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Akö

Blick Bassy

NØF.28 — 2015

Tracks Credits Bio Links
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A ké e

Benguè ni ki Wom wé

Benguè wo ki inoum matam

 

A kee ee

Norè ni binènè gwé

Norè gwo ki bi nè

humm hhmmmm

 

A koo eh

Benguè ni ki korock yé

Benguè yo ki i nenéss kwem

 

A koo eh

Nyouss Issi hon malep

Yani ehh hoń a nyouss wè

hmmmm/ hmmmmmm

____________

 

Brother 

Look at his fields 

Do you see what a great harvest it is 

 

Brother 

Taste the fruits from the orchard 

Do you feel how delicious they are? 

Hmmm 

 

Brother 

Look at his fields 

Do you see how generous he is with plants? 

 

Brother 

Give your tiny bit of earth something to drink 

Tomorrow it will nourish you 

Hmmm

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Nsan mbaï

Ngueda koba

A teraga ndiki mbaï

A teraga ndiki mbaï

Nsan mbaï ngueda koba

A teraga ndiki mbaï

Nsan mbaï a bé a tarak ndik mbaï

Nyan mbaï ngueda koba

A teraga ndiki bonguè

A teraga ndiki bo

A teraga ndiki bo

Nyan mbaï ngueda koba

A kohleguè ndik bonguè

Nyan mbaï / biniigana gwo ni gwo

 

Hum hum

Hum hum

 

Sogol nyè bolè

Ni Benguèguè ban Tele

Ni Benguèguè ban Tele

Biniigana gwess gwoo

Sogol nyè bolè

Ni Benguèguè ban tele

Tele

Mahindi mo ni mo

__________

 

Once upon a time

The chief of the family used to protect the village 

Once upon a time,

He used to watch over the kids 

Once upon a time

The mother of the family used to keep the toddlers,

Once upon a time

She used to watch over them, 

And lavish wisdom.  

 

 

Once upon a time, 

The grand father used to forbid the TV 

Once upon a time

The grand father used to protect the toddlers against too much TV

The TV spreading falsehoods

 

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Mbaï i bé i yéñi

Ndiki basso Ba té Ba benguèguè

Sogol a Ba a yéñi

Balal bé,boñ ba té ni nyè

Wap do wap

Ngwan moût i yéni

Nounou yik/lè ni bon bé yi

Mbaï Yosso i kéhi

Ngui mintoñ minan ni boń banan

Wap do wap

 

Pont:

Ngweha ni yi

Bi léï ni mè moni

Ngweha ni yi

Di lama kéba gwo

 

Pouba ni hinda

Koyop koyop ni kwem

Di yé Djamdjara

Bonguè Ba bi hoya la

Gweha ni yi

Di lama niga gwo

Gweha ni yi

Bi gwé bé nguim couleur

Di lama/ pén/ pépén la/ inèm mapubi

Inyui lipém/ lipém li moût Binam

 

___________

 

In front of our eyes, the village is dying

Grand father is dying, but his grand children watch over him

Rich is the one who hands down heritage to his children,

wisdom and good education, 

For the village depends on your children and you completely

 

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Ba ntcho ni loñ

Youlè Ba yi bé to Yom

Ba nibil mbaï yéss

Youlè ba yé Ngui yi

Bon Bess di niga bé

Yani di nimiss bô

Turururu

Ba tché ni loñ

Youlè ba yi Be to yo

Miñam mi mbaï

Basso ba nigil bé Mo

Bonguè Di niga bé

Yani Di nimiss bo

Ba ntché ni mbaï

Youlè ba yi Be to Yom

Bonguè Di niga bé

Yani Di nimiss bo

Tutututu

 ___________

 

They loot the richness of their village 

They ignore the history of their ancestors 

Wisdom lays on earth, they step on it and 

never think about again tomorrow  

Ignoring that a child without education is a lost human. 

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Please tell me

Nyui ki ni niga bé/ bôñ yí

Oh tell me

Balal mè bi yik/lè bé

Ba bi nañ

 

Please tell me

Nyui ki ni bélél béeee/

Iñem mbaï

Oh sorry

Nguéda Ba nop /

Kéré séb

Soñ I mbaï

 

Refrain : hummmmm

 

Please kal mè

Bonguè ni nkè ni ntchoooo

Bi tissoñ

Ohhhh tell me

Ndjè a ga téra mbaï

Yani

 

Please tell me

Nano lè massa

ma noum habé

Ohhh sorry

Nguéda i Pam

Lè ni bomna

Nyui yani

 

Refrain : hummm

 

Pont:

NDI bonguè ni tcho

Inèm tissong

NDI bonguè ni tché

Bon Ba yé yani

Ngo boñ

baga béï

Béss mbaï

 

Refrain : 

Hummm

___

 

An ancestor to his descendance 


« Please tell me, the wisdom that I left has fainted

I left it for the transmission of knowledge. 

