BIOGRAPHY
"Love is present in each of us. Admitting it is a beginning. Passing it on through one's talent is a grace of the universe. Let us not hesitate"
Karlos Danklou
DANKLOU KOKOU MENSAN, alias “Kaarlojam” was born on October 10, 1984 in Lomé, capital of the Togolese Republic (West Africa).
He is part of a new generation of arrangers, music makers, star and hit makers of "winning" music from Togo.
Music among the DANKLOU is above all a family affair ... Indeed, Papa DANKLOU was in the 60s a great musician - guitarist, member of the famous Togolese orchestra with JAZZ, HI LIFE and SALSA CUBANO influences called "LOS MUCHACHOS AFROCUBANO", a musical formation which, in the past, has revolutionized and written some of the brilliant pages in the history of Togolese music.
In the 2000s, Karlos Danklou was organist at the Catholic Church in his Adidogomé neighborhood in Togo. It was during these years that he met his friend Cael Adotevi who introduced him to the late Venance Agbayissah, sound engineer of his state, musician guitarist arranger who opened the doors of his studio to him. Karlos discovered there, the universe of music production and Sequencers.
The adventure begin . While preparing for his diploma as a higher technician in telecommunications, Karlos hangs out in the evenings in the studio with Venance and on weekends as a pianist in the former JAZZ CLUB SUNSET in the capital Lomé.
With his best friend, the late Bertin Kponor, he cherishes the dream of one day opening a recording studio.
In 2006, he left for Benin where he met NEL OLIVER, author - composer - performer, sound engineer, boss of one of the largest recording studios in Benin, NEL OLIVER PRODUCTION. This offers him the opportunity to follow a practical training in MAO and "Sound design". Once the internship has been established, NEL OLIVER offers KARLOS an engineering assistant contract, in order to strengthen his professional experience. Karlos will become his sound technician on stage and in the studio. He will arrange among other things several of his pieces.
Back, he created his structure: ALL THAT PRODUCTION with his audiovisual production and post-production studio called Studio GFC. The dream finally came true, but without his friend Bertin Kponor who died a few months before the official launch of the studio.
Greatly affected by this loss, Karlos continues despite everything the fight with his team.
He arranges and records several artists including VANESSA WOROU from Togo with his album EKE.
With his long-time vocalist Rosemonde Tchabi, he surprises the Togolese musical community with music made from African onomatopoeias and exotic instruments.
In partnership with MALICK AYEVA, Talent Developer, Music Promoter and Togolese artistic agent, he is launching a vast program to detect new talents that he reveals to music lovers from Togo and the continent.
In 2019, he decided to take a break and go back to training, while still caressing his dream of providing access to training in sound professions in music and cinema to young students from the African continent.
In his new Canadian environment, he finished one of the best students of the fall 2019 class at the prestigious Recording Arts Canada School of sound and he decided to embark on what he has always loved: experimental music.