How was the group formed?
Initially, we were two childhood friends of Sète origin, myself Vincent Sanchez, known as Vin’s, and Vincent Allard, known as Micho. In 2007, we played in the metro, then a third thief came to join us and when it was time to record, we recruited a drummer and a trumpeter. Then, we recruited a bassist and three musicians in 2018. Since then, there are nine of us playing on stage.
Do you consider La Rue Kétanou to be the group’s professional starting point?
Professional certainly! In any case, they were the ones who put us on stage for the first time. That day there were 900 people in the room and they said to us: “Go for it”. At the time, we thought it was crazy.
Does the album “The Crazy Race”, does this title symbolize the devastating madness of men?
Absolutely, when we look at this frantic race for progress, war and consumer society. We must not forget that we are on a stone in the middle of the sidereal void and obviously on the stones next door, we cannot live there. We need to calm down a little. We sometimes forget this situation. Our survival depends on all of us. It’s high time we took care of it.
Are the Afro-Cuban and Cape Verdean sounds due to the training of the musicians?
Certainly a little bit, but that’s our taste too. We are used to listening to South American and African Music. Music elsewhere makes you travel.
On the last album, is it gypsy jazz that punctuates the album?
Maybe a little less than the others. It’s especially Afro-Caribbean waves. We actually recorded part of it in Colombia.
When I write, I need to say something and think about something other than the reality of the world
Are the texts of this album observations?
There are both love songs, self-deprecation, dystopian songs like The taste of water. There is Free which was written before Covid and life stories like The bar in Beber. It’s very eclectic. We don’t really measure the scope of what we’ve written, it’s always difficult to evaluate. When I write, I need to say something and think about something other than the reality of the world.
Do you think you are worthy successors to the Negresses Vertes?
That’s what the newspapers tell us. We take it as a compliment. They did a lot of stuff, they were committed, so if people say that, thank you!
Do you think that words can give birth to hope?
Words are of great importance in obtaining collective consciousness. I think we behave a bit like spoiled little children. Who mess up and break their toys, even though we know how to do incredible things. We are not capable of moving in the right direction and I think that with words, we can define that, think about solutions to find peace, not use up all the resources, and hope to live again in community, in respecting the freedom of each person. Do not let people starve while, on the other hand, mountains of money are accumulated in the hands of a few. We must grow collectively. Perhaps words will allow us to sort out all the problems and move in the right direction.
We are simply trying to do our bit to make people more relaxed, more altruistic and more human…
In your opinion, is progress good or bad for man?
It’s a bit of both. Progress generates far too much pollution to be beneficial. Until we decide to use our resources wisely, things will not get better. In the space of 40 years, we have permanently damaged all the water tables and contaminated all the soil. Glyphosate has been pushed back three times but they will end up killing all the bees. There will be no more pollination. It’s not moving forward, purely for financial reasons. If they decided to screw up the earth for money, well too bad. Individually, we have the impression that all this escapes us and it is very difficult to have a handle on it.
Do you consider yourselves to be committed singers?
I don’t like the word “committed”, it sounds military. On the other hand, protestant and politicized in the etymological sense of the term surely. We’re simply trying to do our bit to make people more relaxed, more friendly, more altruistic and more human… so if that’s what being committed is, yes, we’re committed.
Is Reims and Cartonnerie a first for you?
I think I’ve already come to Reims in a big square thing. It must be the Cartonnerie and, this time, I know there are friends who will come, it will be great.
