MUSIC CENTER KINARMONIK
KINSHASA - PARIS
THE INTERNATIONAL
MEETINGS,
EXCHANGES,
CREATIONS,
WHICH CHANGE THE STORIES.
FROM KINSHASA TO PARIS, AND BEYOND...
Exchanges only become truly meaningful when they are built in both directions.
From Kinshasa, Kinarmonik develops collaborations with artists and organizations in France and internationally. Congolese musicians develop their projects there, while artists from elsewhere also choose the center to rehearse, record, and explore new creative avenues.
These encounters allow for the exchange of experiences, the discovery of other sounds, the exploration of new rhythms, and the dialogue between different musical approaches. They enrich each participant's projects and open up new artistic perspectives.
For Kinarmonik, international cooperation is first and foremost a space for shared creation, where musical cultures meet, enrich each other and give birth to new expressions.
OUR SPONSORS
RAY
LEMA
France - DRC
Internationally renowned musician, author, composer and pianist.
Ray Lema has supported Kinarmoni k since its inception . His commitment to our cause reinforces our conviction that Congolese music plays a vital role in the creation of contemporary music. His participation in YOTSI's album Maisha illustrates this connection between generations and musical worlds.
YAROL
POUPAUD
France
Guitarist, composer and producer,
Yarol Poupaud supports Kinarmonik and the development of the center's artists, notably through exchanges and his involvement in the label's production projects.
He mixed part of the album "Maisha" by Yotsi, where he is also featured on the track "Luzingu".
TRANSMIT, CREATE
EXPLORE,
TONI KITANOVSKI
Macedonia
From jazz to symphonic music, from film to contemporary dance, Toni Kitanovski explores music in its many forms. A guitarist, composer, and educator, he also directs the Music Academy at Goce Delchev University, where he teaches jazz guitar and composition. In 2007, he established North Macedonia's first jazz studies department.
In Kinshasa, at the Kinarmonik center, he came to share this experience with musicians through a workshop dedicated to composing contemporary music. Beyond technique, the aim was to open up new avenues, question the ways of constructing a piece, and explore new creative possibilities.
A meeting between different musical paths and universes, where transmission also nourishes dialogue and creation.
FRANÇOIS GOUVERNEUR
France
A sound engineer in the studio and live, François Gouverneur contributed to the training of Éric Malu-Malu in sound techniques and supports the development of Kinarmonik's technical skills.
He also mixed and mastered Tala Tala, the single by Muntu'a Ndani produced by the label.
This relationship illustrates an important dimension of the project: collaborations are not limited to one-off interventions, they can contribute sustainably to the development of tools and skills on site.
NATHANIEL BRADDOCK
USA
American guitarist, composer and teacher Nathaniel Braddock came to the Kinarmonik center in 2024 to lead a workshop dedicated to blues guitar.
This encounter extended beyond the center. Through his podcast Planet Afropop, he wrote and produced the documentary "The Other Sound of Kinshasa," dedicated to musicians he met in the Lemba and Matete districts of Kinshasa. Yotsi is one of the groups featured in this documentary.
A collaboration that links musical transmission to another way of making Kinshasa artists heard, based on their practices, their encounters and their reality.
PRODUCE AND MAKE
CIRCULATE THE MUSIC
MARIO CALDATO
USA - Amor In Sound Label
Brazilian producer and sound engineer Mario Caldato Jr., also known as Mario C., based in Los Angeles, has made his mark on international music production, notably through his work with the Beastie Boys and numerous Brazilian artists. With his wife, Samantha Caldato, he founded Amor In Sound , a label and production company that champions artistic collaboration and creative freedom. His connection with Kinarmonik is part of this same dynamic. For Yotsi's debut album, Maisha, recorded at Kinarmonik Studio in Kinshasa, the mastering was done at MCJ Studio in Los Angeles by Jonathan Maia de Oliveira. This production journey, spanning Kinshasa, Paris, North Macedonia, and Los Angeles, demonstrates how a creation born in the center can be enriched by diverse skills and perspectives, while retaining its Congolese roots.
