Cairo Egypt recording sessions
A couple of years ago, I recorded in Cairo Egypt.
It’s a fascinating city with 20 millions people living in the middle of the desert. It is great in summertime even though it’s very hot and there’s big traffic jams, the Nile River crosses the town and brings fresh air.
Cairo’s history is huge.
So many things to discover: the fascinating pyramids, the beautiful mosques, the Egyptian antiquities museum, the Copt quarter...
The life in the streets is intense. With thousands of shops and craftsmen, the activity in the city is incredible.
I started my recordings in a venue named "Makan". That's really a typical place where the owner is also organizing concerts preserving the traditional music of Egypt.
The Cairo music scene is rich with many great musicians and I've recorded some of them, notably the Zar band Mazaher.
The "Zar" is a very ancient ritual dance of possession coming from Sudan and Ethiopia.
This tradition has become a bit taboo and this unique style is disappearing.
This music has a really outstanding power and energy.
I was really lucky to record this and notably the lead female singer of Mazaher.
At Makan I've also recorded Amin Ibrahim Aly who is playing the "arghoul". People say: that instrument has existed since the pharaonic period.
I’ve used an arghoul sample in "Agabat" on the album "Travel Impressions". I also recorded Hassan Hamidou who plays m'rababa (typical Egyptian violin) and the male singer Sayed Iman.
After this, I did my recordings at the Yacubian building. That’s an incredible place, which gave its name to the Egyptian movie "Yacubian Building"; a beautiful movie that I highly recommend.
This building is a 1930's luxury apartment building with so much old fashion charm and vibrations.
Philippe Dib, who is living there, is a talented musician playing the pentam, canun and many percussions.
Philippe has invited some friends, among them Ahmed Oman (who plays the oud) and the incredible male singer Hany Adel.
I'm always happy to reminisce about Egypt. It is a unique place with multiple landscapes.
The western oasis: Siwa, Dakhla, the White Desert, the Sinai Peninsula, the Red Sea Riviera...
A great place to visit!!
By the way I'm still working on my new album.
I’m using many of these Egyptian samples to compose it.
I plan to release the album before the end of this year but, as an independent artist, preparing the launch is a very time-consuming process.
I will keep you up to date !!!!
Composing a new album
I've been working for a few months on a new album.
I would like to share this new adventure and explain to you my working process.
Composing an album is always a joy and a pain.
There is joy when inspiration leads me to discover new musical horizons and there is pain when nothing happens.
There is also the stress that comes trying to deliver good music to my audience.
The first step in making an album is to have inspiration, like a fire burning in your soul.
Originally I'm a guitarist, It was my job for many years.
I did many gigs and recording sessions but now my computer has become my main instrument.
Sure, i enjoy playing guitar and bass parts on my tunes, but only if the tune demands it.
I create rythms and chord progressions, then I record and mix them on my computer workstation.
By travelling the world and recording musicians, singers and sounds, I've created a huge "sound library".
From this library, I choose and pick the samples of the voices and instruments I need for composing.
I spend a lot of time finding the right place for each sample.
This requires a lot of complexe computer editing to fix the rythms and tuning problems.
I also spend a lot of time by sculpting each of the sounds to find the perfect mix.
It takes me on average 3 weeks to compose a tune!
Composing an album also needs to tell a story, to share a musical journey .
I like the 60's idea of concept albums like Pink Floyd "Ummagumma", King Crimson "The Court of Crimson King", The Who "Tommy", Small Faces "Ogdens nut gone flake" and many others.
When I have a concept line, I feel good. It's my drive and inspiration, thus resulting in the albums "Baul Dimension", Buddha Bar "Travel Impressions" and all my other projects.
I have the concept for this new album. I have nearly 6 tunes ready and I will continue creating while my inner fire is still burning.
I plan to release the album this year.
I will keep you up to date!
Recording on the road
When I travel, I always try to focus on environmental sounds. That's not so easy because your eyes often take the leadership of your senses.
