About
about Me
Alexis Prigas
one of Cameroon’s most prolific songwriters and musicians. His sounds plunge us into the heart of traditional Africa.
Biography
Born on April 11, 1968 in Douala, the ninth of 15 children, Alexis PRIGAS is a “man apart”.
From the moment he woke up in the morning, he was rocked by a record player that spat out all the latest hits by Nelle Eyoum, Eboa Lottin, Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango, Françis Bebey, the Black Styles, James Brown, Fela Ramson Kuti, Elvis Presley, Franco and many others. It was when he entered the Cabaret Oryx Bar in Bonabéri (on the outskirts of Douala), out of curiosity, that he decided to become a drummer, in 1980.
He started out on an acoustic guitar, but decided that a guitar with fewer strings would be better; he was undecided. He found his calling on bass in 1988.
Embarking on a “musical” adventure was one of the biggest risks to take in his world, where the musician is synonymous with the typical thug, and he paid the price; guitar hidden in the ceiling or demolished with raging heels, various punishments, everything to fight against the cursed fiber that had entered him according to those around him. Against all odds, he never gave up. A self-taught musician who rubs shoulders with his peers to exchange the bits of tuition he receives from his elders, he immediately decides to embark on the search for a different kind of African music, one that is both urban and rich in ancestral canons. This is what he calls African Jazz.
From 1991 onwards, he formed a number of groups with friends: Ding Deng Dong Jazz Quartet, Azik Bantu, Le Hélélé, 3Bu, Ozigi Zaga, Kongo Roots, Rosy and Moumban.
His influences, Manu Dibango, Eboa Lottin, Francis Bebey, Ultramarine, Jaco Pastorius, Etienne Mbappe and Richard Bona, inspire him as much as they challenge him. He took each collaboration a step further, and was soon in demand: Geo Masso, Tom Yom’s, Misse Ngoh, Salle John, Julius Essoka, moments of Jam Session with Hervé Meschinet, Gilles Renne, Jojo Kuoh, Lobe Valery, Henri Dikongué and many other Cameroonian stars accompanied him on tour and in cabarets, when he wasn’t in the studio.
2003, a turning point for his vision! Drawing on his experience as a songwriter and composer, he decided to go his own way, devoting himself to building up what is now a vast repertoire, which he shares on his various outings with his band.
2009, For him, it’s the field of jazz registers and syntheses of brand-new ideas that underpin his first album, SPLEEN & JOY. Here, the deep rhythms of Ngosso, Bolobo, Sèkélé, Essèwé, Abélé, Méréngué and a zest of Sahelian music cohabit.
In 2012, he produced and directed Pauline Ndangue’s with the album titled Tèmè.
In 2013, he took a break from his discography to devote himself to producing albums for the FM Prod label.
- He arranges and produces Mr Mbassa’s album Nias
- Fred Bill’s Silanè album
- The album Traumatiser by Charly Champy
2015, a security threat ignites neighboring Nigeria and spreads to Cameroon’s northern borders. He creates the artist collective Don’t Touch My Cameroon to defend the homeland at the cost of song and awareness.
2018, Loma Mwayé (Send light) brings to your ears the verve of lamentations and joys drawn from within and around him through three tracks.
After the tam-tams and balafons with the melodies of our forests, the howls of our mountains, the melodies of our savannahs and the siren song of Spleen and Joy, it’s time to thank those who have followed him, and to welcome those who come to meet him today.
2020,
- Peace And Love with Adil MOUDEN of Morocco
- Muna Inon a duo with Nicole EKOKO
2021,
- Papa duo with klod’ SOSSO
- Songo single
2022,
- Ndolo ya Bolingo a duo with Déborah NTOYA of Congo D.R
Meticulous and in control of what he intends to impose, he prefers to be efficient in the search for cohesion in his ensemble, which for him means the roundness and accuracy of each note.