BLANCHE DLT
France - Artist
Blanche DLT and Congolese musicians have a long-standing relationship. A blues singer, she has always loved working with them, especially in Paris, and sharing with them a taste for music and creation.
From the very beginning of Kinarmonik, Blanche has enthusiastically supported the project. She believes in this adventure, in the musical energy of Kinshasa, and in the need to empower local artists to create and share their music. So, when she was preparing her album, the choice of recording location was obvious: it would be the Kinarmonik studio in Kinshasa.
In 2020, she made the trip and surrounded herself with some of Kinshasa's most talented musicians to bring this album to life. It was a meeting of her blues world and the richness of the Congolese music scene, but also a concrete way of showing trust in local artists and production resources.
The album will be released soon. For Kinarmonik, this collaboration represents much more than a recording: it speaks of loyalty, trust, and the invaluable support of an artist who has believed in the project from day one.
THE IVRY-SUR-SEINE HANGAR
France · Place for the creation, support and dissemination of music
From the beginning, the team at Hangar d'Ivry has been interested in Kinarmonik's projects and shares its desire to create bridges between artists and territories.
This support materialized in particular with KinIvry, but also in September 2024, when the Hangar programmed Yotsi for his first concert in France, on the occasion of his first French tour.
A collaboration based on trust, which combines creation, artistic exchanges and dissemination, and helps to open new perspectives for the artists supported by Kinarmonik.
PROJECTS THAT CONNECT TERRITORIES
KIN IVRY
Kinshasa - Ivry-sur-Seine
Led by Élodie Després, a French teacher at the Molière school in Ivry-sur-Seine, and Kinarmonik, KinIvry brings together two groups of young people, two territories and different artistic universes.
Since 2022, this project has combined poetry and music to create a collaborative work between students in Ivry and young musicians from Kinarmonik in Kinshasa. Words written in France become musical material in the DRC, nourished by the rhythms, sensibilities, and imagination of Congolese artists. The project also extends to audiovisual media, with the production of music videos with students from L'Eicar.
Beyond the distance, KinIvry creates a space where everyone contributes their voice, perspective, and creativity. A collective adventure that transforms the encounter between the two cities into a true engine of creation, allowing young people on both sides to build together a work that reflects who they are.
NOISE ROOM
AFRICAN CITIES
Kinshasa - France
Led by cultural entrepreneur Malafi Niamba, the Salon des Bruits des Villes Africaines explores African sound heritage and urban realities through artistic creations, meetings and cultural events.
Partnering with the project in 2025 in Strasbourg, then in 2026 in Savigny-le-Temple, Kinarmonik contributed to its development: by offering a stand to the winner of the competition during the 2025 edition, then by providing administrative support to the project in 2026.
This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to supporting independent cultural initiatives and fostering connections between cultural actors, territories and audiences.
LIZ IKAMBA MUSIC
United Kingdom · Music artist and researcher
With Liz Ikamba, Kinarmonik is opening a new creative space between Kinshasa and the United Kingdom. An artist committed to creative research and musical development, Liz will come to the center in 2027 to work with Congolese musicians on the creation of new compositions.
The program includes: exploration of Congolese musical aesthetics, collective experimentation, arrangements, and recording of new works. Kinarmonik will provide its workspaces, network of musicians, and production expertise to support this artistic residency.
Beyond the creative process, this collaboration aims to foster the sharing of skills and experiences among artists, while also opening up opportunities for dissemination and future collaborations between the DRC and the United Kingdom. It's an encounter where exchanges enrich creation and where artists build together, drawing on their respective practices and artistic worlds.
MEETINGS
WHO MAKE PEOPLE MOVE
THE LINES.
Through its collaborations in the DRC and internationally, Kinarmonik circulates ideas, expertise, and experiences. Each encounter is an opportunity to explore different musical worlds, share practices, and imagine new ways of creating together. These exchanges enrich artistic journeys and give rise to projects at the crossroads of cultures.