Ngozi Gold: MEET RAYCONEX..A MUSIC PRODUCER EXTRAORDINAIRE..

I was hanging out with my friends Nonso and Dennis, talking about the problems of this world when suddenly Nonso's phone rang ,it was a familiar tone..THE THEME SONG TO MALTA GUINESS STREET DANCE..Immediately the conversation changed and we all agreed that whoever produced that song must be smiling to the bank..I noticed Nonso had a mischievous smile and after much persusion and bullying.. lol He finally told us he knew the man behind the MALTA GUINESS STREET DANCE TRACK. After a couple of phone calls , PR@ngozi.com was able to set up an interview with his Manager....We shine the light on the talented and unabashed MUSIC PRODUCER KNOWN AS RAYCONEX................

The Man Rayconex

NGOZI: You have an interesting name. How did You get the name RAYCONEX?

RAYCONEX:  well a friend of mine in second school started callin me ray-x and it kinda stuck...but I discoverd a few yrs after , that if u search for my name online..google will give you results for x-ray..lol...or some other stuff...so I changed d spelling...so its actually spelt rayconex but pronounced ray-x...lol

NGOZI: So who is Rayconex?

RAYCONEX: Etinyene Ekpenyong..that's the full name my papa dash me...Dad is a university PROFESSOR in UNIBEN and Mum was at Edo state education board b4 she passed on..grew up basicly in benin..traveled a lot though..went to UNIBEN and studied banking and finance..graduated wit a 2.1 funny enough in 2007. But production has been my thing. I got into production full time and alongside my boss and partner, we now running 'SO-PAID ENTERTAINMENT''.

NGOZI:May GOD bless your mum's soul! ! Pls tell us.. What's the job description of a music producer?

RAYCONEX: I'll keep this as simple as possible..Identify talent, groom talent, market that talent...it involves bringing out the best in whoever you work with, being humble enough to accept and exchange ideas with your clients and putting it more professionally..Music producers are the ones that orchestrate the music you hear every day. They are musicians and artists in their own right, working hand-in-hand with recording artists to create the best possible recorded representation of their music. The producer's responsibilities are complex and job in itself .quite stressful, but rewarding.Perhaps the most important quality a producer can possess is intuition, as they are in charge of understanding the artist's vision, offering advice on how to improve it, committing that vision to record, and presenting it to the world...abeg madam ngozi..is this enough for u lol.

NGOZI: Hmmn! Radio Raycon Please continue..lol..back to our chit chat..When did your love for music start? Who or what influenced it,was your family supportive then? Are they still supportive and what is your music genre?

RAYCONEX:   Well.!.it all started when I heard Fugeela from d Fugees and when an uncle of mine came from yankee in 1994 and brought an original CD by the 'born Jamericans'..I think 'Kids from Foreign' was the name of the album..I just fell in love with music and the sound and from then on, that interest matured 2 me actually making music ist for myself then for people...as for genre I'd say, rnb, hip hop n pop...ma hand strong for dia well well..lol..n yeah..ma dad bought d pc wich I wrecked installin different production softwares when I was I think SS 1 or 2..lol.

NGOZI:  You have worked with multinational companies and famous artistes and you have quite a number of hit songs to your credit. We have noticed you are not very loud about your accomplishments, Please share some of these productions with us. What is your reason for keeping a low profile and how do you manage it?

RAYCONEX: Yeah...I've worked wit JADA, a girl group in BOSTON signed to UNIVERSAL way back 2010..through the record label I was signed to back then..BYS entertainment...then I did stuff for MALTA GUINESS STREET DANCE, the soundtracks for the commercial and stuff..then I got credits with TERRY THE RAP MAN new single:ZOMBIE ..DUERELLA...YOUNG HANGZ : book of hanz album...a-q: past present n future album, CYRUS DA VIRUS...and presently the young dude buzzing right now..ERIGGA..I did 60 percent of his erigma album dropin very soon..also stuff wit evaezi and odas I can't remember..I keep a low profile cuz I been studying the industry and deliberating on the right image for myself..right now all that is changing though cuz I'm ready to go into this head-on right now...after being awarded BEST PRODUCER OUT OF THE SOUTH OF NIGERIA 2010 and 2011 by SOUTH SOUTH awards its kinda hard keepin a low pro...and to that effect I'm producing a new artist by d name XTRIM...he will be my face in the industry...more on that later.

