Moulongo (12")

Ferdinand 'Maréchal' Papillon was part of the Makossa wave that moved from Cameroon to France and across the African diaspora in the 80s and 90s, bringing the sounds of rhythms of Douala and Yaoundé to the clubs and dancefloors of Paris.

Although best known for his Sakissa style - his own uptempo take on the Makossa of Cameroon - Papillon also regularly featured zouk and reggae influenced tracks on his albums, combining Caribbean and African influences into a unique sound that has stood the test of time.

Moulongo originally appeared on Papillon's highly sought after 1995 album "Homme fort….je suis sérieux" and was recorded at Studio de la Madeleine in Paris - a space used by other African stars of the time like Cesaria Evoria and Olivier Ngoma as well as dancehall MCs like Daddy Yod, a cult figure in French reggae history. The Moulongo session features a who's who of the Paris scene of the time - Aladji Touré and Toto Guillaume from Cameroon as well as Congolese guitar greats Ngoma Lokito and Nene Tchacou - and combines dancehall, zouk and Makossa elements for a Pan African dancefloor sureshot.