Lualaba by Fulu Kolektiv

Fulu’s artists have always been used to working outdoor, but when the pandemic hit everyone, things changed. We found ourselves with very limited access to open spaces, so the whole collective decided to look for an alternative way of making music (ie: turning into computers) and have managed to put together this music being released on this album (Lualaba). This Kolektiv is not only formed with band members of Fulu Miziki, but it’s open to everyone who has healing music and values the environment.

For most of us, this was just a ‘’waoouuu’ moment when we discovered this unlimited way of making music from a computer. Many of us never knew about this music software and the amount of sounds you can get out of it. We took this opportunity to bring you these sounds. We hope you enjoy and love them, and you’ll listen to them with a fresh ear and that you experience the same effect we had when we discovered them.

This album is the debut of the Kolektiv. It transmits the deep imagination of our mind and has songs that are from very different inspirations. At the moment, this album has work from artists who are born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A country known for its large music composition & it’s church influences, most of these songs are built from such basic knowledge leant from our families. The music is specific and very particular to everyone, because their source of inspiration and their self-vision of music.

We are all inspired by the traditional Congolese music heritage. Congolese churches are loud and electric with their own energy, and we wanted to transmit these traditional vibes by our new/modern ways of producing music. There is a mixture of diverse sounds, and there is an ancestorial sentiment to the album. The deep songs of exorcism nuance from El Mopepe brings this vibe to life.

The Fulu Kolektiv is composed with a number of artists, including El Mopepe, Sekelembele, Deboul, Padou, Le Meilleur and Tsche tsche. This are just the artists who have worked on this debut album, but we plan to be bringing more and new artists to join the Kolektiv. Current Members of the band and future band members should have the environment message at their heart, as this is one of the criteria we care about and we have at our hearts as founders of the Kolektiv.

We have chosen to call this album Lualaba, in acknowledgement of the longest Congolese river. Like the Lualaba, we want this music to bring you into the flow of waters, into the spirits of moving around and changing the speed, into the flow of life and it’s energy. Lualaba is so incredibly significant to the Congolese people. It’s a source of life and energy. it’s a source of food and travelers. It irrigates people and land and we want this music to play such a part into the life of our listeners.

Lualaba is everything for us. This is our first work to be put out as a Kolektiv and we want everyone to feel what it represents with it’s various music style.

Based in the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Fulu Kolektiv, is a sister initiative to Fulu Miziki . Due to the pandemic, we found ourselves with very limited access to open spaces, so the whole collective decided to look for alternative ways of making music (ie: turning to computers). This Kolektiv is open to everyone who has healing music and values the environment.