The very first seeds for what later would become Dizzy Mandjeku & Alé Kumá, were sown in 2010, when Colombian researcher, poet, bassist and founder of Alé Kumá, Leonardo Gomez Jattin discovered the Congolese music scene in the Matonge district of Brussels. Leonardo quickly got acquainted with Congolese guitar legend Dizzy Mandjeku and in 2015 flew the man over to Colombia for some tryouts and recordings. Those first sessions, then still in collaboration with Colombian music legend Magin Diaz (who passed away last year), resulted in the song 'Por El Norte, Por El Sur', which can be found on Diaz' last album, last year's 'El Orisha De La Rosa'. Together with Belgian-Colombian singer Paola Marquez (Maguaré), Dizzy and Leonardo now form the backbone of this project. Other notable names in the lineup of the band include Colombian vocalist Nidia Gongora, known from her collaborations with Quantic and her own project Canalon de Timbiqui, and Malage de Lugendo Malage, former vocalist with legendary Congolese bands like Franco's TPOK Jazz or Zaïko Langa Langa. Album title 'De Palenque A Matonge' refers to two iconic places, crucial in the music that Dizzy Mandjeku & Alé Kumá play: on the one hand, the aforementioned Matonge, the Congolese district in Brussels and a musical hub for Congolese expats, but also a neighborhood in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, and, on the other, Palenque de San Basilio, a village located on Colombia's Pacific coastline considered to be the epicenter of Afro-Colombian culture. The entire project is nicely summarized in title track 'De Matonge A Palenque', but to comprehend the lyrics some basic knowledge of Spanish and Lingala wouldn't go amiss. The rest of the tracks on the album are a blend of original compositions of Jattin and Mandjeku, and Colombian traditionals. Finally, for the cover of the album Zephyrus called on Congolese artist Maludi (the complete painting he realized is included as a foldable poster inside the CD-package). Sumptuous African-Latin American blend!