Hector Zazou is a prolific French composer and record producer who has worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists. He has worked on his own and other artists' albums, including Sandy Dillon, Mimi Goese, Barbara Gogan, Sevara Nazarkhan, Carlos Nuñez, Italian group PGR, Anne Grete Preux, Laurence Revey, and Sainkho since 1976. A composer is a person who writes music. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Sandy Dillon is an American singer and songwriter. ... Former vocalist for college rock band Hugo Largo, her two collaborations with Moby, Into the Blue and When Its Cold Id Like to Die appear on Mobys album Everything Is Wrong. ... Sevara Nazarkhan is a Uzbek singer, songwriter and musician. ... Carlos Nuñez is a musician from Galicia, Spain, who plays the gaita, a kind of bagpipes. ... PGR could refer to: a television content rating level used in New Zealand - see TV Parental Guidelines Państwowe Gospodarstwo Rolne - state owned farm in Peoples Republic of Poland Progessive Rail, Inc. ...

Long-time collaborators include trumpeter Mark Isham; guitarist Lone Kent; cellist and singer Caroline Lavelle; trumpeter Christian Lechevretel, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums after Sahara Blue; clarinetist and flutist Renaud Pion, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums since Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses; drummer Bill Rieflin; and Japanese recording artist Ryuichi Sakamoto. Mark Isham (b. ... Caroline Lavelle Caroline Lavelle has earned recognition as a singer-songwriter and cello player. ... William Rieflin William Bill Rieflin (born September 30, 1960) is a contemporary musician and is currently drumming for R.E.M.. In the past he has worked with Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Connelly, Nine Inch Nails and many others. ... Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本 龍一 Sakamoto Ryūichi, born January 17, 1952, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan) is an Academy Awards-winning, Grammy-winning, Golden Globe-winning Japanese musician, composer, producer and actor, based in New York and Tokyo. ...

His discography demonstrates his affinity for cross-cultural collaborations, and incorporating modern techniques and sounds in re-recordings of traditional material. He was influenced by Peter Gabriel's album Passion in his fusion of musical polarities (traditional and modern, electronic and acoustic) on his own album Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses. Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950, in Cobham,[1] Surrey, England) is an English musician. ... Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ is a musical album produced in 1989 by Peter Gabriel. ...

Zazou regards his work during the 1980s as his time of apprenticeship in the studio. On his 1986 album, Reivax au Bongo, he experimented with fusing classical vocals with an electronic backdrop. On his 1989 album, Géologies, he combined electronic music with a string quartet.

The albums that he has released under his own name from the 1990s onwards are usually concept albums that draw from literary or folk sources and revolve around a specific theme. The collection of songs on each album assemble contributions from a diverse and global range of pop, folk, world music, avant-garde, and classical recording acts. In popular music, a concept album is an album which is unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical (Shuker 2002, p. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... Folk song redirects here. ... World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ... Experimental music is any music that challenges the commonly accepted notions of what music is. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ...

Zazou's 1992 offering, Sahara Blue, was based on an idea by Jacques Pasquier. Pasquier suggested Zazou commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of author Arthur Rimbaud by setting music to Rimbaud's poetry. Contributions included spoken word from Gérard Depardieu, and music by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerard of Dead Can Dance, Tim Simenon, and David Sylvian. He even adapted a traditional Ethiopian song. Rimbaud redirects here. ... Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (born 27 December 1948,  ) is an Academy Award-nominated French actor. ... Brendan Perry (born June 30, 1959 in Whitechapel, London) is a singer and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work as the male half of the duo, Dead Can Dance, with Lisa Gerrard. ... Lisa Gerrard Lisa Gerrard is an Australian musician and singer who gained international renown as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with fellow Australian Brendan Perry. ... Dead Can Dance is a band comprised of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. ... Tim Simenon (born 21 June 1968) is a record producer famous for his work as U.K. dance outfit Bomb the Bass. ... David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958, in Beckenham, Kent, UK) is an English singer, musician and composer who first gained attention as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the band Japan. ...

