ERIC MOUQUET - Arrangement, Keyboards, Programming
MICHEL SANCHEZ - Idea, Arrangement, Keyboards, Programming
MICHEL VILLAIN - Add. Vocals
COOKY CUE - Keyboards, Programming on [6], Engineer
DAN LACKSMAN - Producer. Engineer, Mixing
GUILAIN JONCHERAY - Executive Producer
PETE ARDEN - Re-Mixing on [11]
JOSE "Choco" REYNOSO - Engineer on [11]
APOLLO 440 - Re-Mix, Add. Production on [12], [14]
MARK SPOON - Re-Mix, Add. Production on [13]
DANIEL IRRIBAREN - Re-Mix, Add. Production on [13]
Sweet Lullaby No. 5 in USA and top 10 in UK, Golden Album in USA and
nominated at the Grammy Award 1994. Mid-price reissue of the
internationally flavored, French dance act's remix album. Feauting 15
tracks in all. Highlights include, 'Sweet Lullaby (Ambient Mix), (Round
The World Mix), (Apollo Mix), 'Deep Forest (Sunrise At Alctraz Mix)',
'Forest Hymn (Apollo Mix), 'Hunting', 'Night Bird', 'Desert Walk' &
more. With this album Deep Forest added a few Mixed tracks to the album
called "Deep Forest", it joins together the propulsive dance music of
modern Europe with the haunting voices of the Pygmies of the central
African rain forest. Deep Forest is a unique pop creation with roots
both in the "world beat" phenomenon and in ambient dance music, an
album for dancing and for listening.
Innovatively fusing traditional ethnic musics with state-of-the-art
rhythms, the work of Deep Forest was best typified by their 1993 smash
"Sweet Lullaby," which brought together the contemporary sounds of
ambient techno with the haunting voices of the Pygmies of the central
African rain forest. The project was primarily the work of the French
keyboardists and programmers Eric Mouquet and Michael Sanchez; after
the latter returned from Africa with boxes of records he'd picked up
across the continent, he and Mouquet began sampling the native sounds
for use with their atmospheric dance tracks, and with the aid of
producer Dan Lacksman, their eponymous debut LP appeared in 1993.
Propelled by the international hit "Sweet Lullaby," Deep Forest was a
surprise success; Mouquet and Sanchez soon began work on a follow-up,
this time exploring such areas as Mongolia, India and Hungary,
recording several tracks with singer Marta Sebestyen. The resulting
album, Boheme, appeared in 1995; the third Deep Forest record,
Comparsa, followed in 1998, with Live in Japan appearing a year later.
This French edition of the first album features some exclusive remixes
that don't feature on the UK album "Deep Forest". Why these exclusive
mixes never featured on the UK album or the singles I'll never know.
Basically, the first ten tracks are the same as the regular Deep Forest
album, and then everything after that are extra tracks. The Around the
World mix of Sweet Lullaby gets a laid back house treatment from Pete
Arden, but its the Apollo mix of the same track that made me stop what
I was doing and turn up the stereo - trancey layers build up over the
familiar chords and chants of the original mix, and whilst it never
really kicks in full throttle, this is an excellent piece of remix
work. I always wondered what happened to the first part of the Sunrise
at Alcatraz mix of Deep Forest, the second part of which features on
the CD single of the ambient mixes. Additional remix on both parts are
from Marc Spoon (one half of the German duo Jam and Spoon) and Daniel
Irribaren. However, there's no need to get excited because its much the
same as the second part. But the best is saved until last, with the
almighty Apollo 440 remix of Forest Hymn. This has been an old
favourite of mine that I've had on tape for many years, although I
never knew who remixed it and what the track was actually called apart
from that it featured on this French version of the album. Many thanks
to Benoit Carretier for sending me it! :) Its a stomping dance remix of
what was originally a lovely ambient track (and even the original of
this track failed to appear on some versions of the first album),
although it still retains the euphoric and uplifting vibes of the
original. This track on its own has got to be worth getting the album
for.
World Mix n’est pas un disque comme les autres mais bien
l’expression d’une philosophie. Fous de bidouillages
sonores, Eric Mouquet et Michel Sanchez ont plongé leurs
oreilles dans l’immense réservoir sonore des forêts
africaines. Alchimistes de l’électronique, ils y ont
recueilli la fluidité des flûtes pygmées
d’Afrique centrale, la beauté lancinante des chants bata
de la forêt camerounaise, les pulsations des rythmiques
sénégalaises, et ont ciselé des sons nouveaux,
sidéraux, mystérieux, d’une sensualité
métallique, véritables passerelles entre la magie des
civilisations noires et les rêves du troisième
millénaire. Un mariage qui met en scène par des couleurs
sonores inédites - dans des titres comme "Desert Walk" ou
"Forest Hymn" - le lien des civilisations, la force des pouvoirs, la
persistance des légendes, en un mot la spiritualité,
éternelle, qui transpire dans les pulsations des claviers et des
voix.
Somewhere,
deep in the jungle
are living some little men and women.
They are, our past
and maybe,
maybe they are,
our future...
SWEET LULLABY
Sa ziza zecob dela dalou'a
Boralea'e borale mi komi oula
Etawuae'o ela'o coralia wu'aila
Ilei pandera zel e' tomu pere no mo mai
Alatawuané icas imani'u
Barletas e'e barkia'a
Pro'e lai e'le a pantou
la'u Ilei pandera zel e' tomu pere no mo mai
Sa ziza zecob dela dalou'a
Boralea'e borale mi komi oula
Alatawuané icas iwua'oula
Ilei pandera zel e' tomu pere no mo mai