Laskino Ngomateke

Laskino Ngomateke was born on November 2, 1957 in Bangui (Central African Republic). After his primary and secondary studies in Bangui, Laskino entered working life at a very young age as a laboratory technician at Father Godard's charity home. The taste for music came to him from an early age. He joins the choir of his church as a chorister. Coming from a family of musicians, our great guru became a singer from his early youth in Bangui where he started music in a small group that he set up with his friends between 1975 and 1976. The Central African Republic experienced a real explosion of music in the 1970s. Radio and television regularly organized musical programs in the form of competitions for young talents. Laskino won one of these competitions (Vedette en herbe) in which he participated. The Maison des jeunes in the Castors and Fatima districts ran music workshops for young people. Thanks to these actions, many musical groups have been able to form. Thus, Laskino Ngomateke evolves in this environment and cannot remain insensitive to the music. His friends call him “Emy” which means “show-off”. The name "Laskin" is inspired by the French harpist Lily Laskine for whom he had great admiration. He then takes the stage name Emy Laskin Ngomateke. In 1977, a guitarist named Papa Lex spotted Laskino's group and decided to found the Co-Centra group, which met with great success with the title Mbi changed to awali mingui. Then in 1978, Laskino joined the formation of the MESAN party (Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa) created by the former Head of State Bokassa which allowed him to integrate the group called Zo Kwe Zo in the company of prophet Bamboo, Sanfara, Jonathan and Naimo. The tenor singer emerges when he launches the song Délia which makes him known and which becomes popular in Bangui. The Zo Kwe Zo Orchestra hosts concerts and accompanies traditional entertainment groups during President Bokassa's official visits. In 1979, Laskino's tenor voice did not leave Georges Ferreira's group Makembe indifferent. For three years, the great guru evolves with the Makembe with whom he will release several hits including Tita Kima and Samira. The singer addresses themes of love and moral principles. In 1982, Laskino decided to leave his native land and went to France to pursue his musical career. In 1983, he released his first album Nzanza which met with great success. From 1984 to 1987, he evolves within the group Kokombo Stars with which he will compose the song Lungu Aye released in 1985 and which will occupy for several months, the first place of the African Hit parade of Canal Horizon of the radio Tropiques FM. The same year, he released a second album entitled Les Meilleurs with the hit Ata Bimbo produced by Régis Sissoko. In 1986, he released a solo album titled Lonapapa with the title Délina which was a great success in Hispanic countries such as Colombia. After this solo experience, he decided to found his own group called Wanzama in 1988. He called on two great guitarists Saladin and Pablo Lubadika and trained Vivick Matoua in singing. He released the album Tout Tremble produced by Awito, a young Togolese fascinated by Central African rumba. This album met with great success and was translated and sold in many English-speaking countries. After this success, the group decides to separate and Emy Laskin Ngomateke becomes Laskino Ngomateke. He joined the Matchatcha group of Diblo Dibala in which drummer Awilo Longomba was playing at the time, with whom he toured several times around the world. In 1992, he released a solo album (Mabina M'Boka) with the group Matchatcha. The following decade, Laskino became the flagship singer of the group Matchatcha. He writes songs such as Fleur d'Amour and Yaya Monica. They will make numerous international tours where they will perform in countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Reunion Island, United States, Canada, Colombia, United Kingdom, Mayotte Island, Oman, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and the Dominican Republic. Laskino's last collaboration with the group Matchatcha will be on Diblo Dibala's Special Dance album. In 2007, he wrote the song Belle, which met with great success around the world with nearly 300,000 views on You Tube. In 2009, he decided to devote himself exclusively to his solo career by releasing the album Flash Longbô in which he covered two of his greatest hits Tita Kima and Jessia. He also composes a rumba Adelie my darling which meets with great success within the Central African community. In 2012, Laskino was the first Central African artist to participate in the Nuit de la Francophonie which took place at the Martyrs stadium in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo during which many renowned African artists