Michel Sanchez came up with the idea of mixing Baka Pygmy chants with modern music after hearing on-site recordings of these tribes. Along with Eric Mouquet they created the project Deep Forest. Their first self-titled album (nominated for a Grammy) was released in 1992, with Sweet Lullaby being the smash single which would put Deep Forest on the musical map (UK Top 10 hit). The song "Sweet Lullaby" is adapted from a traditional song from the Solomon Islands. The album Deep Forest was dance-driven and the samples were heavily digitised and edited. It was re-released as a limited edition in 1994 under the name World Mix.
For their second album Boheme, Eric and Michel left behind the sounds of the forest and ventured into Eastern Europe bringing tender, lonesome Hungarian and Gypsy chants with upbeat, yet sad, music. The chants were no longer brief, instead extended phrases had been sampled from Hungarian, Russian and Transylvanian sample CDs. Marta Sebestyen performed on this album.
The duo also performed and produced the remixes for the Youssou N'Dour single "Undecided" in 1994, with guest vocals by Neneh Cherry (who featured on n'Dour's break-through single "Seven Seconds"). That same year Deep Forest made remixes for Jon Anderson's "Deseo", Apollo 440's "Liquid Cool" and Cesária Évora's "My Fatigue is Endless". In 1996 Deep Forest collaborated with Peter Gabriel on the song While the Earth Sleeps, which was written for the film Strange Days.
The follow-up third album, Comparsa, contained sounds and chants from Madagascar and Cuba. The music is often upbeat and celebratory. The last song from the album Media Luna, which was also released as a single, features a duet of Syrian and Spanish singers Abed Azrei and Ana Torroja from Spanish band Mecano. The duo collaborated with Joe Zawinul during the recording of the album. A recording of their live concert in Japan was also released on a CD called Made in Japan. Although all the songs featured in the show are from the previous three albums, they have new often-longer arrangements and all the chants are performed and reinterpreted by live performers.
In 1999 Deep Forest worked with Cheb Mami and Catherine Lara on the song "L'Enfant Fleur" which had been composed for Sol En Si (a French charity which helps HIV families).
In 2000, Deep Forest released a music for the movie Le Prince du Pacifique, Pacifique. It mixes pacific and island beats with electronic music. Music Detected was the title of their fifth much-anticipated official Deep Forest album which saw the duo turn its attention to the Far East and the Orient for inspiration. It also signalled a change in musical style for Deep Forest, from dance to a more rock-influence.
In 2008 Eric Mouquet released Deep Brasil, this album is a collaboration with Brazilian artist Flavio Dell Isola Amazonia.
In 2009, 2010 Eric Mouquet went on tour and prepared the upcoming album Deep Africa.
This album should be released in summer 2011 and will feature lot of African artists, Lokua Kanza, Blick Bassy, Oliza, Wasis Diop, Zama Magudulela, and Wes's brother, Dany Dikoume.
Bohemian Ballet
Deep Forest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De babám, de babám
Babám, babám, de babám
De babám, de babám
Babám, babám, de babám
De babám, de babám
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
Kelj fel romnji, mer' itt maradsz
Olyat vágok három fele
Hull a cigány minden fele
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
Kelj fel romnji, mer' itt maradsz
Olyat vágok három fele
Hull a cigány minden fele
Babám, babám, de babám
De babám, de babám
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
Kelj fel romnji, mer' itt maradsz
Olyat vágok három fele
Hull a cigány minden fele
Babám, babám, de babám
De babám, de babám
Babám, babám, de babám
De babám, de babám
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
Kelj fel romnji, mer' itt maradsz
Olyat vágok három fele
Hull a cigány minden fele
Babám, babám, de babám
De babám, de babám
Babám, babám, de babám
De babám, de babám
The lyrics to Deep Forest's song "Bohemian Ballet" are in Hungarian and include a few repeated phrases throughout the song. The opening phrases are "Babám, babám, de babám, de babám, de babám" which translate to "My darling, my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling". The verses center around a repeated phrase "Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik" which translates to "Rough star, the dawn is breaking". The rest of the verses are a warning to the Romani people to wake up and leave since the singer will be cutting them into three parts and the "Gypsy falls everywhere".
