The Legendary General Defao 

                                                                                                                                                    Photo by Seth Cashman

Le General Defao, legendary Congolese vocalist, has been thrilling audiences with his excellent live shows and deluge of CDs over the past several years.  Formerly a vocalist with the classic Choc Stars, Defao broke lose and has scored  with his group "Les Big Stars."  Defao has recently produced the following recommended albums:  Amour Interdit (featuring the remixed hit Famille Kikutta, 2eme Mi-Temps), Sala Noki ,  Copinage with contributions by  Mbilia Bel, Tremblement de Terre, and most recently Bana Congo Vol 1&2 and Guerre de 100 Ans.  With such a wealth (almost overabundance) of recent releases, AfricaSounds wanted to know just what Defao has in mind for this next musical outing... 

   Big Stars Guitarist Laddy Mbala at SOBS

                                              Photo by Seth Cashman

AfricaSounds caught up with Defao by phone in his hotel suite in France in order to learn about some of his upcoming plans.  Defao was clearly excited about his most recent project, which represents a new musical direction for him.  The recording will not be with his touring group, the Big Stars, but rather with veteran session musicians, each a star in their own right.  The strong musical foundation will be made up of singer Nyboma,  lead guiarist Dally Kimoko,  singer Redi Amissi, Shiko Mawatu and Tabu Fataki (Joe Fataki's young brother who will be doing some of the guitar parts.)

   Defao and Les Big Stars  Photos by Seth Cashman)

    Live at SOBS in January 2000

  Defao is also one of the genre's best dancers 

Defao's latest is currently being produced by the Cameroonian company JPS, who has achieved a high profile as of late by signing a veritable who's who in Congolese music.   Although Defao's work is JPS's most recent project, other recent releases by JPS include Wenge Werrason, Extra Musica, Felix Wazekwa, Madilu System and Zaiko Langa Langa (Poison).  Although some of their recent releases have had a slightly polished mix, (ie, the smoother Makossa studio influence rubbing off on the Congolese tracks), JPS does bring to the table a high budget and ample US distribution via Sterns Music.

Luckily for us, the new Defao CD was previewed by Congolese music specialist Martin Sinnock (Muana Machete), who was visiting Defao, Papa Wemba and Winan in Paris.  Martin sat in on the studio sessions and was able to sample to initial guide tracks of the album, which consisted of the guitar foundation.  According to Martin, the guide tracks "sounded awesome," and the vocals were going to be recorded the following week.   The title of the new CD will be called "Nessy de London" and Defao and JPS have a goal to get the finished product on the market by next month. 

The General Defao                                                       Photo by Seth Cashman

Upon his completion of the JPS recording, Le General Defao stated that he plans to return to New York City/   Without doubt, fans in the USA will be thrilled to welcome Defao back in a series of new concerts.  Be sure to check back with AfricaSounds later in the Summer for more news on Defao.