Why sowing far away from the big yard of the village?

Then it starts to rain during the dry season, under the cheerful look of the sun.  

Please tell me, 

Now the kids are abandoned in the middle of the town,

Who will be the guardian of the traditions tomorrow? 

 Even safou doesn’t grow anymore, so it’s time for you to unite for the future. »

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A bi tcho ni mè hé

Mounou inèm i nloń

A bi soo ni mè lè

mè ni nyè di bé ni löń

Ndi one love

 

One love ah

 

Mè mi nkè mi houn

Mounou kéré makoun

Me mi nkè mi mboo

Mounou ikéré liboo

Me ntoń love

 

One love ah

 

NDI mè ntoń ni yo hé

Ibi tagbene me na

NDI mè yén ni yo

Ibi tagbene me na

Me ntoń love

One love ah

 

Me ntoń love

One love ah

 

To minbèt mi pis

Mè toñok NDIk yo

Bikuñ mè nkèba iwo

Mè nkèba ndik love

Mè nkèba love

 

One love ah

 

Me nkéba love

 

One love ah

 

____________

 


He abandoned me on the road, 

Ignoring that we were together 

 

One Love

 

He abandoned me on the road, 

Forgetting my presence 

 

One love

One love 

 

In the waste bins that I frisk 

I stir the mud 

I look for Love

 

One love 

 

I look for Love

I look for it but it passed really nearby

I go in circules, looking for it

but it passed really nearby

I look for Love

 

One love

 

Limping, I go forward, staggering to find it 

I tattooed it on my arm 

Tattooed love

 

One love

 

Tattooed love

hiiiiiiiii

On the road he abandoned me 

Ignoring that we were together 

 

One love

 

I look for love

 

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Mama /benguè ni ki inouni

I ntera ni bon bé

Benguè bo ki/ Ba Nyoung matam

Mama/benguè ki singa

I gnounouss ni bon bé

Avenir i yénè boń

 

Mama/Mama

Mama/ avenir yene boń

Mama

 

Benguè ni ki nyadom

A Tera ni balal bé

Benguè ni ki /a neńés bö

Mama hey

Benguè ni nyadom

A holoss ni balal bé

Avenir yé le bo

 

Mama/ mama

Mama avenir yé le bo

 

Benguè ni ki ou té

To pèlè ou béna bé

Mama kalack mè hé

Mbora yoñ ou bi tcho yo

Hanga i bi yin i touyè

Litam libi noum jotam

Mama

Benguè ni ki minloñ

Mi takbene lipan

Benguè mo ki mi neñés bikaï

Mama hey

Ou bi lep me mi mboga

Ou bi tcho ni mè manguè

Avenir yon bi wo

 

Mama/ mama

Mama/ avenir yon ou nol

 

____________

 

 

Mom, look how the bird takes care of his kids,

And look how the cat looks after his,

yes because the children are the future, 

So if you abandon yours, you kill at the same 

time your own future.

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Ndjè yem he

Aga lémblè ni ki me kwem

Nsañè a sañ yani

Ndje yem he

Aga noublè ki me mboñ

Kwem a sañ yani

 

Ndje yem he

Ndje yem hehe

 

Ndjè yem hé

Aga heba ki mè ndjel

Ngueda ma kwo ndim

Ndje yem he

A ga kene ni ki me nguén

Ngueda ma kwo mbouk

Ndje yé he

Ndje yem he

 

Ba bi kena ni

Bonguè he bi tissoñ

Ba bi kolol ni hi

Mambaï hé ni mi nkań

Ndje yem he

Ndjè yem hee

 

Ndje yem he

A ga bomlè ki mè macabo

Ni mbongo tchobi

 

__________

 

 

The elder ones abandon our villages. 

Who will supply my vegetables tomorrow? 

By whom will the tales be told when I become a stammerer? 

Who will guide my pace when age starts to make me lose my sight? 

They are all gone to the cities, abandoning their own villages. 

The city swallowed our heritage for good.

