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Bibi Den's Tshibayi
(Congo-Kinshasa)
Biography
Bibi Den's Tshibayi has quite an atypical professional career path. Although he learnt to sing
with his mother in church as so many other Congolese singers, he actually became a journalist and changed later towards a
career the world of information technology. Born in the Province of Kasaï Occidental, he started his professional
life in journalism, but he returned to music after a few years. He formed his first band The Best
with Lokua Kanza on guitar. He recorded two albums in the first half of the 1980s,
« The Best Ambiance » and
« Sensible ». The song The Best Ambiance
has been released as 12'' single by Earthworks/Rough Trade in the UK in 1984. Bibi Den's then disappeared from the music
scene to come back in the 1990s. With a new band, Les Marymbas he recorded a few albums.
Having lived for a long time in Abidjan, he has also worked with various Ivorian artists over the years, such as a
duo with Meiway on his album
« Soft » and a duet with Alpha Blondy
on Blondy's song « Zoukifiez-moi ça » (album Merci, 2002).
In 2000, he recorded an album using his real name Denis Tshibayi instead of his artist name Bibi Den's. The album is mixed by Adrian Sherwood (Sinéad O'Connor) and Skip McDonald and is a genuine attempt to fuse Congolese music with pop music.
Bibi Den's has lived in Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire for years before settling in Paris where he now lives. In 2007, a promo maxi-single « Feti », in 2011 followed by a new album.
In 2000, he recorded an album using his real name Denis Tshibayi instead of his artist name Bibi Den's. The album is mixed by Adrian Sherwood (Sinéad O'Connor) and Skip McDonald and is a genuine attempt to fuse Congolese music with pop music.
Bibi Den's has lived in Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire for years before settling in Paris where he now lives. In 2007, a promo maxi-single « Feti », in 2011 followed by a new album.
Bibi Den's Tshibayi
• Musicians on Bibi Den's & les Marymbas:
Guitars Lokassa Ya M'Bongo, Zengue Sesky, Hilaire Penda, Yves Njock, Nene Tchakou, Ngouma Lokita;
Keyboards Philippe Guez, Tony Afful;
Brass section Alain Hatot, Philippe Slominski, Jacques Bolognesi;
Arrangers Bibi Den's and Boncana Maïga
Born: 1954, as Denis Tshibayi Katshiabala, in Luebo (D.R. Congo)
Style: soukous, afro-pop
Discography
| Title | Year | Label | Remarks |
| Mua chance | 2011 | NDH Music | |
| Nge Na Munu | 2000 | Bayelou / M10 320482 | |
| Soft | 1999 | Syllart SYLAF96116 | |
| Salisa | 1997 | Syllart SYLAF96025 | |
| Bibi Den's & les Marymbas | 1995 | Celluloid 66874-2 | |
| Sensible | 1984 | Tangent LP 7001 | |
| "The Best" Ambiance | 1984 | Rounder Records 5012 | Previously on Celluloid CEL 6636, originally released 1982 on Sacko Production SP 08 |
Sources
Page added November 2007