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| by Bo (Music Mayday), |
Aug 23, 2004 |
Hi! My name is Bo and I work as a trainee at the Music Mayday Foundation in the Netherlands. I play saxophone in an experimental jazz band called Velatropa (see picture). I’ve been working here for a week and I was asked to do a chat interview with a Tanzanian hip-hop & R&B artist called Zeno. I was instantly interested and am now going to share this great conversation with you.
1. Zeno: What kind of music are you doing?
Bo: That’s actually a pretty difficult question because the type of music we play isn’t very familiar to most of the people, and doesn’t have a real name yet. It’s very experimental and we only improvise so it can’t be placed in a specific genre but in can be placed different ones like rock and jazz. I always say to people that it sounds a bit like ‘Miles Davis’ but then again also very different! As you notice, hard to explain.
2. Bo: What kind of music are you doing then?
Zeno: I am doing hip hop and R&B.
3. Zeno: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Bo: I guess from life basically, although that’s a really general answer. With regard to music there are a million things I get my inspiration from! I like a lot of old stuff like Mike Oldfield, Dire Straits and the Beatles but also bands like Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and singer/songwriters like Tom McRae, Beck and Elliot Smith.
4. Bo: Do you also write your own lyrics?
Zeno: Yes, I write my own lyrics, but it depends on my mood though. If I am in the mood I am writing a lot and if I’m busy with work I don’t write at all.
5. Bo: How is life as an artist in Tanzania?
Zeno: Well, life here is good for some of the artists, but for others it isn’t good at all. It’s good for me because I have a job, for those who haven’t got a job it can be very tough.
6. Zeno: What is your future plan in music industry?
Bo: I haven’t got a clear plan yet, but I’ll continue making music until I drop, that’s for sure! And furthermore I hope to perform some more in the future with Velatropa, but I think that will happen!
7. Zeno: Did you perform a lot already?
Bo: We once had a real gig at an Improvisation Jazz Festival and that went very well. We also played at a few parties at friends of ours, but that was mostly for fun.
8. Bo: What are your plans? Tell me some more about your music!
Zeno: I am also going to continue making music till I’ll be known internationally, although I know it will take me many years. The kind of music I do is a mix between French and Swahili. If I would only do my songs in French, my people wouldn’t have any idea about what I’m talking about, because they don’t speak French. But they do get me when I do it in Swahili.
9. Bo: How many songs have you made yet?
Zeno: I’ve got 4 tracks, one is an R&B song which is in Swahili and the other 3 are hip hop songs where I mix Swahili and French. I made the mixed ones in Paris (France) in 2002 with some rappers up there and there’s one I made herein Tanzania with a French rapper called Emmanuel.
10. Bo: Why did you choose French?
Zeno: Well, I chose French because I am working at the embassy and it was so easy for me to meet French musician. But I don’t mind singing in any language; I would also like to make one track in Dutch!
11. Bo: What do you write about mostly?
Zeno: I write a lot about love, but I mostly write about peace in Africa and in the world, my people and about what people think about Africa.
12. Zeno: Tell me about the music in your country, what do people like the most?
Bo: I think the pop/rock bands are really popular at the moment. Bands like Maroon 5, the Sheer, Coldplay, Hoobastank and Keane are really rocking the charts and artists like 50 Cent, Eminem and Outkast are also a big success up here.
13. Bo: What about your country? What music do they listen to the most?
Zeno: The people up here really like American music, but African music is becoming more and more popular too. This is basically because the African people understand the African artists the most. They know what they are talking about. Artists like 2pac, 50 Cent, Eminem and many other American musicians are very popular too; some people up here even try to behave like an American.
14. Zeno: What is your idea or opinion in music, do you think there is any way we can try to change the exchange of music from the way it is now?
Bo: I think that Music Mayday would be a good source for exchanging music. It would be great if there could be music from your country on the Music Mayday site, so that the people from here can listen to that and otherwise.
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Comments
Nice interview Cilia Daemen | Apr 27th, 2005
Like to read this! Bo, keep up the good work!
And Zeno too. Enjoy making your music!
It's inspiring Pauline Fogarty | Sep 3rd, 2007
I love to see rising hiphop acts. I'm inspired to support more efforts in my local scene.
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