TOGOLESE AND SENEGALESE AT HEART, SOUND ENGINEER TINO NKONOU!

Seydou Martin Nkonou AKA Tino is a beautiful African young man of Togolose ancestry and of Senegalese heart and swagger, he's a sound engineer who's worked with some of Africa most talended hip hop artists such as the members of Bisso Na Bisso among others
Why did I want to interview him?
one because I tend to spotlight African sistas mostly, and I needed to give our brothas some shine as well:)
Two because this brotha is determined to "touch the sky" as he says in wollof "demb ba diekh"m success doen'st just happend to talented people but it happens to people who are persistant on top of the anointed gifts the Almighty blessed them with..
Reading pieces like this, I hope will inspire you in your own lives to push on through whatever is is you want to do...

Let's go!!
1/ Seydou Tino Nkonou est....
En plein forme à cet instant T .

2/Where are u from?/Quels sont tes origines africaines ? Parents are from TOGO, I was born and raised in Senegal which makes mes 100% Senegalese with Togolese DNA.


4/Being that you are of Togolese origins what did living in Senegal that has its own traditions bring to your life and how do you live it? I live it soooooo well; the fact that i speak both laguages and understand both cultures makes it so easy to fit in both environments.

5/ What did music bring to your life?how did u fall in love with music? Music brings passion to my life and food sometimes too :) i didn't fall in love; music chose me and now i'm addicted...

6/I know we've all heard abt a sound engineer but what does the job entailS really, why is your job important to a musician? Because a musician brings the artistic part; we bring the technical one.Setting all the requirements to make the musician hear what he/she was thinking in his/her mind.

7/What was your best experience as a sound engineer?
Recording "match à domicile" feat cheela guigui fall and Anofella with my homy Frisnel in 2006. How do you know that you got a great beat?
J'ai la chaire de poule./I have goose bumps

8/Who are some of your fav' african musicians and sound engineers? Brenda Fassi Mbilia bell Meiway Youkhou ndour JNP

9/Now que tu vis en france comment vis ton metissage culturel entre l'occident et l'afrique? Très bien; j'ai une culture Senegalo/togolaise et un formation scolaire et urbaine Française; je le vis super bien et je n'y pense même pas.

10/When you miss africa where do yo go hang out or chill in france ?/ un endroit qui te rapelle ton chez toi? chez mes tantes ou au restaurant BEST AFRIKA à gare de l'est./My aunts place sor this restaurant called "Best Afrika"

11/De ton enfance kel est ton souvenir le plus precieux?/What's your childhood fav' memory? Mes vacances insouciantes à trainer dans la brouse de mermoz ( devenu VDN depuis) après la saison de pluies à chasser lézards, crapeaux et criquets puis passer l'après midi a faire des chasses à l'homme armé de khramkhram.

12/ Si tu pouvais make beats for an african musician who would it be and why? Meiway: il est fort brenda fassy: elle etait troooopp forte

13/What's ur fav' type of cuisine, quel est on plat africain ou tes plats africain preferes? Thiebou yapp bou wèkhr gbécuit ( sauce epinard avec huile de palme) + foufou gnifoti ( sauve pied de boeufs) Mafé soupou kandja dibi atiéké pousson braisé brochette de coeur tchiebou djèn


14/quelle est ta devise dans la vie and why/What's your life devise? Dèm Beu Djèrkh and sky's the limit because anythings possible as long as u got faith in it only death can take you away from your goals so Dèm Beu Djèrkh


15/La famille c'est./Family is Ma base mon socle/My foundation

16/Qd je dits bisso na bisso que te vient a l'esprit, je sais que tu as bosser avec eux peut tu nous en dire plus sur cette experience , qu'est ce quee cela t' a apporter professionellement et humainement/Could you tell us about your experience with Bisso Na Bisso what did it bring to you ? Professionellement: des contacts; faire des concéssions par rapport à des choix artistiques car il y a enormement de differences entre bosser tout seul et à 8. Humainement: à connaitre mieux les artistes et à comprendre certain de leurs choix.