The repetition in the song is a common feature of traditional Hungarian folk songs. The phrase "Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik" is also the opening line of a well-known Hungarian folk song called "The Ballad of the Blade" or "A Vasaló" which highlights the harshness of life in Hungary. The melody of the song is reminiscent of other traditional Hungarian and Romani folk melodies, which may have influenced the production of "Bohemian Ballet". The song also features a fusion of different sounds from across the world such as traditional African, Asian, and indigenous sounds.
Furthermore, the song was also a feature in Deep Forest's album, "Music. Detected" which was released in 2002. Some of the album's tracks were featured in documentaries and films such as the 2006 movie "The Grudge 2". Additionally, it has a resemblance to the works of Bartok and Kodaly who have both studied folk music in Hungary. Lastly, there is no official music video for the song however the song has been used in various commercials and TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars on ABC.
Overall, Deep Forest's "Bohemian Ballet" is a fusion of traditional Hungarian and ethno-electronic sounds. The repeated phrases in the song may be a nod to traditional Hungarian folk music's use of repetition, while the song's warning may reflect the historical persecution of Romani people in Hungary.
Line by Line Meaning
Babám, babám, de babám
The singer is addressing their father in an affectionate way.
De babám, de babám
The singer repeats the address to their father, perhaps as a way to emphasize their closeness.
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
The singer is describing a star that is known for being difficult or rough, but that is beginning to shine during dawn.
Kelj fel romnji, mer' itt maradsz
The artist is addressing a Romani person, telling them to wake up because they need to stay here.
Olyat vágok három fele
The artist is saying that they will cut something into three parts (in this context, it is unclear what they are referring to).
Hull a cigány minden fele
The singer is observing that pieces of something (again, it is unclear what they are referring to) are falling everywhere, including on the Romani people.
Babám, babám, de babám
The singer repeats their address to their father, perhaps as a way to bring themselves back to their affectionate roots despite the possibly violent imagery of the previous lines.
Babám, babám, de babám
The artist repeats their address to their father a second time.
Babám, babám, de babám
The artist repeats their address to their father a third time.
Rudas csillag, hajnal hasadik
The artist repeats their description of the difficult but now shining star.
Kelj fel romnji, mer' itt maradsz
The singer repeats their address to the Romani person.
Olyat vágok három fele
The artist repeats their statement about cutting something into three parts.
Hull a cigány minden fele
The singer repeats their observation of things falling and affecting the Romani people.
Babám, babám, de babám
The singer repeats their address to their father a fourth time.
De babám, de babám
The singer repeats their address to their father a fifth time, perhaps emphasizing the endearing way they address him throughout the song.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIC MOUQUET, MICHEL SANCHEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tkachenko Alexey
Прошло более 10 лет как я услышал этот трек впервые, и он снова и снова будоражит и вызывает сильные эмоции! Только открытый к глубокому восприятию услышит и прочувствует эту музыку! Огромная благодарность!
Павел Якименко
Такую музыку, только истиный меломан может слушать и слышать!!!
jduddysmcc
I can't understand a word they are saying (mostly), but their music just sings to my heart and soul. I am very thankful for that.😎💜
jduddysmcc
Angel Wolfe Probably since 1996 or so...I am guessing LOL.
sux x
Odlična je pjesma ova
László Balázs Tóth
Of yourse you can't understand it. It is a mixed language. It is Gypsy Hungarian, I'm hungarian and understand several words but mostly i dont know what are they saying. I think only few thousand people can undarstand it clearly.
Дмитрий Пятков
There were the times when you didn’t even bother such dumb intellectual thing as “understanding” (words, whatever), yet you were one with the music. This music is from those times.
Ally Eva
@Дмитрий Пятков obviously you just know one language
Яйра Исмаиллва
Душевно...
MycoolNZ
Absolutely love it so much. Thank you to dad buying this album, early 90s. Our family knows it.