To mark its 35th anniversary, Lusafrica has decided to reissue the must-have tracks from its discography. `Olivier N'Goma (Noli to his friends) was born in Mayumba, in south-west Gabon, in 1959. In 1988, during a television internship in Paris, he met Manu Lima, then one of the best producers on the African scene. Interested in the melodies Oliver brought him, Manu Lima took on the artistic direction of his first album. When it came out, it was the song Bane which, after a small initial success (thanks in particular to radio Africa N°1, Gilles Obringer on R.F.I., then discotheques), became a colossal hit in 1990 throughout Africa, France and as far afield as the West Indies. The album became one of the biggest sellers in African music history. Bane is one of the greatest hits of modern African music, on a par with Franco's Mario, Alpha Blondy's Brigadier Sabari, Zao's Ancien Combattant and Kanda Bongo Man's Kwassa Kwassa. More than 30 years after its debut, Oliver N'Goma's music, that unprecedented combination of West Indian zouk and the rhythmic and harmonic richness of Africa, remains as exciting as on its first day.
