 Hello, I'm Jordan Butterfield and we're here at Tami TV Studios and today we're joined by our guest. Would you like to introduce yourself? Hello, hello everybody. My name is Alban Malanda, and my nickname is Boutalakwazebi, Jack Bower Congolais, 24 Hours Chrono, L'Homme de l'Hydrologie Taba, L'Enfocaine avant son père, Le Boutalakwazebi, and artist musician. And we've been doing a lot of work together over the last few months. You've been in here for another studio show and we just want to have a little interview and talk about what kind of stuff you do, what style of music you make and what you do. So tell us about your music and why you started out in music. Thank you for the question. Well, the style of music I do comes from my country. You have to know that I'm from Republic of the Congo, and the capital is Brazzaville. So I deal with Roomba. Roomba is the origin of the Congolese music, and that's where it comes from, Donbolo, that's where it comes from, Coupé de Calais. I chose to do that music because I grew up in an area where there are a lot of musicians. And when I was a kid, I used to go watch my big brothers playing music. So music for me is like something that I grew with. So it's something that has been close to me. So I couldn't leave it like that. And I say I have to keep on doing music. That's what I'm doing music right now. So a lot of Americans might be familiar with Roomba in the Caribbean sense, like that kind of music. How is that connected to the music that you made? What's the history there? Well, normally Roomba comes from two Congolese. They are two Congolese, Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo. Roomba is that music that was played by our ancestors. And remember during the slavery, some of my people were taken from Congo and they were taken to Cuba. So when they arrived over there with the pronunciation, because we say Roomba and they were pronouncing, we say normally the right word, the right word of Roomba was lamukumba. When you dance that music, you have to come closer with the one that you're dancing with and lamukumba means the belly button. So your belly button and your friends should come together like this. So the right name is lamukumba. And then when my people were taken to Cuba with the pronunciation of people who were speaking Spanish, so instead of saying lamukumba, they say Roomba. So that music normally comes from our country, comes from Congo. So we owe that music. So in Cuba, in the Caribbean, they just changed the name and they just changed some of the instrument and stuff. But the original name is lamukumba, la Roomba. That's our music. And what would you say is the difference between the kind of music that you make and the Cuban music, the Cuban version of Roomba? Well, there isn't a lot of difference to tell the truth because, as I said, the original style is, you know, la Roomba. La Roomba, namely, only the way that we think that changes a little bit. Like the speed, you know. So la Roomba, you know, on itself, namely it's slow. Style, it's a little bit slow. But the one that is played in the Caribbean is a little bit fast. That's the difference. But we also do faster music, faster Roomba. All that is Roomba, but we just play it in different ways. And so when did you come to America? Well, I came to America in 2017. And what's your experience been like here? Well, being in America for me, it was not a piece of cake, because I was coming straight from Africa to a new continent, and I was coming from a French-speaking country to an English-speaking country. All these language barriers and culture, and it was not easy for me. So it took me a little bit of time to understand what was going on here and to be familiar to the American culture. Even now, I'm still making effort to be familiar to them and to adopt myself. And what's been the reception of your music like here? People still love it? To tell the truth, Boutella Quasebi, Jacques Bouer, Congolese, and Catra Cronum music is loved by most of the people. It's loved by most of the people. I bet you anywhere I go, when people play my music, everybody's happy. So I'm proud of that. Do you have an example that you want to share with people? Yeah, an example that I can share with people. I don't have it right away, but when you go on my social media, you're going to see how people listen to my music, how people send me messages of congratulations, how people share my music, how people share my videos. So it's visible. So it's visible, but I don't have it right now with me here. Do you have a song that we could cut in in the edit? Well, I got a lot of songs, but my favorite one that we can play right now is Retour Opéin Natal. Retour Opéin Natal. It means back to homeland. Yeah, back to homeland. Back to my homeland. Retour Opéin Natal. So that's my favorite song. I like it a lot. So if you can play it, I would be happy and people will like it. Ideology Tabba. Well, that's a very good question. Ideology Tabba. Ideology Tabba is one of the concepts we have in my mother tongue because I speak Congo. I'm from Republic of the Congo. So there's one language called Larry. Larry is one of the languages that comes from Congo kingdom. So Tabba means clothing. You know, clothing. So everything that is related to clothing, we call it in our language Tabba. Ideology Tabba, that's my concept. Ideology Tabba, it's Jack Boer, butala kozebi, Jack Boer's concept. So it's the way that we must get dressed. So when you're part of Ideology Tabba, you're going to always be well dressed, putting nice clothes, expensive clothes, expensive shoes. You know, you're going to always be looking nice. So you're going to put expensive glasses. So everything that you're going to put on you is, you know, freaking