When he was a boy, Jupiter Bokondji performed together with his grandma, a respected healer, at weddings as well as funerals. It was her who introduced rhythms and melodies that were believed to have healing powers to him. However, he didn't found his first band in his hometown, Kinshasa, but in Berlin, where his dad worked at Embassy of Congo. The band's name was Der Neger and it mixed music of the Mongo region with Led Zeppelin-like guitar sound. This is where Jupiter's passion for fusing traditional African music and European styles was born and his hunger for knowing all the colors and scents of music of Congo arose. He traveled, discovered music of hundreds of tribes, absorbed it, played on streets and in 1990 he founded Okwess International with diverse musicians. The war was a hindrance to their career so the world discovered them no sooner than in 2006 thanks to a documentary Jupiter's Dance . A healer's assistant became a musical general leading his army to a roaring fight of afrobeat, funky, soul and rock. Even Damon Albarn succumbed to his powers and invited him to African Express . Last year, Jupiter & Okwess International released their dream debut album that attacked all the best of world music records charts and this year they're going to target the airport in Tren?ín. That's an offensive we can truly look forward to.
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