Welenga - Album
Welenga (Album) by Wes
Wes>
Artist Biography For Wes
Wes Madiko First Saw The Light Of Day Under The Baobab Tree In Moutaba Cameroon Which Lies Some Hundred Miles Away From The City Of Douala. From The Tender Age Of Two His Grandfather Taught Him About Healing Music And How To Play The Kalimba Instrument. The Pair Soon Became Inseparable. His Grandfather Taught Him His Love Of Bantu History And The Wisdom Of The Elephant Of Animist Bantou Philosophy. This Was Responsible For An Important Part Of His Education "it Was In Bush School And During Night-Time Gatherings Listening To The Metallic Beat Of The Kalimba That I Learned The Adventures Of The Father Of All Ancestors E'kwa Mutu." In 1977 At The Age Of Ten Madiko Became The Conductor Of The Group Kwa Kwassi Which Means "think Right". This Musical Formation Brought Together The Most Talented Youngsters In The Village Who Received Instruction Together In History And Art. In 1987 Once More Wes Started To Enjoy Musical Night Of The Wouri Riverbanks. He Was Impatient To Get Back In Touch With The Moutaba Spirit To Promote Bafoun-Bantou Tradition And Returned To The Home Of His Ancestors. He Revived The Kwa Kwassi Orchestra And Embarked On A Tour In Bafoun Country. A Group Of Tourists Turned Up And Were All Bewitched By The Music Including A Young Woman From Lille France. And So Wes Set Off For Europe With His Kalimba Under His Arm. In 1988 The Group Fakol With Benjamin Valfroy And Jo Sene Was Formed. Fakol Played In The Netherlands And In Other Countries Throughout Europe. Aside From His Musical Activity Wes Started To Develop An Involvement In Social Work. He Visited Schools In Lille And Worked With Children. Wes Took Great Pleasure In Transmitting The Wisdom Of The Elephants And The Ancient History Of Africa. Two Years After Jacques Wes's Brother And A Talented Guitarist Died. Their Father Died A Few Months Later Following A Motorbike Accident. These Incidents Led Wes To Meditate On The Fragility Of The Self Saying "there Comes A Time When A Feeling Of Uselessness Invades You And Threatens To Break You But You Hang In There Convinced That There's Always A Breath Of Life Somewhere." In 1992 Wes Traveled To The US And Released The Album Roots. During This Tour He Gave Concerts In Atlanta Georgia. In This Period Wes Also Met Michel Sanchez Of Deep Forest And They Immediately Formed An Artistic Collaboration Starting Work On The Album Welenga Which Means "Universal Conscience". In 1996 Wes Signed With Sony Music France To Release Welenga. Thus Wes Became One Of The First Stars Of The Group Deep Forest. He Gave Concerts In Sydney Melbourne Brisbane In Japan Hungary Poland And Prague. The French TV Channel TF1 Called Alane The Summer Song Of The Year 1997. From 1997 On Wes Performed A G7 Concert With Deep Forest In Lyon France And Is Known As A Multitalented Artist Whose Music Enriches The World As Well For His Humanuity As An Individual Concerned With The Plight Of Children And Those Less Fortunate In The World. Wes Is The First African Artist With A Recording Going Diamond. At The 10th Anniversary Of The World Music Awards In Monaco Presided Over By Prince Albert Wes Received The Award For Best Record Sale Of The Year By An African Artist May 6 1998 . In The Same Year He Performed I Love Football For The FIFA World Cup In France. Another Album Sinami The Memory Was Released In 2000. In 2002 Paramount Pictures Invited Wes To Perform In The Movie The Wild Thornberry And His Song Awa Awa Was On The Soundtrack. This Song Was Also Included In The Soundtracks For The German Movies Falsche Partner And Ein Fall Fuer Zwei. Alane Was Used In The German Films Zahn Um Zahn And Aus Heiterem Himmel. In 2007 Wes Was Working On A New Biography And Spiritual Book. He Also Released A New Album Melowe In 2010. In 2020 German DJ Robin Schulz Released A Remix Of Alane Which Enjoyed Commercial Success In Europe. Wes Madiko Passed Away In A Hospital In Alençon During The Night From June 25–26 2021 Aged 57.
