Judging from 'Ethnophony', Fredy Massamba clearly attended Marie Daulne's Zap Academy (see also Manou Gallo, Sally Nyolo...), no surprise when you know he actually worked with Daulne for a while. Among other things it caused him to rediscover the typical Pygmy whistle he gave a prominent place on 'Ethnophony'. On his debut album Fredy brings an original mix of Western r&b, hip-hop and soul with lyrics in Kikongo and Lingala and embellished with elements from his home country Congo. With 'Ethnophony' Massamba takes a strong start, because the album comes across as anything but a debut; this is clearly the work of a seasoned artist.