Matmatah

Matmatah is a group of Rock Breton, founded with Brest in 1995.

Members

Current

Tristan Nihouarn (Stan) with the song, oud, keyboards, guitar and flute
Cédric Floc' H (Sammy) with the guitar
Eric Digaire (Eric) with low, guitar and piano
Benoit Fournier with the percussions and battery

Old

Jean-François Ribald (Fanch)

History

Beginnings

All starts in the bars of Brest, Stan and Sammy turns under the name of the Tricards Twins. At the time of their meeting with Fanch and Eric, they found a new group, from which the name (Matmatah), is drawn from that of the city Matmata, in Tunisia, where Stan spent the holidays during its childhood. This small town with the characteristic to be entirely built under ground: the song Troglodyte (on the album Ouache ) there precisely referred.

Their musical influences are without question a rock'n'roll Old school end-60' S, at the beginning of 70 ' S, severely crossbred initially of Breton traditional music.

In 1998, Matmatah leaves first individual, on which the titles Lambé An Dro and are reproduced the Sheep . Fulgurating success with Brest, then in Brittany where they connect concert on concert.

The same year, the group is registered in Discovered Spring of Bourges. It finishes first in its department, the Finistere, but does not pass the course of the regional selection. The group decides all the same to come to Bourges and gives many concerts in the bars. “I believe that we are the group who played this year in Bourges the most, even if officially, we did not on any date”, declares Eric Digaire, bass player of the group.

Ouache

End 1998, it is the national exit of their first album: Ouache , produced by Claude Chamboisier (ex-Raspberry cane of the Club Dorothée). New success, but this time also in France, and elsewhere ( Ouache will be even published in Russia). More than 800.000 sold specimens, in particular thanks to the tubes Lambé Year Dro , then Emma and the Apology . Matmatah undoubtedly becomes the group more listened by the young public during this summer. It should be said that the album probably arrived at the good moment, whereas the rock'n'roll finds a choice place in the heart of the young public, and that a wave “Celtique” is on the point of falling down on the Hexagon, even on a good part of Western Europe.

One indeed finds well-known traditional airs of accustomed festoù-noz with titles like, inter alia, Lambé An Dro or the Girl of the Black Cat . Another example, the Lament of Fanch , implicit wink with the “gwerzioù” (" complaintes" in Breton, category of song slow, sad and has cappella).

Matmatah probably largely took part in the Celtic vagueness of Musique which broke on France at the end of the Années 1990. However, this label quickly becomes to them heavy because they feel locked up in a vision folklorist of their music, and their influences change little by little. One can as say as they invented a style which will make many followers in the following years: the song on the Cannabis.

Moreover, in June 2000, the four members of the groups appear before the magistrates' court of Nantes, for “provocation with the use of Stupéfiants” and “presentation under one day favorable of the use and the traffic”. This lawsuit made following a concert in Nantes in 1998, where a police officer of the Drug squad, present among the public (he had already alerted justice four years earlier by hearing Mangez me , a tube of the group of Rennes Billy Ze Kick and the Kids in Madness praising the mushroom hallucinogens merits), intervened to note that the public was not deprived to smoke of the Cannabis, but more especially because of the words of two their songs: the Apology ( a detonator or Ricard, if you ace really the cockroach, to choose there' does not have photo, me I choose the marocco. Alcohols have their boozers, caned it is panard. There' which mystifies it, I has some I make his apology. ) and Lambé An Dro ( If you ace of the beuh to be divided, thus come to make a turn with Lambé ). The members of the groups, which risked up to 5 years of prison and 500.000 francs of fine, will finally leave there with 15.000 francs fine each one. This episode will inspire the song to them Some smiles present on the following album.

Rebelote

In 2001, Matmatah leaves a second album, Rebelote which surprises. It should be said that the group completely gave up hoisting the colors of the Brittany, and the public, which appreciated especially its particular identity mixing rock'n'roll, hard rock (" Out" , last title of the opus, is openly inspired by the épiques parts of Led Zeppelin) and traditional influences, is sulky it, even if 150.000 albums are sold and the full concerts. This time, Jesus Presley (producing of Faith No More) is with the production, and that gets along. An album resolutely rock'n'roll where the group mixes English and French titles and points out expensive the rock'n'roll of the Seventies in the middle of the four musicians.

The following year, Matmatah, which continues to connect the scenes, leaves the album live Lust for has Live (where the recovery greeted by its author Sam Bernett of Toujours a corner appears which points out to me sung by Eddy Mitchell in the beginning) and the DVD Piste Off .

Archie Kramer

In 2004, with the album archie Kramer , Matmatah thus tests a return in strength. Although always own-produced, the group did not forget this time to create gauged songs FM, ready with the radio operator passage (even if the group criticizes this tendency in the words of the title " Radio edit"). More success for this album, which, like the precedent however, continuous in the same vein rock'n'roll and hardware 70 ' S. Progressively of the hardly disguised homages, one crosses all there their references, of Serge Gainsbourg, with the Sex Pistols while passing by Ennio Morricone and Led Zeppelin.

But, perhaps contrary to the preceding album, archie Kramer is not that an album with references, and the group tries to print its leg more there. Its standpoint, required passage for a French rock group, is done there finer. One is more and more far from the Apologie .

The four members (Benoit Fournier replaced Fanch with the battery) are invited in India (after the Canada, the China, the Russia) for an exotic round of which they tried to bring back new inspirations. Besides the small pocket of their 6 titles left after archie Kramer will refer clearly there.

… And Times Goes Friendly

In 2006, the four of Matmatah leave maximum CD of 6 titles comprising the title As so of nothing was not , whose Clip of Christophe Acker is diffused on the music channels.

The Cherry

The album left on March 5th, 2007. The guitars are done there more present and much more aggressive. Certain titles are pure hard rock, sometimes crossbred of keys very punky. Success is fulgurating (even if a chronicler of One very tested the album in flames will go down). There exists in simple and double edition. The double album includes/understands a concert recorded with Olympia at the time of their preceding round.

End

November 6th, 2007, after 13 years of existence, the group announces in an official statement its separation by mutual assent for, appears it, to devote itself to more personal projects…

“This group decision was made for reasons as well artistic as professional, each one among us having for desire to continue its musical adventure differently”, adds the group, which will continue however its round of winter, as envisaged until December 15th.

The group states however that it will go up on scene at the summer 2008 for some concerts of good-byes whose dates will be notified in due course.

Discography

External bond

Official site of the group
My Space of the group

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