“There are nine of us on stage, including six disabled people.” Behind the scenes of a post-punk group scheduled for Rock en Seine

The Nantes post-punk band ‘Soyuuz’ has just released its first album. An extraordinary musical project founded by Jérôme Marquet with able-bodied and disabled musicians. They will play on the stage of the Rock en Seine festival on August 25th. A consecration.

The Soyuuz project consists of nine musicians: three able-bodied people and six with disabilities.

An extraordinary group, born in 2017-2018, based on the idea of ​​Jérôme Marquet, an artist and musician from Nantes. He is the founder of the structure ‘Artis Facta’ which organizes the animation of musical creation workshops in ordinary and specialized environments. He also created the association ‘Handi’ArtMix’, which offers young adults with motor disabilities or multiple disabilities the opportunity to participate in artistic workshops.

For me, music has always been a medium for working in institutions.

Jerome Marquet

Founder of the Soyuuz group

“The idea of ​​mixing able-bodied musicians and disabled musicians came from me. I was an educator for many years, I haven’t been one for ten years. But I have kept a very, very strong connection with the specialized environment,” explains the musician from Savenay in Loire-Atlantique.

While the idea of ​​founding this inclusive music group dates back seven years, the repertoire was put together about two years ago. Jean-François and Julien Corbel, two musician brothers, close friends of Jérôme, came to complete the group on bass and drums.

“Now there are nine of us on stage, including six musicians with disabilitiesap,” continues Jerome.

Among these six musicians, there are: Amina (vocals-keyboard), Clément (keyboard), Kyro (keyboard), Darell (vocals-guitar), Martin (guitar) and Olivier (guitar).

Clément, Olivier and Kyro live together in the same shared accommodation in southern Nantes at the Simon de Cyrène house, a living space adapted to their disability.

“It’s a great flat share for disabled people. We come with our problems and we find solutions for them,” comments Clément, 34, with humor and sincerity.

Every Monday afternoon, they all meet in the studio to rehearse. A highly anticipated moment, especially for Kyro. “I like music. I’d like to make it my job later. I have a small synthesizer that I bought myself.”

Music relaxes me, it makes me think about a lot of things

Cyrus

Keyboard in the Soyuuz group

Each member of the group has an instrument adapted to their disability.

The vast majority suffer from cerebral motor impairment.

Darell was born very prematurely. He has no motor disability, but he is hard of hearing and has some speech problems. But he is a beast on stage, he has rhythm in his blood. He sings on stage just like Amina. Both have each their song in the set list played on stage. Great performances.

“Basically, they have a musical ear. They know and listen to music. But from there to practicing music, it wasn’t easy. When your limbs aren’t functional, when you have dyspraxia problems, making music with instruments in an ordinary way is often extremely complicated. So, you have to readapt everything.”

The instruments have been revised and corrected. The basses and guitars can be played either slung or flat. They are in open tuning.

Jerome Marquet

Founder of the Soyuuz group

We use blues techniques. I use capos* on the handle to change the tones according to the pieces.”

*device used to transpose the music of a stringed instrument without changing the fingering or tuning.

“For keyboards, Kyro for example, we have colored stickers. I often announce 1, 2, 3, 4. So 1, 2, 3, 4, we stop. 1,2,3,4, we continue etc.”

On stage, everyone plays. A computer helps us all to be in sync.

Jerome Marquet

Founder of the Soyuuz group

The group claims the status of artists for each of the members. All engaged in the same crazy experience. And all beneficiaries of the fruits of this adventure, both human and musical. Employment contract for everyone. Salary for everyone.

We are all artists in our own right. Everyone is an employee on stage.

Jerome Marquet

Founder of the Soyuuz group

And Jerome concludes: “It’s even their first job contract and it will also be their first salary. Because they are all in a form of incapacity to work. So there you go, it’s a real job to be all together on stage.”

To launch the release of their first album, Soyuuz performed on the Stéréolux stage. Their album ‘Message from Soyuuz’ has been on sale since May 31.

And the cherry on the cake is that they were selected to play at the Rock en Seine festival, at the Saint-Cloud national estate in Paris on Sunday August 25.

A consecration.

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