Most of the time we hear but we don't listen to all of sounds around us.
If you pay attention to all sounds around you can capture some interesting soundscapes. When I travel, I try to catch the good ones.
I'm always managing my life of traveler between handing my recorder and my camcorder. I use these 2 machines for recording sounds depending on the context.
That's important for my work and inspiration to get all kind of sounds from everywhere.
One day in Cuba, I was taking a car ride while the radio played; I listened and recorded a Fidel Castro speech. You can listen to it in my tune "soukhna alcolico bush" on Bingo E.P ..
I'm very inspired by the sounds because they are emotional.
I also like to use ambiences in my tunes; I have recorded in the streets, airports, beaches, restaurants, planes, in the nature
and so many places.
I did a “felouka ride” on the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt, and it was the Muezin pray call. I used this sample in "Nile bowling" on "Buddha Bar Travel Impressions" album.
I've also used some intake sound errors and off voices from my recording sessions.In Aleppo, Syria, Mizgin Tahir, a very talented Kurdish female singer has suddenly asked when I have already started recording "any specific place that you want me to start?" I recorded this fault and she has fed my tune " Trempolino " on Trempolino E.P..
The same fault for Bari Siddiqui while he said "it’s very, very new experience in my life" in my tune “Tone Tune Ganja” on Baul Dimension album.
In Kenya, my Kenyan guide was speaking by talkie walkie, his sayings have been used in the intro of Game Drive on Adventures album. And so many others examples..........
I choose these sounds for their meaning, frequencies and reminiscent power.
I often make some computer editing on these sounds. I cut, shorten, make longer, transpose, reverse.....
I also mix them with different sound textures.
I always do the work in my studio Jungle Line. I have my favorite tools and my personal rhythm of working: “always at night”.
The Baul Dimension Experience Part 3
The Baul Dimension Experience Part 3
i've also encountered a great Lady: Bibi Russel. She is an international former top model of the seventies who has created
"Fashion for Development", a project promoting the techniques of Bangladeshi craftsmen. Bibi is also Embassador of the Unesco.
The first time I met her I've been so impressed by her beauty and her charisma. She has also took under her protection many children of the streets of Dhaka. I visited her workshop many times. An outstanding place in Dhaka downtown and I've recorded there some great Bauls artists.
Typical “Bauls” of Bangladesh are people who attempt to liberate the soul from the body through music and dance.
Bibi set up for me a meeting with Farida Parveen, a notable artist in Bangladesh.
She also drove me to visit the Dhahka Movies Studio. Something similar to Bollywwod. It is an incredible place. You feel yourself like in a Fellini film.
Few months later, Bibi visited me in France and I have recorded her voice in my studio.You can listen to my tune Fashion for Development featuring Bibi voice.
During my stay, I've also visited the country side. I saw rivers, lakes, the water is everywhere. There are so many villages where people have an antique way of life. Bangladesh is 162 millions people and the territory is the quarter of France.
I'm so scared for their future with the Global Warming.
I've also visited Sonargaon which is the former main city of the country.A bewitching place with a very old Palace located near a lake.
Bangladesh is one of the world 's fascinating places I've visited.
I 'll never forget my "Baul Dimension" Experience .
One day Bari Siddiqui told me that while playing with his own flute, he chooses by himself the right bamboo in the right field .....
I'm making music using the up-to-date technology of last generation of Macintosh computers .....
My Baul Dimension story is an exeptional cultural meeting.
So there’s a lot of happiness to get connection between People through Music.
My Dhaka recording sessions have fed many of my tunes and I still have some of them unused.
The Baul Dimension Experience Part 2
The Baul Dimension Experience Part 1
Every morning i used to the studio by rickshaw, baby taxi. I remember one day there has been a general strike in the transport !!
For my second trip to Dhaka, I 've recorded my samples at "Tones and Tunes Studio", a funny place located in an accommodation building and equipped with 80's mixing desk and tape machines .
