BIOGRAPHY of FABRICE MUKUNA
Author, composer, saxophonist, singer, percussionist
2023
Creation of three new songs Kintuini, Historiaverdadera and several others in preparation: Eni Namoya, Africa Unie, Bolingo Africa.
Concerts at the Rixensart cultural center for the fête de la musique, at the Rideau Rouge for the world music festival, at the Halles St Géry for the WE jazz festival, at the Abbaye du Vivier in Namur, at the percussion festival at the Pianofabriek.
2022
Concerts for Jazz WE, for the city of Brussels, various cultural centers (Senghor, Saint-Georges, Harelbeke) and festivals – Fiesta Latina, Festival Alimenterre – at the Galeries de la reine cinema in Brussels, with Saï Saï music as a jingle to promote the event.
2021
Recording of a single – Saï Saï Remix sung in French and Lingala. The single is on Spotify’s release radar for December 2021.
Fabrice takes part in the La Première program ‘le monde est un village’ presented by Didier Mélon.
2020
Concert at Bozar to celebrate Congo’s independence (June 30).
Winner of the Matonge Sounds competition organized by Muziekpublique in March 2020 and recording of a single (Saï Saï) on August 14 at Ancienne Belgique (release radar in December 2020 on Spotify).
2019
Fabrice forms his band in Brussels (Latino, African and European origins) – 6 to 9 musicians including 3 blowers.
On November 21, 2019, he records an EP (Sawamba, Mbonge, Mamborena and a Congolese rumba).
2017 – 2018
In 2017 Fabrice met Fabienne Penninck (his future manager and producer) in Kinshasa, who arranged for Fabrice to come to Belgium so that he could develop his career and learn jazz harmony.
He took music lessons at various academies and soon began writing his own compositions (jazz fusion, afrojazz, salsa, rumba and world music). He mixes his European knowledge with African rhythms and South American music.
In Brussels, Fabrice plays regularly in jazz clubs such as Music Village, Sound, Jazz Station and Time Out Pub.
In Congo
Fabrice was born on 9 May 1995 in Mbuji-Mayi to Congolese parents.
At the age of 8 he started playing drums for church services, and at a very early age began travelling for music with the church.
At the age of 12 he left to live on his own in Kinshasa. He lived in the church where he learned to play the guitar. At the age of 16/17 he began directing a Gospel choir. The church financed his studies. He studied at the Institut National des Arts et du Spectacle I.N.A.S. where he shared a saxophone with 7 other musicians.
His first stage was the Wallonie Bruxelles centre in Kinshasa.
He left the church and went to live with Mike Kalambay, a well-known Gospel musician in Congo.
With Mike he travelled all over Africa. He played at the Lubumbashi stadium.
At the age of 20, he started playing jazz thanks to Paul Leperc Ngoyi and his group Jafrozz.
With this group he took part in several jazz festivals, notably in Kinshasa and Brazzaville. He is one of Kinshasa’s young talents. All his music is played by ear, without sheet music.