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// Erik Marchand 
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Erik Marchand and the Balkaniks « Pruna »
Having tried his hand successfully at melding his native Breton sounds with voices from Sardinia, Albania, Galicia and Niger ( which resulted in the critically acclaimed 2001 CD « Kan »), Marchand has turned his attention to the powerful rhythms from the Balkans for this 18th album. With « Pruna » the jovial vocalist with a florid moustache has released a savoury exchange with 12 musicians from central Europe who are acknowledged as amongst the best in their respective cultures. Most originate, or are inspired by, the gypsy traditions from the Banat region of Romania. There, according to Marchand, musical tradition « grafts the East-West modernity of popular music from Serbia onto a base of the old lautaresc style from Bucharest and the city suburbs ».
Romania’s Banat region is the powerhouse of this music and it comes as no surprise to learn that it holds the highest number of minority communities in Europe : Serbs, Hungarians, Germans, Bulgarians, Ukrainians and Hutsuls from Transcarpathia mingle freely here. Quite a historical and cultural exchange which the French composer enhances brilliantly with a broad palate of sounds drawn from Turkey and ex-Yugoslavia to Moldovia and his native Brittany coast. Marchand distils ten years of exploration of central European music, as well as his study of the modal world of maqam music.
Harmonia Mundi world music specialist Jean-Philippe Coudène has picked the record as one of the best releases of the last year. He describes Marchand’s efforts as the creation of a whole new musical culture which somehow manages to marry two totally separate traditions. And, indeed, one is swept away by the élan of the 11 tracks that, as the sleeve notes put it, « belong to a country not born yet, where popular culture would have its rightful place, and be able to express the spirit of its community in new, creative terms ». Listeners are guided through the intricacies of this utopian exploration thanks to exhaustive liner notes where they can also find out, for example, that « pruna », or plum, is one of Erik Marchand’s favourite Mediterranean fruit, mainly because it makes the best spirits from Hungary to Bulgaria. It has also inspired one of the most outstanding songs on this vibrant album.
August 2004
Daniel Brown
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// ALL ERIK MARCHAND'S REVIEWS
Erik Marchand and the Balkaniks « Pruna »
05/08/2004
// DISCOGRAPHY
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Unu Daou tri chtar 1 2 3 4 avec J. Molard-C. Olan-V. Tajkuna (Album)
Pruna / avec les Balkaniks (Album)
Chants du centre-Bretagne: An henchou treuz/ avec Thierry Robin (Album)
Sag an tan ell (vers l'autre flamme), avec le Taraf de Caransebes (Album)
Before Bach (Album)
Kan (Album)
Dor /avec le Taraf de Caransebes (Album)
An tri beur (chant du centre bretagne) (Album)// LINKS
RELATED ARTISTS
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REPORTS
// CONTACT
Accords Croisés (Tourneur)
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 53 68 68 Fax : +33 (0)1 47 53 68 69
23 rue des Fontaines du Temple Paris FRA 75003
Send an email
Erik Marchand's Website
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