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Mbaï ibé i yéñi 

Soñ i bé i soli binan

Moût à ta bé nyo

Kèmbè i tiñi

Mounou i kéré koumba

Moût à ta bé nyo

Souglou i yéñi

Malét a niñi litom li ndap

Moût à tabé nyo

 

Mbaï ibé i béni

Tisson bi djè yo boñ

Moût à tabé nyo

 

refrain:

Mbaï moût à tabé nyo

Mbaï moût a Tabe nyo

Mbombo a yéñi

Sogol a boñi likass

Moût à tabé nyo

Tisson i yoni

Basso Ba kori nyo

 

Moût à tabé mbaï

Souglou i yéñi

Malét a niñi litom li ndap

Moût à tabé nyo

Mbaï ibé i béni

Tisson bi djè nyè boñ

Moût à tabé nyo

 

Refrain

 

Benguè ,moût a tabé nyo

Mbaï,moût à tabé nyo

Mbaï,mout a tabé nyo

Mbaï,mout a tabé nyo

 

____________

 

 

The moon hides herself under the pile of 

garbage in the yard of the abandoned village,

The goat hangs around in the living room, 

there was nobody anymore.

The teacher in a corner sleeping, grand father 

was sitting from afar, all alone because they 

had abandoned the village.

 

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Ndjèl ou nkoss

Iyé ndjèl i nom

Inloñ ou mbongol

Won waga nom....heee

Malep ou nyo

Moñ ma nti wè niñ

Malep ou nogob

Moñ ma poubous wè. Ehh

 

Eh eh hé hé

Eh eh hé hé

Eh eh hehe

Eh eh hehe

 

Bidjeck ou ndjè

Gwoñ bi nti Wè niñ

Bidjeck ou ndjè

Bi la ti makon ohh

Djon benguè ni longuè

Higui wom ou mboñ

Bonguè Di neñess

Di lama bonglè bo ndjèl ooo

 

Heheh hehehe

Hehehe hehehe

 

____________

 

 

The path that you keep, is the one which lasts

the longest,

The water that we drink, gives us life

this same water purifies us as well. 

What we consume can help us to live,

but can kill us as well,

each action has a consequence, let’s meditate 

before doing. 

 

Executive production by Laurent Bizot & Thibaut Mullings 

 

Art Work: Neals Niat 

Design: Element-S 

Produced By Blick Bassy 

 

Recorded by Florian Monchâtre at Studio Soyuz, Paris

Mixed by Florian Monchâtre in June 2014 at Studio Soyuz

Mastered by Benjamin Joubert at Studio Translab

 

Blick Bassy - guitar, vocals  

Clément Petit - cello, banjo 

Fidel Fourneyron - trombone  

Nicolas Repac - Samples in Wap do Wap and One Love   

Olivier Ker Ourio – Harmonica in Aké 

 

All songs written & composed by Blick Bassy 

Kiki, Aké et Wap do Wap arranged by Clément Petit   

 

All songs published by Nø Førmat! 

 

Written and sung by Blick Bassy - in Bassa, one of some 260 spoken languages in Cameroon - and accompanied by a unique ensemble of guitar, banjo, cello and trombone - Akö’s eleven sparklingly original tracks are a musical revelation. Remarkable then, to consider that these are recordings that were never intended for release. Bassy’s original idea was to get together with the cellist Clément Petit and trombonist Fidel Fourneyron (¿Que Vola?) to record a few songs in homage to his longtime hero Skip James. By chance, the studio they hired was directly below the offices of Nø Førmat!, the innovative French label run by Laurent Bizot, who happened to hear the results of this unlikely yet inspired musical alchemy. As Laurent relates, “when I heard the first song Aké, I was stunned. It sounded like a dream, so light, a voice floating in the sky. Production was minimal but bold and the music had a feel not often heard with African songwriters. They  had taken risks they probably wouldn’t have done if the music was meant for release. The lack of budget,   the time restraints and the restriction to three musicians has conjured something entirely unique and very fresh. Exactly what I like!” 

 

Encouraged by Bizot to record more, the three musicians emerged from the seven-day session with the makings of an album that amounts to the most personal of Bassy’s career. As with the rasping trombone that evokes the familiar whistle of a transcontinental train on Kiki, this album speaks of Bassy’s separation from and connection with home. Sung in Bassa, a language and tradition that he has long championed, Bassy sings of the village he grew up in rural Cameroon - drawing connections between the itinerant musicians of his childhood with journeyman blues legend Skip James. While the influence of the Malian folk of Ali Farka Toure can be detected on Tell Me and Mama, and the complex melodic patterns betray his Cameroonian roots throughout, this is an album that makes subtle references to a musical palette that ranges from the Gypsy Swing flavours of Wap Do Wap to the sparse and haunting singer songwriter classic in the making Ndjèl. 

 





NØF.44 — 1958 — Blick Bassy


Akö