Life 'Dey Jom' For Wanlov

Wanlov on arrival at the Kotoka Airport last Monday night.

This is no kokonsa. Wanlov the Kubolor is back in town after a three-month Culturesfrance residency programme in Paris called Visa for Creation.

He arrived at the Kotoka International Airport last Monday night with news that the programme, which was supported by the French Embassy in Ghana, went extremely well and enabled him complete his second official album.

It is called Brown Card and Wanlov hopes it will be out on the market early next year.

His first album was Green Card and contained the Kokonsa hit. Wanlov, born of a Romanian mother and Ghanaian father, impressed the selection jury for the residency programme with his project that mixes West African and Ghanaian indigenous music with gypsy musical influences.

He left Accra on September 3. “The concept was to record an album that sonically represents my different backgrounds. So I blended Eastern European gipsy music with rhythms and melodies from our sub-region.

“What was very interesting was that at the time I was in Paris, the gipsies were also going through some pressure from the French government so it kind of gave me some ammunition for the work. I met some very good gipsy musicians there and have even been able to form a gipsy component of my band.”

Wanlov stated that he got massive media attention while in Paris and staged a big show at the famous Le Trois Baudets concert hall at Pigalle. He said fans and friends of his travelled from Ethiopia, Cuba, Japan, Holland and other places to see the event.

“As a result of that show, some of the promoters that came around have booked us for next year to take part in the Angouleme International Festival in France.

There are other bookings as well. I will take my musicians from here and combine them with some gipsy musicians to form an Afro-Gipsy band.”

Though in Paris most of the time, Wanlov said he hooked up with his friend and work partner, Mensa and Sena Dagadu for four shows in Budapest, Romania with the Hungarian reggae and dancehall band, Irie Maffia.

Wanlov was grateful to the Ghanaian community in Paris as well as all the people who helped and inspired him during the three-month stay. He said apart from the upcoming Brown Card album, he has material ready for two other albums titled Yellow Card and Red Card.

Valerie Lesbros, Cultural Attache at the French Embassy who recommended Wanlov’s application to Culturesfrance, said only two musicians from Africa were selected for the programme this year and was happy Wanlov utilised his time in Paris very well.