Bibi Tanga & The Selenites

Bibi Tanga & The Selenites

Bibi Tanga & The Selenites is a French group led by Bibi Tanga, who is born in Bangui. The project is rooted in groove-based music and draws on a wide set of influences, including funk, soul, afrobeat and jazz. Tanga cites Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Sly Stone, Fela, Franco’s TPOK Jazz in Kinshasa, and Guinea’s Bembeya Jazz as key references.

Background and recordings

The project begins with Tanga’s first album, Le vent qui souffle, which appears in 2000 and is associated with his meeting with The Malka Family and the HIPI Music label. Another album, Yellow Gauze, comes from a collaboration with Le Professeur Inlassable and is released on l’inlassable disQue. That record is described as mixing genres freely, with hip-hop, gospel, funk and jazz all feeding into its sound, alongside warm urban and organic textures.

In 2004, Le Professeur Inlassable releases Leçon Numéro Un (Lesson Number One) on the Ici D’Ailleurs label. The project later develops further: in 2008, the duo grows into a full band called the Selenites, meaning “the moon inhabitants”.

Later development

The group records Dunya, which is set for release in France and Europe and later in the United States via Nat Geo Music. Across these releases, the group is associated with a blend of funk, soul, afrobeat, jazz and related groove-led styles.