Like all young musicians of that era, Guy Ekwe Silo
made his debut in school orchestras. After finishing secondary school, his
parents sent him to France to continue his studies. There, he met several
fellow musicians from Cameroon and picked up where he’d left off musically.
After some time, he began to make a name for himself as an
accomplished rhythm guitarist and was increasingly asked to contribute as a
studio guitarist to albums by artists including Jacky Doumbe, Moni Bile, Dina
Bell, Penda Dalle and Charly Nelle. He has since also emerged as a highly
talented songwriter. It was Maurice Foty, of the well-known duo Tim & Foty
and also founder and owner of the record label Production Lanceleaux – Foty who
recognised this talent and produced his first album in 1986. His second album, entitled Bye bye (Goodbye), was released in 1987, and in 1988 he formed the group Abele, with whom he released the album Corps a corps. The title track was a massive hit, taking over every dance floor in Cameroon that year.
♫ Audio: 1988 Abele & Ekwe Silo – Corps A Corps
These were the years when Makozouk – a mix of Makossa and Zouk – was hugely popular, and Ekwe Silo also embraced this style on his next album Na ma kossa which was released in 1989. With the creative support of Justin Bowen, who handled the arrangements, and Jojo Kuoh, who took care of the drum programming, this album – featuring the hit track Eyomendi – also became a huge hit on the dance floors.
