SANGO TIME: Mangelepa in Malawi!

LP Cover pic courtesy Nick (thanks!)

"Based in Nairobi, Les Mangalepa are sovereigns in their own musical kingdom 'Le Royaume Mangalepa' - which extends far beyond Kenya to encompass Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia and DR Congo (ex-Zaïre).

"The story of Les Mangalepa starts in the 1960s when, as members of Baba Gaston’s band in Lubumbashi, they led the migration of musicians out of Zaïre and into Eastern Africa, via Tanzania and on to Nairobi. Striking out on their own, they played their first gig as Les Mangalepa at the Park Inn, Nairobi, in July,1976.

"The name was corrupted from the French ‘Marquez le Pas’ meaning 'marching time', in which they parodied the army style, laying down an irresistible beat, which became the stylistic expression for their ever-growing 'marching army' of fans. The songs in this collection are taken from the period when Les Mangelepa were in their full pomp. They conjure memories of a golden period of East African music when the crowds flocked to Uhuru Park, Garden Square, Tents Club and Park Inn. Those coming to the floor for the first time can anticipate a sense of surprise at the joy and vitality of these recordings." - FROM RETROAFRIC.COM

This LP had been sitting, dusty and undisturbed for at least 10 years before the matsuli crew rescued it from the humidity, dust and heat of a warehouse in Durban. Unfortunately no cover! Previously we'd had a number of ideas as to the origins of the Sango label and no-one seems quite sure about its origin or history. The best guess so far is that it was an "export" only label for countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. "The second part of the Sango story is as a late 1970s-early 1980s label of convenience for East African records from the ASL, African Beat and Polydor catalogues that were evidently pressed up for export, many retaining their original catalogue numbers for those labels." (Tim at KenTanzaVinyl)


Orchestra Mangelepa - Live Recording of the Malawi Tour (Sango, ASLP 921, 1980)
1. Ole Pts 1 & 2
2. Saad Pts 1 & 2
3. Malawi Zikomo Pts 1 & 2
4. Kanemo Pts 1 & 2
RS LINK
MFIRE LINK

For more information on Congolese bands in East Africa visit MUZIKIFAN. You can buy the wonderful compilation of their material ENDURANCE through most friendly retailers such as STERNS.