The band strikes up the rumba, and the dance floor in Kinshasa fills with couples who sway to its slinky, sensual rhythm.
Rumba is a music that has an international following, especially for its brassy Cuban version.
However, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), the guitar-driven local variant has a deep and passionate following, and devotees hope that next week the genre will be declared a world cultural treasure.
The DR Congo and its smaller neighbor, the Republic of the Congo, are jointly pushing for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to inscribe their rumba on its list