Diblo Dibala

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Diblo Dibala, often known simply as Diblo, is a Congolese soukous musician, known as "Machine Gun" for his speed and skill on the guitar.

He was born in 1954 in Kisangani. He moved to Kinshasa as a child, and aged 15 won a talent competition which led to him playing guitar in Franco's TPOK band. Dibala remained with the group for only a short period, going on to play with Vox Africa, Orchestra Bella Mambo and Bella Bella.

In 1979 he went to live in Europe, and joined Kanda Bongo Man's band in Paris. Their first album, Iyole (1981), was a success, and Diblo became a sought after session guitarist, working with Pepe Kalle and many other soukous musicians.

In the mid 1980s he formed his own band, Loketo, with singer Aurlus Mabele. A few years later, that band broke up, and he formed a new group, Matchatcha, which is still active after a number of personnel changes.