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Biography - Wes
Wes Madiko First Saw The Light Of Day Under The Baobab Tree In Moutaba Cameroon Which Lies Some Hundred Miles Away From The City Of Douala. From The Tender Age Of Two His Grandfather Taught Him About Healing Music And How To Play The Kalimba Instrument. The Pair Soon Became Inseparable. His Grandfather Taught Him His Love Of Bantu History And The Wisdom Of The Elephant Of Animist Bantou Philosophy. This Was Responsible For An Important Part Of His Education "it Was In Bush School And During Night-Time Gatherings Listening To The Metallic Beat Of The Kalimba That I Learned The Adventures Of The Father Of All Ancestors E'kwa Mutu." In 1977 At The Age Of Ten Madiko Became The Conductor Of The Group Kwa Kwassi Which Means "think Right". This Musical Formation Brought Together The Most Talented Youngsters In The Village Who Received Instruction Together In History And Art. In 1987 Once More Wes Started To Enjoy Musical Night Of The Wouri Riverbanks. He Was Impatient To Get Back In Touch With The Moutaba Spirit To Promote Bafoun-Bantou Tradition And Returned To The Home Of His Ancestors. He Revived The Kwa Kwassi Orchestra And Embarked On A Tour In Bafoun Country. A Group Of Tourists Turned Up And Were All Bewitched By The Music Including A Young Woman From Lille France. And So Wes Set Off For Europe With His Kalimba Under His Arm. In 1988 The Group Fakol With Benjamin Valfroy And Jo Sene Was Formed. Fakol Played In The Netherlands And In Other Countries Throughout Europe. Aside From His Musical Activity Wes Started To Develop An Involvement In Social Work. He Visited Schools In Lille And Worked With Children. Wes Took Great Pleasure In Transmitting The Wisdom Of The Elephants And The Ancient History Of Africa. Two Years After Jacques Wes's Brother And A Talented Guitarist Died. Their Father Died A Few Months Later Following A Motorbike Accident. These Incidents Led Wes To Meditate On The Fragility Of The Self Saying "there Comes A Time When A Feeling Of Uselessness Invades You And Threatens To Break You But You Hang In There Convinced That There's Always A Breath Of Life Somewhere." In 1992 Wes Traveled To The US And Released The Album Roots. During This Tour He Gave Concerts In Atlanta Georgia. In This Period Wes Also Met Michel Sanchez Of Deep Forest And They Immediately Formed An Artistic Collaboration Starting Work On The Album Welenga Which Means "Universal Conscience". In 1996 Wes Signed With Sony Music France To Release Welenga. Thus Wes Became One Of The First Stars Of The Group Deep Forest. He Gave Concerts In Sydney Melbourne Brisbane In Japan Hungary Poland And Prague. The French TV Channel TF1 Called Alane The Summer Song Of The Year 1997. From 1997 On Wes Performed A G7 Concert With Deep Forest In Lyon France And Is Known As A Multitalented Artist Whose Music Enriches The World As Well For His Humanuity As An Individual Concerned With The Plight Of Children And Those Less Fortunate In The World. Wes Is The First African Artist With A Recording Going Diamond. At The 10th Anniversary Of The World Music Awards In Monaco Presided Over By Prince Albert Wes Received The Award For Best Record Sale Of The Year By An African Artist May 6 1998 . In The Same Year He Performed I Love Football For The FIFA World Cup In France. Another Album Sinami The Memory Was Released In 2000. In 2002 Paramount Pictures Invited Wes To Perform In The Movie The Wild Thornberry And His Song Awa Awa Was On The Soundtrack. This Song Was Also Included In The Soundtracks For The German Movies Falsche Partner And Ein Fall Fuer Zwei. Alane Was Used In The German Films Zahn Um Zahn And Aus Heiterem Himmel. In 2007 Wes Was Working On A New Biography And Spiritual Book. He Also Released A New Album Melowe In 2010. In 2020 German DJ Robin Schulz Released A Remix Of Alane Which Enjoyed Commercial Success In Europe. Wes Madiko Passed Away In A Hospital In Alençon During The Night From June 25–26 2021 Aged 57.
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But Then Again Music Fortunately Lends To Create Shortcuts Between Very Distant Lands Building Bridges That Defy The Laws Of Space And Bring Together Men Of Goodwill. Whether In A Music Shop Or Elsewhere Therefore The Meeting Between Wes Madiko And Michel Sanchez Had To Take Place Anyway.
With Deep Forest Sanchez Has Demonstrated That The State-Of-The-Art Technology Can Be Used In A Vast Auditorium To Convey The Essence Of Ancestral Traditions Without Betraying Their Essence.
Wes For His Part Sang Of The Land Of His Forefathers Accompanied Only By A Sanza A Delicate Traditional African Instrument.
