Artists & Projects Directory
Faustin Linyekula/Studios Kabako
Musical direction for more more more... future is provided by Flamme Kapaya. Acknowledged as one of the best guitar soloists of his generation, Flamme Kapaya lives and works between Paris and Kinshasa. Kapaya was raised in a musical tradition; his grandfather, a traditional chief in the Bandudu area, was also a gifted musician and he was first trained by his brother Joe. As a teenager in Kinshasa, he began by singing in local traditional groups. A self-taught guitarist, he draws his inspiration from various musical genres including jazz (especially George Benson), classical and Latin music.
In 1997, he joined the mythic ndombolo group, Maison mère, accompanying the Congolese singer Werrason. At the heart of the group - as a musician but also as a composer and producer on numerous albums - he became "Flamme", taking his name from the cartoon hero of the 80s, Captain Flamme. He performed with Maison mère for 10 years with the group, taking part in several international tours.
In 2007, he met Faustin Linyekula, accompanying the performances of his piece Festival of Lies at the Avignon Festival in July 2007 and at the Faïencerie Theatre in Creil / France in May 2008. In August 2008, he joined Linyekula for two performances in Berlin as part of the 20th anniversary of the Tanz im August Festival. Kapaya also composed the music of Bérénice, staged by Linyekula at the Comédie Française in 2009, as well as the score of Pour en finir avec Bérénice, which premiered at the Avignon Festival in 2010 and tours to the Chaillot National Theater (Paris) and KVS (Brussels) in 2011.
As an independent artist, Kapaya is now working on a solo album and a concert series Banningsville, produced by the Studios Kabako, around traditional music of the Bandundu region in Congo. In November 2009, he released his first single Surprise.