THERE’S no place for Santa at the Boss Sounds Christmas party on Saturday. Headlining instead will be Kanda Bongo Man.

He is, say the Boss Sounds crew, “the man who single-handedly gave the world the infectious kwasa kwasa dance”.

There’s a famous saying, too: “If Kanda Bongo Man doesn’t make you want to dance, call an ambulance. You’re dead.”

Perhaps a hearse would be more appropriate. But it shouldn’t come to that on Saturday when Newcastle venue The Cluny will be jumping.

Kanda Bongo Man is a Congolese superstar and champion of soukous music, the word being a derivative of secousse which is French for shake.

His kwasa kwasa dance is a high-energy, hip-swinging brand of soukous which emerged in the 1970s and became hugely popular in the 1980s.

It was also championed by the late Pepe Kalle who died of a heart attack in 1998.

Kwasa is also believed to be a French derivative, the word mimicking Quoi ça? (What is it?)

Kanda Bongo Man moved to Paris in 1979 when he also fell under the influence of the rhythmic and celebratory zouk music from the French West Indies, in particular the islands of Guadaloupe and Martinique.

So it’s a very rich cultural cocktail you’ll be imbibing at this festive Boss Sounds gig.

As well as Kanda Bongo Man and his six-piece ensemble you will hear Crossings, a band made up of North East refugees and asylum seekers, some of them exceptionally musically gifted

Crossings was founded in 2009 as a result of a feasibility study into the creative needs of people seeking refuge from torture and hardship in the North East.

The band’s influences include African gospel, Kurdish maqam melodies, reggae and hip hop.

Tickets for the Boss Sounds Christmas Party are £12.50 from The Cluny and the doors open at 8pm. For details of this and other Cluny gigs, visit www.thecluny.com

David Whetstone