Les Négresses Vertes

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Les Négresses Vertes
General information
Genre (s) Rock music , world music
founding 1987
Founding members
Accordion, guitar
 Mathieu Matias Canavese
singing
 Noel Helno de Loureacqua Rota
guitar
 Stefane Mellino
Trumpet, keyboards
 Michel Ochowiak
bass
 Jean-Marie Paulus
Current occupation
Accordion, guitar
 Mathieu Matias Canavese
Güiro , percussion
 Iza Mellino
guitar
 Stefane Mellino
Trumpet, keyboards
 Michel Ochowiak
bass
 Jean-Marie Paulus
former members
piano
 Jo Roz
Trombone, percussion
 Abraham Braham Sirinix
Drums
 Zé Verbalito

Les Négresses Vertes ( in English: the green negresses) is a French music group belonging to the genre of world music . The Algerian Raï in particular influenced the band.

History of the band

Before the band was formed, most of the members had been street musicians. In 1987 the musicians met at Les Maitres , which shortly thereafter became Les Négresses Vertes . They provided their music, which was mixed from numerous styles, with sometimes quite political texts, most of which came from the charismatic front man Noel "Helno" Rota. The group's first studio recording was made on the small label Off the Track by the Scot Peter Murray. “200 Ans D'Hypocrisie” appeared on a sampler to mark the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution and was the French version of the Sex Pistols' contribution to the Queen's coronation anniversary in 1977.

In 1989 the band released their first album "Mlah", which means everything is good in the Arabian North Africa , with Canavese's accordion in the foreground of the music. The album was also released on Off the Track , it sold over 500,000 copies and made the group known across Europe. At their performances, the band members usually appeared in colorful robes and costumes, which were changed several times during the concert, and performed circus numbers in addition to the songs. Within a short time the band enjoyed cult status in France.

Their only English-language record was made in 1990. They interpreted the evergreen I love Paris on the Cole Porter tribute album Red Hot + Blue in aid of AIDS aid . 1991 followed with “Famille Nombreuse” the second album and at the same time the commercial high point of their career. If the band was accompanied by a four-part choir on the first record, the eleven-piece troupe on the second album consisted of the eight regular musicians and three other percussionists. Helno's sad lyrics of failed existences stood in astonishing contrast to the cheerful, lively folk-punk mix of the music. The single "Bodega" made it onto the French charts.

On January 22, 1993, Helno died of a heroin overdose at the age of 29 . His death did not mean the end of the band, however, the remaining four founding members divided the vocal parts among themselves, at concerts Stéfane Mellino moved more into the middle of the stage. Reinforced by Iza Mellino, who is now a permanent member of the band, the five Négresses Vertes produced the album "Zig Zague", which was released in 1994 as a homage to the deceased front man. The album produced by Rupert Hine was strongly influenced by Latin American music . A two-year tour followed, which is documented on the live album "Green Bus". The live album was named after the old green Mercedes, which had served the group as a tour bus in its early days.

In 1999, “Trabendo” was an ambitious project in which the band combined various musical styles from the Mediterranean with electronic sounds, with British music producer Howie B contributing the electronic samples. On the tour that followed, they presented new and old songs in acoustic guise and new arrangements. The funky material was also released as an album in October 2001. In 2002 the last album so far was released as "Best of" with the title: Le Grand Déballage 2002.

style

From the beginning, the group pursued the concept of mixing many styles with one another. To European influences from polka , waltz , chanson , flamenco , folk were Latin American musical styles , as well as ska and Raï added. All musical instruments were played acoustically from the start, i.e. without electronic aids, whereby the result in its punk attitude was reminiscent of the style mélange of the Pogues , only that instead of the Anglo- Irish influences, the French and North African musical styles were predominant.

Discography

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Green Bus - En public
  FR 23 06/29/1996 (3 weeks)
Trabendo
  FR 53 10/23/1999 (3 weeks)
Singles
Sous le soleil de Bodega
  FR 28 07/18/1992 (10 weeks)

Albums

  • Mlah (1989)
  • Famille Nombreuse (1991)
  • 10 remixes (1993)
  • An aperitif (1994)
  • Zig-Zague (1994)
  • Green Bus (1996), live
  • Trabendo (1999)
  • Acoustic Clubbing (2001)
  • Le grand déballage (Best of) (2002)
  • À l'affiche (Best of) (2006)

Singles

  • Il (1989)
  • Zobi La Mouche (1989)
  • Voila L'ete (1989)
  • Hou! Mamma Mia (1992)
  • Sous le soleil de bodega (1992)
  • Apres La Pluie (1994)
  • Mambo Show (1994)
  • A Quoi Bon (1995)
  • Easy Girls (1999)
  • Leila (1999)
  • Spank / Abuela (2000)

literature

  • Christian Graf and Burghard Rausch: Rock Music Lexicon. Europe. Volume 2, Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2005 ISBN 3-596-16429-X , page 1545f (main source)
  • Skirt. Rough Guide. Metzler Verlag, Stuttgart Weimar 1998 ISBN 3-476-01542-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Décès Négresses vertes , ina.fr, accessed March 1, 2016
  2. ↑ a b Chart sources: FR