NGOZI:  Has your work as a music producer been recognized and appreciated ? Do you have your own studio?Does your job keep you smiling to the bank ?

RAYCONEX:  Well its a process.! it is not just about being recognised..Industry insiders know there's a bad guy somewhere oh...and for those that don't, be very scared! I take no prisoners! lol..smiling to the bank? I wonder who frowns to the bank..lol.

NGOZI: I hear you!..people wey dem name join Illegal loan business nko? Oya o!  Which international and local artistes will you like to work with and why?

RAYCONEX: : I'd love to work with RICK ROSS and DAVIDO..why? I think they would be great to work with..the studio experience and all.

NGOZI:  What is the worst experience you have had in the music industry? What lessons did you learn from that experience and What challenges do u face when making great music of international standard in Nigeria?

RAYCONEX: hmmn..worst experience...my studio got burnt to the ground November last year..an up to date protools equiped studio and all..I lost everything except my external hard disk that was in my pocket that day. But that's old jist joor...I got a new studio already...thank God for that. When makin music of international standard? I think d biggest challenge is how 2 push and market the music..cuz here in Naija, TOO MUCH CREATIVITY MOST TIMES IN MUSIC IS SAD TO SAY A WASTE OF TIME..THE AVERAGE NIGERIAN JUST WANTS TO DANCE AND NOT LISTEN...we like dance sha.!..just get em dancing and they love you..get them listening, you taking a risk. But we won't stop doing our very best to change the way people perceive music here..cuz I think if u present people with something new fresh n good, they won't have a choice but embrace it

The Burnt Studio

New improved studio

NGOZI: Interesting! You see why I said you were smiling to banks..burnt studio and u say its old gist! ok o! So what caused the fire

RAYCONEX: It was an Electrical fault from my neighbours flat and it Spread into mine! Thank GOD nobody was hurt, B y GOD;s grace I will call it a minor setback.

NGOZI ; What other interests other than making music do You have...hope cooking is one of them!!lol

RAYCONEX: I love table tennis and soccer...cook? Lol...wen you marry me I'll cook for you!!!lol.

NGOZI : No thanks I'll pass..I want the lining of my stomach intact ...so .. Do you believe in love? What attracts you to a woman and what keeps you attracted to her?

RAYCONEX:  yeah I do..hmmn..nothing special attracts me to a woman....ok...maybe her mind.I can choose to like someone for no reason, it now becomes the lady's job to keep me interested. LOVE is the reason I'm doing something that has never been done before in Naija..an R N B slow love song album. Its gonna be called 'the luv tape'...10 strong songs, all slow bedroom songs about love, sex n related topics...now u see im a romantic guy im praising myself joor. The album has 10 amazing top naija R N B vocalists on it. I won't call names till it drops...its coming by August so I guess we all have 2 wait! No further info till then! Lol.

NGOZI : Is there any special lady who turns your MuMu switch on and maybe inspired the love tape?lol

RAYCONEX: Yes oh..there is oh...ma big madam...she holds the key to my mumu kingdom...though she's in PH n I'm in Lagos..so she nor dey to press the mumu button..thank almighty allah for that!!

NGOZI: As a function of your personal style,do you tend towards SWAG or CLASS

RAYCONEX : Can't you see for yourself I'm classy? Even when I sleep am classy! Can't u smell class all over this interview?

NGOZI: RAYCONEX FOR YOUR MIND joor! Lol !Assuming you were stranded in the amazon forest ,name the top three things that will be on your wish list.
RAYCONEX : GOD, my phone and a bottle of coke! Bring it on amazon!!!

NGOZI: Nice..Pls remember us when the COCA COLA ENDORSEMENT materializes ... What advice do you have for upcoming talented music producers?

RAYCONEX: For upcoming producers...hmmmn..nobody will value you till you place value on yourself!

NGOZI : Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

RAYCONEX : I see myself looking back and wondering what I did to deserve all the good things Baba God had given me.

NGOZI : AMEN and AMEN..

Enjoy Some of HIS PRODUCTIONS