In 1994, he released the album Chansons des mers froides (called Songs from the Cold Seas for the anglophone market). The album was based on ocean-themed traditional folk songs from northern countries, such as Canada, Finland, Iceland, and Japan. It featured vocals by pop and rock artists such as Björk, Suzanne Vega, John Cale, Värttina, Jane Siberry, and Siouxsie Sioux in addition to recordings of shamanic incantations and lullabies from Ainu, Nanai, Inuit, and Yakut singers. Musicians included Mark Isham, Brendan Perry, and the Balanescu Quartet. A cameraman accompanied Zazou on the project and they shot and recorded in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Scandinavia, and Siberia. The single "The Long Voyage" was the only song to be an original composition from Zazou. He wrote it in gratitude to his record company Sony who gave him complete artistic liberty. Performed by Suzanne Vega and John Cale, it was released as a single in 1995. The single featured remixes by Mad Professor as well as Zazou himself. Chansons des mers froides (French: songs from the cold seas) is a 1994 album by French musician Hector Zazou. ... Look up Anglophone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the musician. ... Suzanne Vega (born Suzanne Nadine Vega, 11 July 1959, Santa Monica, California) is an American songwriter and singer known for her highly literate lyrics and eclectic folk-inspired music. ... Not to be confused with J.J. Cale. ... Värttinä is a Finnish folk music band that was started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen back in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. ... Jane Siberry (born October 12, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. ... Susan Janet Ballion (born May 27, 1957 in Bromley, London), better known by her stage name, Siouxsie Sioux (IPA: , pronounced the same way as Susie Sue), is the lead singer of both the influential rock band Siouxsie & the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures. ... Ainu ) IPA: (also called Ezo in historical texts) are an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. ... The Nanai people (self name нани; tr. ... For other uses, see Inuit (disambiguation). ... The Sakha (Yakutia) Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Саха́ (Яку́тия); Yakut: Саха Республиката) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... Alexander Balanescu from the cover of second album Luminitza The Balanescu Quartet is a Romanian avant-garde string quartet founded in 1987 by Alexander Bălănescu that achieved fame through the release of several complex cover versions of songs by German experimental electronic music band Kraftwerk. ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ... This article is about Siberia as a whole. ... Sony Corporation ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue of $66. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

His 1998 album, Lights in the Dark, showcased ancient Celtic music sung by Irish singers. Celtic music is a term utilized by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic peoples of Northern Europe. ...

Zazou's collaborative 2000 album 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) with Sandy Dillon was regarded as a financial and critical failure. In the book "Sonora Portraits 2", which accompanies the CD Strong Currents, Zazou says that 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) was his most elaborate album. He describes it as a work of black humour and regards his instrumental composition "Sombre" on the album as one of his best songs ever.

Strong Currents was released in 2003 and featured an all-female vocal cast which included Laurie Anderson, Melanie Gabriel, Lori Carson, Lisa Germano, Irene Grandi, Jane Birkin, and Caroline Lavelle. Musicians included Ryuichi Sakamoto, Dennis Rea, Bill Rieflin and Archaea Strings. The album took six years to complete. Laurie Anderson (born Laura Phillips Anderson, on June 5, 1947, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois) is an American experimental performance artist and musician. ... Melanie Gabriel, born 1976, is the second daughter of Peter Gabriel. ... Lori Carson is a singer, song-writer. ... Lisa Germano, promotional shoot for Happiness (1994). ... Irene Grandi (born December 6, 1969 in Florence) is an Italian singer. ... Jane Mallory Birkin OBE (born 14 December 1946) is an actress and singer. ... Caroline Lavelle Caroline Lavelle has earned recognition as a singer-songwriter and cello player. ... Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本 龍一 Sakamoto Ryūichi, born January 17, 1952, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan) is an Academy Awards-winning, Grammy-winning, Golden Globe-winning Japanese musician, composer, producer and actor, based in New York and Tokyo. ... Dennis Rea, born on 7 July 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, is an American guitarist, writer, and music event organizer currently living in Seattle. ... William (Bill) Rieflin is a contemporary musician that has worked with Ministry, KMFDM, Pigface, R.E.M. and many others, often in the capacity of a drummer. ...

In 2004 Zazou released a companion CD of sorts, L'absence, which included instrumentals, many of the same female vocalists that were featured on Strong Currents, and one male vocalist, French singer Edo.

Zazou has recently been a member of the musical collective named Slow Music. The lineup also included Robert Fripp and Peter Buck on guitars, Fred Chalenor on bass, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Bill Rieflin on keyboards and percussion. He contributed electronics to the group's music, and much of his recent work, including a soundtrack for Carl Théodor Dreyer's silent film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc and the multimedia collaboration released as a CD in 2006, Quadri+Chromies, has focused on electronic sounds produced on computers. Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946 in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England) is a guitarist, record producer and a composer, perhaps best known for being the guitarist for, and only constant member of, the progressive rock band King Crimson. ... Peter Lawrence Buck (born 6 December 1956 in Berkeley, California) is the guitarist and co-founder, along with Bill Berry, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe of the alternative rock band R.E.M. // After spending time in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Buck family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. ...

