Kongas

Kongas are notable for launching the career of French disco producer extraordinaire Jean-Marc Cerrone, who served as a percussionist in their early years. Playing a fusion of guitar-oriented, progressive-minded rock and polyrhythmic, Fela Kuti-style Afro-funk, Kongas took up residency at the Papagayo club in the French Riviera town of St. Tropez in the early '70s. French producer Eddie Barclay signed the group to his Barclay label, where they scored a minor hit single with "Boom," and toured Europe, Japan, and Africa. They released a debut album, Afro Rock, in 1974; however, musical differences led to Cerrone's departure for a highly successful solo career as a disco performer and producer, leaving writer/producer Alec Costandinos as Kongas' guiding influence. Cerrone returned in 1977 to produce the group's second album, Africanism, which featured a side-long medley of the title track and the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'." 1978 brought the release of a 12" single on the New York-based disco label Salsoul, which featured "Anikana-O" and "Kongas Fun," their two best-known and most-compiled tracks.