Everybody out there was so nice and astonished to be visited by a guy coming from France and making some unusual music!
They told me that they "have never seen European people here to record !! "
Bangladeshi studios are odd places, always full of people: someone for the tea, someone for the food an other one
for opening the door .... !! Great ambiences and kind people.
I really have had great time to record in Dhaka .
Please watch this video: Tone Tune Ganja .
The Baul Dimension Experience Part 1
The Baul Dimension Experience Part 1
I visited Dhaka in Bangladesh twice . The French foreign Ministry has helped me to setup my trip. Mr Raynouart and Mr Steyer, cultural advisors for the French Embassy of Dhaka, gave me a great support as well.
As soon as i landed the first time in Dhaka, I was chocked by the poverty, pollution, huge traffic, overcrowded city.
However, day after day, moving from place to another, I found out that everybody I bumped into was smiling, warm and friendly. To understand my impressions be free to watch "Positive Bangla"
This video I've made with my shoots of smiling people on the streets of Dhaka.
The 2 times I've recorded in Dhaka, my Friend Bari Siddiqui gave me a big help for organize the recordings sessions.
Bari is a very famous flautist and singer in the country. He is an incredible artist who has gigs all around the world and he also makes music for Bangladeshi movies. Bari helped me in selecting some of the best musicians on the place: Firuz Khan, Norul Haque, Rita, Sonil, Rabindra Svatil Paul, Sheik Jasim and some other great musicians. You can listen to all of them through many of my tunes.
Aleppo recording sessions
I arrived in Aleppo at 8 p.m.It takes 4 hours to arrive by car from Damascus.
Soon arrived I had a meeting with Leila Tambe.I always set up recording sessions in far countries before arriving. Sometimes it takes months.
Leila is the personn who has helped me to select singers and musicians I needed.
So after a dinner and conversation she proposed to drive me directly to the Maestro studio.
There I met the owner Samir Kwefati and we decided to start the recordings.
It was 1am . Without a problem, I’m very used and comfortable to make music late at night as my ears are in a better shape!
We first recorded Ara Tengerian, a Duduk player. Duduk is traditional woodwind instrument of Armenian origins.
Later we recorded Abud Shamon , a musician who plays all Middle East percussions and notably the Daf.
It was 4 am and we decided to end up and to continue at 10 in the morning.
After a short rest in the Artist Residency of Aleppo , a very nice place just beside the Citadel , I was ready to go.
Samir studio is a great place set up at the last floor of a building with an incredible view of Aleppo.
That day we started recordings with Mayada Bselis a famous female Syrian singer.
We continued with Mahmoud Kualdi a bouzouk player. Bouzouk is a stringed instrument.
It was 2 pm when we stopped. Samir had to live.
When I travel and record I have my laptop wich is my portable studio. I can record everywhere at any time : just always ready to catch opportunities.
After visiting the Lost Cities close to Aleppo, I went back to the Artist Residency. I recorded Mizgin Tahir a great female Kurdish singer and Mehmûd Berazi who plays the Tambur which is very similar to Bouzouk.
The next day I visited the antique city of Apame and the ruins of Saint Simeon Monastery. Syria is an amazing crossroad of many Cultures such as Mesopotamian , Greek , Roman, Persian and vestiges of Crusaders.
Later refugees from Armenia, Palestine and Irak settled down in Syria . There are also many reigions; Muslims , Christians , Orthodox , Zoroastrians ....etc
The country is full of antique and modern stories.
My last recording was Rena Derkhorenian at the French Cultural centre. I remember it was a strange place for recording the beautiful voice of Rena.
I have had a great time to record all these great musicians and encountering nice and true people .
I'll never forget Sabine and Nour who took me for a great visit to Damascus by night.
The Syrian recordings sessions have fed my Buddha Bar Travel Impressions and Trempolino productions.
I have still some unused recordings that I will work in the future.