A number of recent projects are documented on the Music Operator interactive multimedia web site, which graphically documents his recent collaborations while in the background his recent music plays. In january 2008 Hector Zazou released his newest album, Corps électriques, featuring "one of the original riot grrrls" KatieJane Garside, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent and fusion jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær. Riot grrrl (or riot grrl) is an indie/punk feminist movement that reached its height in the 1990s but continues to exert influence over alternative cultures. ... KatieJane Garside, 2005 A vocalist and lyricist with an enthusiastic cult following, KatieJane Garside (born July 8, 1968) fronted the first incarnation of the band Daisy Chainsaw and sang guest vocals for the band Test Department. ... Nils Petter Molvær (born 1960) is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter, composer and producer. ...

Discography

Albums

• 1976 ZNR Barricades 3
• 1978 ZNR Traité de Mécanique Populaire
• 1979 La Perversita
• 1983 Zazou/Bikaye/CYI Noir & Blanc
• 1985 Zazou/Bikaye Mr. Manager
• 1985 Géographies
• 1986 Reivax au Bongo
• 1988 Zazou/Bikaye Guilty!
• 1989 Geologies
• 1989 Géographies/13 proverbes Africains
• 1990 Zazou/Bikaye/CYI Noir & Blanc (with extra tracks)
• 1991 Hector Zazou & Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses
• 1992 Sahara Blue
  • Lead vocalists: Samy Birnbach, Richard Bohringer, John Cale, Dominique Dalcan, Sussan Deihim, Lisa Gerard and Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance, Gérard Depardieu, Anneli Drecker, Barbara Gogan, Khaled, Ketema Mekonn, Malka Spigel
  • Contributors: Kent Condon, Yuka Fujii, Kenji Jammer, Vincent Kenis, Nabil Khalidi, Bill Laswell, Christian Lechevretel, Keith Leblanc, Lightwave, Gilles Martin, Denis Moulin, Renault Pion, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Steve Shehan, Guy Sigsworth, Tim Simenon, David Sylvian, Elizabeth Valetti, Daniel Yvenec
• 1992 Various artists Nunc Musics
• 1994 Sainkho Out of Tuva
• 1994 Various artists Sonora 4'94 (includes one outtake from Sahara Blue entitled Realeza)
• 1994 Chansons des mers froides (Songs from the Cold Seas)
  • Lead vocalists: Björk, John Cale, Tokiko Kato, Lioudmila Khandi, Kilabuk & Nooveya, Catherine-Ann MacPhee, Värttina, Suzanne Vega, Wimme Saari, Jane Siberry, Siouxsie Sioux, Lena Willemark
  • Contributors: Ainu Dancers of Hokkaidō, Balanescu Quartet, Tchotghtguerele Chalchin, Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance, Budgie, Barbara Gogan, Mark Isham, Lightwave, Sargo Maianagacheva, Demnine Ngamtovsovo, Marc Ribot, Sakharine Percussion Group, Noriko Sanagi, Sissimut Dance Drummers, Angelin Tytot
• 1995 Harold Budd/Hector Zazou Glyph
• 1997 Barbara Gogan Made on Earth
• 1998 Lights in the Dark
• 1998 Mimi Goese Soak (four tracks produced by Zazou)
• 1999 Carlos Nuñez Os Amores Libros
• 1999 Laurence Revey Le Creux Des Fees
• 2000 Sandy Dillon & Hector Zazou 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed)
• 2000 Bigazzi/Chianura/Henson Drop 6—The Wolf and the Moon
• 2000 Various artists Drop 5.1
• 2001 Anne Grete Preux Alfabet
• 2002 PGR Per Grazia Ricevuta
• 2003 Sevara Nazarkhan Yol Bolsin
• 2003 Strong Currents
  • Lead vocalists: Laurie Anderson, Jane Birkin, Lori Carson, Melanie Gabriel, Lisa Germano, Irene Grandi, Nicola Hitchcock, Nina Hynes, Caroline Lavelle, Sarah-Jane Morris, Catherine Russell, Emma Stow
  • Contributors: Archaea Strings, Carlos Nuñez, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stefano Bollani, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent, Dennis Rea, Mathias Desmiers, Pierre Chaze, Renaud Pion
• 2004 L'absence
• 2006 Hector Zazou and Bernard Caillaud Quadri(+)Chromies
• 2008 Corps électriques
  • Contributors: KatieJane Garside, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent and Nils Petter Molvær

