Congolese/Angolan | Los Angeles, California
Ricardo Lemvo has established himself as a pioneer with his innovative music. Lemvo’s blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms with pan-African styles (soukous, Angolan semba, and kizomba) has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “seamless and infectious.”
Lemvo hails from São Salvador Do Congo (M’Banza-Kongo), Zaire in Northern Angola. He grew up in Congo-Kinshasa where he was introduced to Cuban music by a cousin who owned a large collection of vintage Cuban LPs. Lemvo came to the US more than 30 years ago to pursue a law degree but ended up devoting his life to music
Lemvo is the embodiment of the Afro-Latin Diaspora which connects back to Mother Africa via the Cuban clave rhythm. He is truly multicultural and equally at home singing in Spanish, Portuguese, Kimbundu, Turkish, Lingala, and Kikongo.
Since forming his Los Angeles-based band Makina Loca in 1990, Lemvo has refined his craft and vision, raising his joyous voice with strength, singing songs that celebrate life, and most importantly, inspiring his audiences to let loose and dance away their worries.
Through the years, Lemvo has performed countless shows in many festivals, night clubs, and Performing Art Centers throughout Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Australia. Giving him the ultimate form of respect, his songs have been performed and recorded by such artists as Colombia’s Joe Arroyo, Orquesta Revé from Cuba, and the Russian band, Tres Muchachos.
Lemvo’s seven CDs, Tata Masamba, Mambo Yo Yo*, São Salvador*, Ay Valeria!, Isabela Retrospectiva, and Rumba SoYo have been enthusiastically acclaimed by both print and broadcast media worldwide.
Lemvo has been the subject of various radio and television programs including BBC Radio, Radio France Internationale, Radio-Télévision Belge, National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Today Show, CNN World Beat, National Geographic World Music, Rádio Nacional de Angola, and Televisão Pública de Angola.