Biography
Swedish-Congolese producer and graphic designer Soraya Lutangu, who performs as Bonaventure, crafts abrasive experimental dance music that directly addresses institutional racism and oppression. Her intricate collage-style tracks, such as the 2017 release FREE LUTANGU, blend documentary speech samples, violent sonic elements, and forceful yet atmospheric electronic beats.
Raised in Lausanne, Switzerland, Lutangu later moved to Berlin. She first trained in graphic and book design before turning to music in 2015 after her nephew Bonaventure died in a racially motivated attack. Adopting the name Bonaventure as a memorial, she described her work as an "identity research tool" and a way to "connect her African and European roots and investigate human boundaries." In 2016 she joined Berlin Community Radio’s Incubator project and was chosen as one of its winners. NON WORLDWIDE issued her debut single “Complexion,” which carried a remix by label co-founder Chino Amobi. Purple Tape Pedigree put out Bonaventure’s first EP, FREE LUTANGU, in 2017; the opening piece “Supremacy” incorporated Sister Souljah’s address from the 1992 PBS series Listening to America, while the closing track “Fearlings” featured spoken-word artist Hannah Black, with whom Lutangu created the performance ANXIETINA. After settling in Berlin, she delivered her second EP, Mentor, on Planet Mu; the record paired her again with Black on “Both” and included Debby Friday’s contribution to “Colony.”
Raised in Lausanne, Switzerland, Lutangu later moved to Berlin. She first trained in graphic and book design before turning to music in 2015 after her nephew Bonaventure died in a racially motivated attack. Adopting the name Bonaventure as a memorial, she described her work as an "identity research tool" and a way to "connect her African and European roots and investigate human boundaries." In 2016 she joined Berlin Community Radio’s Incubator project and was chosen as one of its winners. NON WORLDWIDE issued her debut single “Complexion,” which carried a remix by label co-founder Chino Amobi. Purple Tape Pedigree put out Bonaventure’s first EP, FREE LUTANGU, in 2017; the opening piece “Supremacy” incorporated Sister Souljah’s address from the 1992 PBS series Listening to America, while the closing track “Fearlings” featured spoken-word artist Hannah Black, with whom Lutangu created the performance ANXIETINA. After settling in Berlin, she delivered her second EP, Mentor, on Planet Mu; the record paired her again with Black on “Both” and included Debby Friday’s contribution to “Colony.”
Albums
Singles