Richard Bohringer (16 January 1941) is a French actor. ... Khaled Hadj Brahim (born 29 February 1960), better known as Khaled (Arabic: خالد), is a raï singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Sidi-El-Houri in Oran Province of Algeria. ... Malka Spigel is first notable as a founder member Minimal Compact - the only Israeli rock band to have acheived any significant sucess outside of that country. ... Bill Laswell (born February 12, 1955 in Salem, Illinois and raised in Albion, Michigan) is an American bassist, producer and record label owner. ... Guy Sigsworth Guy Sigsworth is an electronica producer and was member of the band Frou Frou together with U.K. singer/songwriter/producer Imogen Heap. ... Tim Simenon (born 21 June 1968) is a record producer famous for his work as U.K. dance outfit Bomb the Bass. ... David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958, in Beckenham, Kent, UK) is an English singer, musician and composer who first gained attention as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the band Japan. ... This article is about the musician. ... Not to be confused with J.J. Cale. ... Värttinä is a Finnish folk music band that was started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen back in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. ... Suzanne Vega (born Suzanne Nadine Vega, 11 July 1959, Santa Monica, California) is an American songwriter and singer known for her highly literate lyrics and eclectic folk-inspired music. ... Wimme Saari (also known as just Wimme) is one of the best known Sami yoik singers from Finland. ... Jane Siberry (born October 12, 1955 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. ... Susan Janet Ballion (born May 27, 1957 in Bromley, London), better known by her stage name, Siouxsie Sioux (IPA: , pronounced the same way as Susie Sue), is the lead singer of both the influential rock band Siouxsie & the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures. ... Lena Willemark (born 1960 in Älvdalen, Dalarna) is a Swedish folk music fiddler, singer, and composer. ...   literally North Sea Circuit, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japans second largest island and the largest of its 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. ... Alexander Balanescu from the cover of second album Luminitza The Balanescu Quartet is a Romanian avant-garde string quartet founded in 1987 by Alexander Bălănescu that achieved fame through the release of several complex cover versions of songs by German experimental electronic music band Kraftwerk. ... Peter Clarke, (born August 21, 1957), better known as Budgie, is an English drummer. ... Mark Isham (b. ... Marc Ribot (born 1954) is a Jewish American guitarist, composer and occasional singer from Newark, New Jersey. ... King Zakarine, also known as Sakkarin, Sakharine, Sackarine, Zackarine, and Zacharine (originally Kham Souk) (1840 March 25, 1904) was the King of Luang Prabang from 1894 to 1904. ... Laurie Anderson (born Laura Phillips Anderson, on June 5, 1947, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois) is an American experimental performance artist and musician. ... Jane Mallory Birkin OBE (born 14 December 1946) is an actress and singer. ... Lori Carson is a singer, song-writer. ... Melanie Gabriel, born 1976, is the second daughter of Peter Gabriel. ... Lisa Germano, promotional shoot for Happiness (1994). ... Irene Grandi (born December 6, 1969 in Florence) is an Italian singer. ... Caroline Lavelle Caroline Lavelle has earned recognition as a singer-songwriter and cello player. ... Catherine Russell (born 1966) is an English actress. ... Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本 龍一 Sakamoto RyÅ«ichi, born January 17, 1952, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan) is an Academy Awards-winning, Grammy-winning, Golden Globe-winning Japanese musician, composer, producer and actor, based in New York and Tokyo. ... William (Bill) Rieflin is a contemporary musician that has worked with Ministry, KMFDM, Pigface, R.E.M. and many others, often in the capacity of a drummer. ... Dennis Rea, born on 7 July 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, is an American guitarist, writer, and music event organizer currently living in Seattle. ... KatieJane Garside, 2005 A vocalist and lyricist with an enthusiastic cult following, KatieJane Garside (born July 8, 1968) fronted the first incarnation of the band Daisy Chainsaw and sang guest vocals for the band Test Department. ... Nils Petter Molvær (born 1960) is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter, composer and producer. ...

Singles

• 1983 Hector Zazou/Papa Wemba Malimba (12" single)
• 1984 Zazou/Bikaye/CYI M'Pasi Ya M'Pamba (12" single)
• 1985 Zazou/Bikaye Mr. Manager (7" and 12" singles)
• 1988 Zazou/Bikaye Guilty!/Na Kenda (12" single)
• 1990 Zazou/Bikaye Get Back (12" single)
• 1992 "I'll Strangle You" featuring Anneli Drecker and Gérard Depardieu
• 1995 "The Long Voyage" featuring John Cale and Suzanne Vega

External links

• Taktic Music bio
• Music Operator
• All Music