expensive. And, you know, and you have also be a good man, no violence, no war, no hard trade, love, love, love. That's what means Ideology Tabba. So I spread Ideology Tabba through my music. So when you're going to listen to most of my songs, you're going to listen, you know, somewhere that talks about, you know, fashion, you know, somewhere, you know, I talk about shoes, somewhere I talk about jackets. I talk about suits. I talk about nice, nice, nice clothes and hats and everything and socks and tie everything. So Ideology Tabba is my concept. I feel a little underdressed here. I should listen to it and get some inspiration. That would be great. So tell us about, what about your experience in Vermont specifically? We've talked about America, but what do you think about Vermont? Well, Vermont is a very welcoming place. I like to stay here the rest of my life. Namely, when I was coming to America, I was going to stay in Boston, but I just stayed in, you know, slept in Boston just for one night. And the next day, I had to drive to Vermont because there were, you know, some of my friends living here. And when I checked Vermont on the map and I haven't understood that, that's the right place I have to go. That's why I'm here. So my experience is very wonderful because I went to school. I'm going to school now. Even, you know, I started going to school in Vermont in 2018. So I'm a student at CCV. I'm a student at CCV. And I'm dealing with a criminal justice. And I have a good job in Vermont. So I have a house. I have my life here in Vermont. So it's a good place for me to stay. And my experience is wonderful because I don't have any problem, any trouble. So I'm okay here. I'm like home to tell the truth. That's great to hear. We love having you here. Love having you in and out in the studio. Thank you. Do you have another song you want to share with us? Yes. I have another song that I want to share with you guys. The title is Nichelle. Nichelle. Nichelle. It's a song that I made for my wife back in Congo in Africa. So that's one is typically Roomba. That's one is Roomba. From the beginning till the end. So that sounds Roomba. So the title is Nichelle. So Albin, what do you want to do in the future? What are your plans? Well, Boutella Kwazebi, Jack Bower Congolais is somebody who has a lot of vision. You know, somebody who looks very far away. Somebody who wants to help other people. Somebody who wants to support the community. So what I want to do in the future, first of all, I want to create a music school back in my country. Because in my country, as I told you, everybody is a singer. Everybody is a singer. I didn't tell you that I learned music from my mother's back. Because when I was a kid, when I was a baby, every time I was crying, my mother was singing thousands of songs for me to let me sleep or to keep me asleep. So I will build up music schools in my country. Because I want all these people, all these children, all these kids down the street. So who has that talent to become also famous as other people? Because music is something that pays a lot of money if you become famous. So it's something that I really cry about. So I'm going to build up some music schools in my country. And help people like poor people, you know, orphans. You know, build up houses where orphans can live and you know what I mean? So I always think about it. So if I have opportunities, I will be a kind of helper to everybody. Were you back in Congo recently? Well, I was in Congo once in 2018. I came here in 2017 and a year ago or a year later, then I went back to my country to visit my kids and my wife and my family as well. Without forgetting my friends. Right. And do you have plans on returning anytime soon? Well, my country is my country. You know what I mean? Sure. I cannot forget my roots. I have to return. I have to go back to my country. I have to go visit my family, my friends, my people. So I cannot really, I cannot stay here without going back to my country. So that's something I will not do in my life. Yeah. So my country is with me every time. Because to tell the truth, I'm also connected to my country. Even if when I'm here, I'm connected to my country. I'm connected to my ancestors. Yeah. Yeah. Of course. I'm connected to my ancestors. You know? Yeah. Can you say Tayulu? Tayulu. Yeah. Can you say Machuandre? Machuandre? Tayulu. Tata Yulu. Buetambungu. Buetambungu. Buetambungu. Buetambungu. Can you say Mamangunga? Mamangunga. Yeah. Can you say Mama Chimpafida? Chimpafida. Mama Chimpafida. Mama Chimpafida. Mama Chimpafida. Mama Chimpafida. Can you say Mabiala Manganga? Mabiala Manganga. Mabiala Manganga. Mabiala Manganga. Mabiala Manganga. Buetambungu. Buetambungu. Buetambungu. Buetambungu. Okay so that's the way that I am connected to you know I'm connected to my country because I have to call their names those are my ancestors they are with us here they are with me so that's why I'm telling you I cannot forget my roots of course of course okay thank you so much yes all right if people want to go see you perform or they want to see your music or they want to hear more of your music where can they find it well the only place that you can easily find my music is to go on YouTube when you go on YouTube you just write butala quasi be jack boy butala quasi be butala quasi be jack power as you can see on the screen so if you go on YouTube you just write this name you're gonna find all my stuff my videos my music and I think you'll be happy guys to listen to my music and come back to me with any comments hopefully I will be open to discuss with you and and take lessons from you because we see learning great all right well thank you for joining us Albin it's a pleasure as always thank you so much for having me on this place