Sam’s Jams: Je Ne Bois Pas Beaucoup – Les Ya Toupas du Zaire
From the 1976 album Les Ya Toupas du Zaire – Vol. 1
ARTIST: Les Ya Toupas du Zaire (The Ya Toupas of Zaire)
SONG: Je ne bois pas beaucoup (I Don’t Drink Much)
ALBUM: Les Ya Toupas du Zaire – Vol. 1 (1976)
Originally released in Zaire in 1976 by the band Je Ne Pas Beaucoup, comprised of Congolese musicians. The two main musicians on this track (Henry Bowane and Sam Mangwana) were key figures in the development of Congolese Rumba (dance music from Congo that blended Cuban and African rhythms) in the late 1950’s, and went on to mix influences from American funk-soul music from the 1970’s.
This track got a resurgence around 2011 when the late-night warehouse party in London called Sofrito grew in popularity. The song got played a lot at these parties and was re-released on the Strut compilation “Tropical Discotheque”. It was also featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto 5.
CultureShift airs weekdays 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on WDET 101.9FM.
Sam’s Jams is the weekly song selection of WDET’s creative producer Sam Beaubien, a longtime Detroit musician who also helms the soul-funk band Will Sessions.
From 70 years ago to contemporary releases today, Sam’s Jams is the musical equivalent of digging for hours in dusty record store bins to find forgotten-but-should-be-remembered deep cuts pulled from the genres of funk, jazz and soul genres.
The Sam’s Jams Spotify playlist will update with a new song on Mondays after airing on CultureShift, so bookmark this page to find your new favorite song each week.
