kumba," meaning "Come together," involving close physical contact and the rubbing of belly buttons. The musical instruments used in Rumba were inspired by the sounds of nature, such as birds, animals, and trees. However, after the arrival of the Portuguese in 1482, much of the culture was destroyed, except for the drums and musical instruments. The Congolese people then created a new religion in Avanna called Pato Mayembe and re-created their music and culture, which was originally Kumba. The name was changed to Rumba because the letter "K" is not used in Spanish.
Congolese rumba is distinguished by the usage of acoustic instruments such as guitars, percussion instruments such as drums, maracas, and shakers, and occasionally horns and accordions.
4/4 is a common time signature in rumba music. Early Congolese had strong Cuban characteristics, which also influenced the belle button intimate dance. Rumba music from Cuba is frequently performed with loud drums and a steady, smooth pace. The beat progressively changed as the tempo of soukous grew; the continual "circle motion" of the hips has since become the dance of the Congo.