17/Ou etais tu et comment as tu reagi a l'anonce de la victoire d'obama, et qu'est ce qui t'a toucher le plus et pourquoi? Where were you when you heard of Obama's victory, what touched you the most? J'etais chez moi dans mon canapet.J'ai versé un larme sur la joux gauche en vayant la toute petite fille d' Obama léver la main et sourire à pleine dents!

18/La mort c'est.../Death is La chose la plus sur dans la vie.


19/If you have a son what would you teach him? being fair and dedicated; belive in himself and love a woman.

20/If you had a litle sister what would you advise her about men in general stay focus and listen to your mom

21/Whats the best advice your parents ever gave u?
Travail/Work

22/What do u appreciate abt african women?
They got it all, i'm in love with them

23/ L'amitie c'est/Friendship is
Sacré et aussi sacrément amère parfois malheureusement mais elle reste sacree

24/How important is faith to u?
keeps me on track

25/Fuck the so called system ( la soit disante norme à suivre...)

26/How important is health to you, tu fais du sport, respectes tu une certaine hygiene alimentaire health is everything; it's a duty to take care of what nature gaves you. i do sport 3 times a week ( running; rawing ...) Pour les aliments j'essai de fair eattention le soir; à midi je me fais plaisir sans aucune contrainte. :)

27/ What's the nicest insult somebody can make u
t'es un dingue

28/U told me once that you are crazy abt south african traditional music, can you explain to me why Because the emotion and the power of the choirs are heavenly sent; words can not express how i feel when i listen to south african choirs of their national anthem.

29/Being that you evolve in the music industry comment gardes tu la tete sur les epaules et comment fais tu pour ne pas vivre une vie superficielle ? Because my mother ( my idol ) tought me how to appreciate real thing and not superficial ones.


30/Quel est le plus beau cadeau ton frere t'ai fait (que ce soit quelque chose de materiel ou nom)
What's the nicest gift your brotha ever gave you? Saying he was proud of me./Telling me that he was proud of me


31/Quelle est ta plus grande ambition?What's your greatest ambition? Donner la bonne information à tout le peuple Africain. enough of "marimar" " isaora" "mademoisell" "secret story".....To give great info to the African people, we are tired of the novelas on TV..

32/ Je me rends compte avec l'age qu'aller a l'ecole fut le best cadeau que mes parents gave me, l'education academique represente koi pour toi?As I grow older, I realize that education was the gift my parents ever blessed me with, what does education mean to you? Correspond à apprendre à utiliser les outils mis à disposition pour vivre dans la civilisation actuel.
It gives us the necessary tools to live a decent life in this century. 33/Who's the best sound engineer in your opinion and why? Jimmy douglas ( timbaland, nelly furtado, missy..) Patrick Shevelin’s ( dr. Dre, snoop, 2pac..) Because they just put the music quality on an other level; simple as that. if u doubt it just put dr. Dre chronic 2001 in your cd player and the rest will be history! ;o) 35/ Last time tu me disais que certains producteurs utilisent des sonorites africaines comment les reconait on, et donne moi l'example dune song?/You were telling me that certain international producers used afro beats, how can one recognize the use of it , could you please provide examples? Afro et je le ressent. exemple: Refuge by john legend ( la guitard) luv lock down by kanye west ( mbalx drums ) the champ is here by jada kiss ( drums ) timbaland a beaucoup d'influances rythmique afro/indienne

36/Que ressens tu qd tu crees une song?/ How and what do you feel when you create a song? la joi immense d'entendre ce que j'ai réfléchi et entendu interieurement; quand le matching est parfait : c'est la jouissance ultime; j'ai la chaire de poule et je m'y remet jusqu'à epuisement!Total extase and hapiness to see the result of my work, it gives me goose bumps...

