Loading details…
Artist
4 Étoiles
12+ albums
ethniccongoafrobeatdemocratic republic of the congoCongolese
about
Les Quatre Etoiles[1] was a Congolese musical group active from 1982 to 1996. They played the Soukous style of dance music, which gained widespread popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. The members were Paris-based musicians Bopol Mansiamina (bass and rhythm guitar), Wuta Mayi (vocals), Syran Mbenza (lead guitar) and Nyboma (vocals). It was commonly called a "supergroup," since each of the four members of Les Quatre Etoiles had long established individual musical careers before joining forces.[2][3] Band history The band was formed in Paris in 1982, upon a request to Syran Mbenza from David Ouattara Moumouni, who produced their first album and released it on his Afro-Rythmes label, although they did not adopt Quatre Etoiles as the band's name until a year and a half later, when they recorded their second album in late 1983.[4]: 270–271 [5] The first album was recorded in late December 1982, and included one song by each of the four musicians. When the group formed, each of its four members was a well-known and prolific musician. Based on its members’ negative experiences with bandleaders such as Franco and Tabu Ley Rochereau, Les Quatre Étoiles was a loose-knit arrangement rather than an exclusive one; during its existence, each of its members continued to release solo records, formed other bands, and played as sidemen in support of other musicians (notably including one another).[4]: 271 [5] As two of many examples, in 1988 Syran Mbenza formed another band, Kass Kass, with P
