Eric Malu-Malu

Story

Born in 1974 in Kinshasa, in an artist family, Eric Malu Malu is rocked in traditional music from an early age. He started the guitar at 13 alongside his brother Claude, who also coached Jean Goubald Kalala and Gabriel Wadigesila, his bassist cousin. It is while attending the Kinshasa homestudios, that he meets musicians, and in particular those who will mark a decisive turn in his career, the Okwess which he attends all the rehearsals. In 1997, he joined their group as a guitarist-chorist. And his charismatic leader Jupiter stands out for its originality, mixing the traditional rhythms of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with modern sounds, in an urban groove and rock, a new music style they will call "Bofenia Rock". It is during the realization of "Jupiter's dance" film of Florent de la Tullaye and Renaud Barret, that they will record their 1st Cd "Man Do not Cry" with Yarol Poupaud (FFF, Jhonny Hallyday) A bonus Cd of the DVD. In 2010, they recorded their first album "Hotel Univers" which will not escape the sharp ear of Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz, The Good, the Bad and the Queen, Rocket Juice and the Moon). With the latter, will follow collaborations (album DRC MUSIC), the tours of Africa Express where they will play with Tony Allen, Fatoumata Diawara and the concerts (first part of Blur Hyde Park (London) / Zenith of Paris. After a four-year tour (2012/2016) on various international stages (Glastonbury, Eurokeennes, British Summer Time, Sziget, Womad, Womex, Africa Oye, Gwangju World Music Festival ...) they will share with Metronomy, Flavia Coelho, Voodoo Games, Tinariwen, Rokia Traore and many others, the band which is now called Jupiter & Okwess released "Kin Sonic" in June 2017, 2nd album, whose cover is made by Robert 3D of Massive Attack and whose featurings are Damon Albarn and Warren Ellis (Nick Cave). After Paris, where they played alongside Seun Kuti at the Bataclan, and several dates in the Usa with Femi Kuti in 2018, the Jupiter & Okwess band made several other dates in the Usa, where they recorded their album project which will come out winter 2019, produced by Mario Caldato (who also worked with Beasty Boys), in his studio in Los Angeles. These experiences, combined with his learning of traditional rhythms, make Eric Malu Malu both an open, curious and eclectic musician. During one of these tours, he will meet in June 2014 Toni Kitanovski, guitar player (Cherkezi orchestra and head of the jazz department of Goce Delcev University of Skopje, Macedonia). Together, they decide to create a musical project called CongoMa (www.congo-ma.com), of which he is the principal author and the composer. Their album is being crated. Since the beginning of his professional career, Eric Malu Malu supervises young musicians in Kinshasa where he teaches theory and practice of music. His stage experience, his music love combined with his desire to transmit, make him an unparalleled pedagogue. It is with great respect and gratitude that his students call him "Prof". Thus, in July 2018, he realized one of his dreams by creating Kinarmonik non profit organization (www.kinarmonik.com/?lang=en) which he leads, which offers a creation space and meeting between musicians of horizons and different levels, to Congolese musicians. Since February 2019, she organizes workshops, masterclasses, jam sessions, concerts, access to a library with a multimedia area ...

Profile

Instruments

Genres

Influences

Equipment

Languages

What is music to you? What does it give you?

Two separate things : Life and work. It lets me feel good, something difficult to describe with words

What is your music dream?

Playing with different musicians as i can around the world, both just for pleasure or for a serious project, in different music genres and heping young people in my country to evolve in their career, supporting them as i can

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

Love and solidarity. There are fewer and fewer in this world

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

Difficult to quote a single song... Many ethnics congolese traditionnal songs never released, Graceland by Paul Simon, Kamulangu by Ray Lema...

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

I love everyone who touches me by his music. And they are many. Ahahahahha I continue to discover them, like John Mayer, whom I heard for the first time at Michael Jackson's funeral. I'm one of his fans since.

What inspires you to make music?

My environment I come from an artists family. And I loved putting into practice what I was taught by composing songs and accompanying those of friends, in a band with childhood friends, which was like our laboratory. In addition to that, the desire to record in the studio, to perform concerts even if I am a little shy. ahahahahahah

What is the message you want to send with your music?

A positive message about what is happening in the world. Awareness, more commitment to good deeds, what we live, we see ... in a groovy music, that pushes to dance

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

The feeling of sharing something deeper with me, for the sole purpose of giving a good mood, positive emotion

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

It's getting more and more difficult, artistically and economically. Many young people in Kinshasa, my city where I live, do not know what's Music industry, for example. They do not evolve in an environment that makes it easy for them! I think that good laws and their enforcement are needed in many countries, including those like mine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in this regard. This would allow independent musicians to develop their creativity without constraint and not to comply at all costs with the requirements of a market that may limit or disorient it. We must also add that each musician must know why he's doing this profession. Already this point, could improve some things

What do you think of Drooble?

An opportunity, a very useful service for everyone who needs practical tools for its promotion to give a professional image to his career. Everything a serious musician, but who does not know too much, might need

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

Yes, by participating in many concerts, and by Kinarmonik, the non profit organization i initiated and lead. Kinarmonik is a musical creation space in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We put musical instruments at the disposal of musicians, a home studio, masterclasses and workshops, a library, jam sessions, concerts ...

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

Having knowledge of music business and how today music industry works, how to use social networking

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

Jupiter & Okwess, Kokoko