Montreal-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer Lionel Kizaba may have left the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011, but as the guiding force behind his self-named quartet, he continues to serve as ambassador of the innovative and modern Congolese house music that we need to create an Afro-Futurist world.

Growing up in Kinshasa, Lionel began playing drums in church at age 5, and soon became an in-demand musician. He studied jazz at the National Institute of the Arts in Kinshasa while mastering soukous in after-hour clubs. After moving to Montreal, Kizaba gained recognition as one of the best drummers on the Canadian world music scene, performing with top bands like AfrotroniX, Mélisande [Électro-Trad] and Zab Maboungou. For several years, he has appeared at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, WOMAD Chile, AFROPUNK Paris, and other cool festivals.

Accompanied on stage by a saxophonist, guitarist, bassist, DJ and dancers from different countries of the world, and influenced by, among others, Papa Wemba, Daft Punk, David Guetta and Stromae, this natural born artist is a pioneer in mixing electronica and vocalizations inspired by his ancestors with Afrobeat, R&B and traditional Congolese soukous. To give spectators a multidimensional experience, visuals with futuristic 3D masks, designed by Kizaba and based on traditional Congolese masks, are often projected behind the musicians. And whether he sings in French, English or Lingala, it is, above all, joy that we hear in Lionel’s voice.