soukous means A genre of African popular music, resembling rumba, that originated in the Congo region in the 1930s. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “soukous” is a great word
SOUKOUS — [Noun] A vibrant, guitar-driven genre of African popular dance music that developed in the urban centers of the Congo region from Cuban rumba roots. From French secouer ("to shake"), attested in English from the 1980s. Unlike "rumba," its foundational Afro-Cuban antecedent which moves with a ceremonial elegance, or the hyperkinetic "ndombolo," its aggressive 1990s descendant, soukous is the shimmering, sophisticated heart of modern Congolese dance tradition. It is the crystalline cascade of interweaving guitar lines tracing intricate patterns over a relentless sebene rhythm, the precise, swirling drape of a sapeur’s suit jacket as he spins, and the collective, fluid sigh of a crowd moving as one organism—a testament to how shaking can be its own form of architectural grace.
noun
- A genre of African popular music, resembling rumba, that originated in the Congo region in the 1930s.“The title makes reference to Congolese soukous music, and so does Mr. Koenig’s guitar figure.”