37/Quelles est la difference a ton avis entre la sensualite et etre sexy?What's the difference between being sexy and sensual? On vit un femme sensuel alros qu'on regarde un femme sexy
You feel a sensual woman and you look at a sexy woman

38/si tu devais m'emener a lome ou est ce ke you would take me pour ke jai une belle experience de ton pays d'origine? pas à lomé à kpalimé bassar ou sokodé

39/Is there any togolese artist dans tous les sens que tu conaisses que tu aurais souhaiter que les gens reconaissent son talent?
king Messan Bella Bello

40/quels sont tes endroits preferes de dakar et pourquoi?What are your fav' places in Dakar? mermoz (mon fièf) L'ilot sarpan (seul o monde) la petite plage à côté de chez moi à fenêtre mermoz (longue histoire) le terrain de basket de l'astu (les moments de gloire) la pointe (pain et brochette coeur)

41/A ton avis est ce kil ya un organisme international ki a ton avis fait du bon travail en faveur de lafrik, (nimporte laquelle quelle soit petite ou pas)/ To you what's one non profit organization that is doing great things for Africa. Oui Western Union qui permet à beaucoup africains d'envoyer des sommes considérables au pays

42/Pour toi cest koi avoir du swagger?What is swagger to you?
avoir de l'assurance./Confidence

43/Tu me disais last time que la chanson iwasado de nayanka bell resume ta life peux tu me dire pourkoi?/ You told me once that Iwasado of Nayanka Bell sumarised your life, why? Parcequ'elle resume ma Mère; ma mère adorait cette chanson et chaque fois que je l'entend j'suis luv de ma mère et de la vie qu'elle m'a donné.
Because it reminds me of my mother, she used to love that song and every time I hear it , I think of her and the gift of life she blessed me with.

44/Decris une journee dans la vie de tino?/ What's a day like in the life of Tino?
debout à 9h au bureau à 10h pause dej à 13h30 reprise 14h30 descente 18h45/19h sport 19h30-21h cooking and eating 21h30 relaxation 22h-23h produicing beats 23h-2h30 du mat

45/C'est koi aimer pour toi?/ What does love mean to you?
c'est faire en sorte que jamais un être ou un chose ne quitte ma vie.
It's to try my best never to let that my person leave my life

46/Cest koi ton best morceau africain ou tes best morceaux africain sur leque tu te laches a cent pur cent sur le dancefloor?/ What are some of your fav' African songs that just make you want to let loose on the dancefloor?
Adjolo
jonathan
vuli ndzéla
batéy
zogoda
hainy
kpangor

47/tino quels sont tes projets ou peut on te contacter/ What are your future plans? Placer un max de hits sur tous les grands albums hiphop r'nb et afro qui sortirons en 2010; developper TIXXOPROD ./ To be able to have hits on the biggest hip hop, R& B, Afro music albums coming up in 2010 and to develop my label.. je suis contactable à:
tixxoprod@gmail.com ;
www.myspace.com/tixxomusic

quels sont les morceaux sur lesquels on peut te decouvir/On What songs can we discover your work? Kotigui by Al Peco ( bled hard concept2 )
-Parceque by Al Peco ( bled hard concept 2)
( colonizason )
-T cramé by Al Peco feat chamillionnaire
( colonizason / b.O du film au bout de la nuit avec forest weataker & keenu reeves)
Guerrier by Al peco feat Meiway
- ( dis l'heure d Afro zouk)
-Take it slow by Shirazi
-Electrochoc by Bisso na Bisso feat Espoir 2000 ( Africa )
-Racine by Bisso na Bisso ( Africa )
-Tonton by Bisso na Bisso ( Africa )
-Titati by anofela
-Match a domicile by Cheela feat guigui fall and anofella ( shooté décallé)
-Le salut by Marginal sosa feat Julio ( shooté décallé )
-Decembre les enterrement by Lalcko (diamant de conflit) Bleuf by les 2bals
( mapassa )
-Etat des lieux by Passi ( Evolution )

48/Que representes la stabilite financiere pour toi/What does financial stability means to you? la liberté de pouvoir faire ce que je veux/the freedom to be able to do whatever I want

49/As tu une question pour moi.. Comment me définis tu après ce questionnaire?/How would you define me after this interview?

50/Le bonheur c'est/What's Hapiness to you?
SAN FIN/ENDLESS

51/What do you know for sure in life?
That i'm breathing and death will surely come on day.

Thank you Tino and to answer your question I think that just like all the people reading this interview I get that you are a simple determined young man, proud of who is and of where he comes from, can't wait to hear more about you in the years to come...

Djaa les gars du Togo sont trop fort:)

Eyeee Wayeee:)