Editorial: Sea, sex and sun?

Posted June 15, 2005

Not quite yet, but with the summer having arrived in Paris, and the longest day in the year just around the corner (which happens to be the day of the “Fête de la Musique” as well), our artists are very busy travelling, recording, playing live and also contributing music to several film soundtracks with great potential, both artistic and commercial.

Sanctuary, eclectic trio from Canada, just returned home after concerts in two churches in Germany, in St. John’s Wood in London and St. Sévérin in Paris, to showcase the release of their album “The heart has it’s reasons”. UK blues band Nublues played a tv show followed by a concert the trendy venue ‘le Point Ephémère’, right on the Canal St. Martin in Paris’ lively 19th Arrondissement, and will be back on the Continent for summer festivals in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. They are already preparing their next album for Dixiefrog, the independent French label, and will be touring Germany in the autumn. MERCAN DEDE from Turkey and the Rumanian Fanfare Ciocarlia recently played the ‘Cabaret Sauvage’ on the North-Eastern side of Paris, a lovely venue resembling a circus tent made of wood, with an eclectic program of world and electronic music artists, in the middle of a beautiful park.

In the studio at the moment: Arto Lindsay and VINICIUS CANTUARIA are finishing the production on their next release, for Cantuaria again on Hannibal/Rykodisc, for Lindsay we are hoping for further news soon. Giovanni Mirabassi new album recording is terminated, with a release in Japan already fixed for the fall, to be followed by a tour of Japan, as is Brad Mehldau new album, scheduled for release on Nonesuch in the fall. Jacky Terrasson will be recording a piano solo album for Blue Note in the next weeks, possibly in France.French duo (Jef Morin and Nico Mizrachi) plus one (John Greaves) Maman will have their intriguing electro/rock production “In and out of Life” on release through Ici d’Ailleurs/Discograph in the fall; Man new album “Helping Hands” will also be out in September, through Belgian avant-garde label Sub Rosa. Israeli singer and composer Chava Alberstein will be recording her next album in the Czech Republic, also for a release in the fall accompanied by some consequent live dates in Europe.

In the context of synchronisation: already out is the movie “Crimen Ferpecto” (Le Crime Farpait / The Ferpect Crime) including music from the Rumanian Fanfare Ciocarlia Scheduled for a launch in France at the end of June is “Musica Cubana”, the Wim Wenders production that follows up on “Buena Vista Social Club”, with a number of artists and composers signed to Termidor, a German based catalogue rich in Latin American music represented here by Métisse Music. “One Last Ride”, a new movie by Ang Lee with a soundtrack by Australian JOSH ABRAHAMS, also signed to Termidor, a composer/artist that had a dance hit in the US Billboard and UK charts last year with “Addicted to Bass” should also be out this summer. Ang Lee had earned an Oscar with “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, had an Oscar nomination with “Sense and Sensibility” and received critical acclaim for the blockbuster movie “The Hulk”. 

"Crossing the Bridge - the sound of Istanbul" is the name of the new movie/documentary by Fatih Akin, a young German based filmmaker of great potential and winner of the Berlin Film Festival with his previous movie "Gegen die Wand" ("Head On"). With the music chosen and coordinated by Alexander Hacke ("Einstürzende Neubauten")   by touring the Istanbul music scene with his mobile recording studio, it features tracks by Turkish acts MERCAN DEDE, BABA ZULA, ORIENT EXPRESSIONS and many more, artists signed to the Turkish independent Doublemoon, whose publishing catalogue Rh Pozitif is represented by Métisse Music.

Another German production is the culture clash comedy “Kebab Connection” by Anno Saul, co-written by the same Fatih Akih and featuring music from our own Algerian star and traveller of the world Djamel Laroussi (“Etoile Filante”), SULTANA, OSMAN ISMEN and other Turkish artists, again from Doublemoon, as well as the ever green “Kung Fu Fighting” by CARL DOUGLAS.

Meanwhile, Cuban pianist of the world Omar Sosa continues his very extensive touring through Europe and the States, UK band Nublues will play the summer festivals across Europe followed by tours in Germany and France around September and November and for all the other artists on tour now and within the next months, please take a look at the tour schedules on the site.

Have a great summer, all of you.

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