Wes Was Also A Storyteller Working In The Schools Of The North Travelling From Town To Town Telling People About An Initiation He Had Received As A Child From His Grandfather Who Was An Animist Griot. He Would Tell How His Illustrious Grandfather Would Sit On A Stone And Teach Him To Observe The Ants To Understand More About The Ways Of Men To Decode The Language Of Tree Bark And To Communicate With His Ancestors. He Was The Firstborn Of His Family And As He Demonstrated A Penchant To Become A Griot He Was Baptized Wes Madiko Which In Bantou Means “root From The Land Of The Ancestors”. Therapy By Music Would Be One Of His Missions In The Land Of Men. Having Written His First Traditional Album Which Only Appeared In The US Wes Was Wary Of Facile And Over-Artificial Associations A Form Of White-Gloved Slavery That Is A The Heart Of Too Many Fashionable Cross-Culture Projects. He Was However Reassured By The Sincere Passion Of Michel Sanchez Who For Three Years Gave Wes His Time And Know-How. The Combination Of The Two Spirits The Irrational Wes And The Virtuoso Michel Was A Fusion Of Fire And Water The Meeting Of A Wild But Fertile Root And The Gifted Loving Caretaker Of A Musical Garden Where Wes Improvised Long Musical Laments A Capella In Bafoun One Of The Last Languages Spoken By The Bantou Tribe In The Cameroon. Only Then Did Michel Allow His Sorcerer’s Secrets To Unfold Wrapping These Fragile Melodies In The Finest Of Delicate Musical Arrangements. To Do This He Would Not Hesitate However To Brush Aside Certain Well-Worn Clichés About How Tradition Should Be Treated. The Beauty Of Wes’ Voice Lends Itself To Accompaniment In Virtually Any Style With An Electric Guitar An Accordion A Funky Feel Or An Enveloping Wave Of Synthesizers. The Important Thing Was To Preserve The Natural Pristine Quality Of The Simple Words And Their Innocent Serenity An Intoxicating Blend Of Melancholy And Hope.
When Results From This Can Be Appreciated As A Hymn. However This Is Music For Dancing With The Heart Transported To The Great Fertile Land Of The Ancestors And The Mind Spinning Amidst An Orgy Of Stars.” Welenga Is The 1996 Debut Of The Wes And Michel Sanchez Combination Winning A Grammy Award And In 1998 Also The World Music Award For Best-Selling African Artist. Later In 2000 This Duo Would Again Collaborate To Create Sinami The Memory .
Published: 07 Jul 2021, 21:29
“A Music Shop Is Perhaps A Strange Place For A Meeting Between An French Pianist And An African Griot. Especially When The Music Shop In Question Is In The French City Of Lille Eons Away From Cameroon.But Then Again Music Fortunately Lends To Create Shortcuts Between Very Distant Lands Building Bridges That Defy The Laws Of Space And Bring Together Men Of Goodwill. Whether In A Music Shop Or Elsewhere Therefore The Meeting Between Wes Madiko And Michel Sanchez Had To Take Place Anyway.
With Deep Forest Sanchez Has Demonstrated That The State-Of-The-Art Technology Can Be Used In A Vast Auditorium To Convey The Essence Of Ancestral Traditions Without Betraying Their Essence.
Wes For His Part Sang Of The Land Of His Forefathers Accompanied Only By A Sanza A Delicate Traditional African Instrument.
Wes Was Also A Storyteller Working In The Schools Of The North Travelling From Town To Town Telling People About An Initiation He Had Received As A Child From His Grandfather Who Was An Animist Griot. He Would Tell How His Illustrious Grandfather Would Sit On A Stone And Teach Him To Observe The Ants To Understand More About The Ways Of Men To Decode The Language Of Tree Bark And To Communicate With His Ancestors. He Was The Firstborn Of His Family And As He Demonstrated A Penchant To Become A Griot He Was Baptized Wes Madiko Which In Bantou Means “root From The Land Of The Ancestors”. Therapy By Music Would Be One Of His Missions In The Land Of Men. Having Written His First Traditional Album Which Only Appeared In The US Wes Was Wary Of Facile And Over-Artificial Associations A Form Of White-Gloved Slavery That Is A The Heart Of Too Many Fashionable Cross-Culture Projects. He Was However Reassured By The Sincere Passion Of Michel Sanchez Who For Three Years Gave Wes His Time And Know-How. The Combination Of The Two Spirits The Irrational Wes And The Virtuoso Michel Was A Fusion Of Fire And Water The Meeting Of A Wild But Fertile Root And The Gifted Loving Caretaker Of A Musical Garden Where Wes Improvised Long Musical Laments A Capella In Bafoun One Of The Last Languages Spoken By The Bantou Tribe In The Cameroon. Only Then Did Michel Allow His Sorcerer’s Secrets To Unfold Wrapping These Fragile Melodies In The Finest Of Delicate Musical Arrangements. To Do This He Would Not Hesitate However To Brush Aside Certain Well-Worn Clichés About How Tradition Should Be Treated. The Beauty Of Wes’ Voice Lends Itself To Accompaniment In Virtually Any Style With An Electric Guitar An Accordion A Funky Feel Or An Enveloping Wave Of Synthesizers. The Important Thing Was To Preserve The Natural Pristine Quality Of The Simple Words And Their Innocent Serenity An Intoxicating Blend Of Melancholy And Hope.
When Results From This Can Be Appreciated As A Hymn. However This Is Music For Dancing With The Heart Transported To The Great Fertile Land Of The Ancestors And The Mind Spinning Amidst An Orgy Of Stars.” Welenga Is The 1996 Debut Of The Wes And Michel Sanchez Combination Winning A Grammy Award And In 1998 Also The World Music Award For Best-Selling African Artist. Later In 2000 This Duo Would Again Collaborate To Create Sinami The Memory .