the position of Congo's premier group. Franco's music had such popular appeal mainly because it discussed issues affecting ordinary people on a daily basis. Franco led other Congolese musicians in using new technology to produce sounds of much higher quality than in any other part of Africa. The new technology included electric guitars, amplifiers and basses. Congo had now assumed the premier position as Africa's leading music nation. During the late 1960s, Kwamy Munsi and Mulamba Joseph Mujos led nine other musicians in a mass defection from TPOK Jazz. A few months later, saxophonist Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta also left. Franco recruited Rondot Kassongo wa Kassongo to replace Verckys. He also brought in solo guitarist Mose Fan Fan. Fan Fan had a new style of guitar-playing called sebene, which was more danceable. This style came to be known as Sebene ya ba Yankees. Fan Fan also composed a number of extremely popular hits, including "Dje Melasi". 1970–1975 During the 1970s Franco and TPOK Jazz consolidated their position as one of the two giants of Congolese popular music, along with Grand Kalle & l'African Jazz. Many musical stars emerged from both of these bands. TPOK Jazz was staging concerts all over Africa, including places such as Chad and Sudan. The band's finances also improved tremendously. Franco brought on board the composer/vocalist Sam Mangwana, who has a Zimbabwean father and an Angolan mother, but was born and raised in Kinshasa, DRC. He spoke English, Lingala, French and Portuguese, along with a number of other African languages. His recruitment energised the band and infuriated Afrisa, where he came from. In early 1970 Vicky Longomba, who was then acting as Co-president of the band left. Mose Fan Fan, the band's flamboyant solo guitarist also left. Then Youlou Mabiala quit and formed Orchestre Somo Somo with Fan Fan. Soon after that Tshongo Bavon Marie Marie, Franco's biological brother died in an automobile accident. The band fell upon hard times with low record sales and as sparsely attended concerts. Franco was grief-stricken and despondent and stopped playing music for some time. Upon his return, he recorded several songs in memory of his late brother. He then began to rebuild the band. This coincided with the restructuring of Congo by President Mobutu Sese Seko under the program of "L'Authenticite". The name of the country was changed from Congo-Kinshasa to Zaire. Franco adopted the names "L'Okanga La Ndju Pene