Ngwaka Son Systeme

DIY Electro-Trance from Kinshasa: Rumba, Soukous and Techno Played on Handmade Instruments Built from Recycled Objects

Ngwaka Son Systéme was born in Kinshasa in 2022, around Love Lokombe and Bom’s Bomolo, two founding members of KOKOKO!, the Kinshasa-based collective renowned for its DIY (Do It Yourself) instruments made from salvaged materials. They bring together a new generation of musicians from the sprawling metropolis and push their sonic experimentation even further: oil drums, metal barrels, cooking pots, wooden boards, computer keyboards, tin cans and bicycle brake cables are transformed into instruments, then electrified using contact microphones made from old headphones and mobile phones.

The result is hot, celebratory and intensely physical music. Congolese rumba and soukous collide with zagué, dancehall and raw techno energy, driven by a hybrid drum kit, metallic percussion, handmade guitars and basses, and vocals in Lingala. Their lyrics explore everyday life, dignity in the face of hardship, and environmental and political commitment, while seeking to build a sonic bridge between Africa and Latin America.

On stage, five musicians create a collective trance: Steroy on drums, Diego on bass and vocals, Vicko Tengwa on lead guitar and vocals, Love on metal percussion, percussion keyboards and metal motorbike, and Bijoux on percussion and vocals. Every instrument is unique, handmade in Kinshasa, contributing to the show’s distinctive visual identity as much as its unmistakable sound.

Signed to Berlin-based label Eck Echo, the band released their album Iboto Ngenge in 2024, recorded in Kinshasa and mixed in analogue by Diego Gomez, followed by the EP Lipate in 2026, featuring remixes by Phran and Entrañas. The group also runs instrument-making workshops with young people at the Mokili Na Poche community centre in the Bandalungwa neighbourhood, with support from the Roskilde Africa Fund.

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IN THE PRESS

★★★★★ “A balance between dancefloor appeal and sonic experimentation, rooted in rumba and soukous without sounding retro.”
SONGLINES

“A Congolese collective making dance music on their own terms, somewhere between techno, rumba, soukous, zagué and dancehall.”
DJ MAG

“A band drawing on the natural dance rhythms of rumba and soukous, bridging Kinshasa’s musical genres and club culture.”
BANDCAMP DAILY

“An environmental and political commitment, alongside a desire to build bridges between Africa and South America.”
EURADIO

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AVAILABLE ON TOUR 2027

5 artists + 2 staff