I vividly recall when Deep Forest's first hit, "Sweet Lullaby," first poured into my ears, a beguiling hybrid of spacious ambient house and verdant pygmy chants and throat singing, an oddly intimate and organic music tickling something familiar in an atavistic corner of my brain.
The entire '92 Deep Forest album, the work of a pair of Frenchmen (classically-trained musician Michel Sanchez, house music producer Eric Mouquet) and Belgian producer Dan Lacksman, was woven from threads of pygmy source music from Zaire and the Central African Republic (sampled from archival vinyl) imaginatively augmented with atmospheric electronics, melodic keyboard flourishes, and nocturnal beats, an enveloping "world beat" music, the success of which launched an armada of lesser new age imitators.
Twelve years and four more albums later Deep Forest has a collection out on Epic/Legacy, Essence of the Forest, and while the first penetration into hte Forest is still the deepest (represented here by remixes of "Sweet Lullaby" "NIght Bird" and Desert Walk"), unlike other "high concept" units, Deep Forest has continued to make inventive, surprising, and daring use of the indiginous-electronics formula, turning their attention to Eastern Europe for the second album, Boheme (their second hit "Marta's Song" featured the great Hungarian singer Marta Sebestyen), turning up the heat a bit with Latin and Caribbean rhythms on Comparsa, and an odd hybrid of Japan and the American South (which works on "Dignity," less so on "Yuki Song") for Music Detected.
It never feels rote, and Sanchez/Mouquet, much to their credit, seem to care as much about execution as about concept - the forest remains deep and worth exploring.
Article comments
1 - BIJU VASUDEVAN
THIS IS A MEESAGE FOR DEEP FOREST. I COULD NOT CONTACT THEM DORECTLY. PLEASE PASS ON MESSAGE IF POSSIBLE
Dear sirs,
I am a Guitarist based in the Tribal areas of Sundergarh district of Orissa State of INDIA and am an Engineer by profession. Recently I had been to one of the Tribal festivals organized by the Local Tribes as a special guest. I was floored by what I saw and heard. Their Music, Rhythms, Chants and Invocations are simply out of this world. There was really mind-blowing chanting by the Tribal artistes and their music, which is deeply rooted in their Nature worship Traditions, echoes the sounds and rhythms of Nature itself. There are Invocations to Hills, rivers, trees etc. It is like something the world has never seen before.
I am an erstwhile amateur Rock Musician myself and have keenly followed your albums. I thought you would be interested in something as special as this. I know because I’m a musician myself. If you would like to know more please drop me a mail.
Regards
BIJU V
B-14, SECTOR-5,
ROURKELA-2
ORISSA
INDIA
PIN- 769002
TEL- 0661-2644758
E-MAIL- vasudevan_biju@rediffmail.com
2 - Eric Olsen
thanks Biju V, always great to hear people excited abotu music. I have no idea if anyone from Deep Forest will ever see this - I try contacting them through their label
3 - BIJU VASUDEVAN
Thanks a lot mate,
in the meanwhile what do you do. Are you a Musician yourself. What do you play if that is the case
Regards and Respects
biju
4 - Eric Olsen
I am a lapsed guitar player but I have been an electronic music producer/artist in the fairly recent past
5 - Michel Sanchez
my contact is here
best regards