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.
Dignity
Deep Forest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Place the wreath beneath the tree of life
Honor in the dust the final thrust
In which the trust once thrived
Now dies
Pull the sword from the sheath
Place the wreath beneath the tree of life
In which the trust once thrived
Now dies
Honor in the dust the final thrust
In which the trust once thrived
Now dies
Lift your head in prayer
Only if you dare
You can speak to your God
Hold him in your heart
Roots in the ground
Winding down around the feet of time
Poverty and pain
The ball and chain tradition claims the right
Honor in the dust the final thrust in which the trust has died
Lift your head in prayer
Only if you dare
You can speak to your God
Hold him in your heart
The lyrics to Deep Forest's song "Dignity" speak to the loss of honor and trust in the world. The opening lines speak of pulling a sword from a sheath and placing a wreath beneath the tree of life. These can be interpreted as symbolic actions of both death and honor. The reference to roots in the ground winding down around the feet of time could be reflective of the passing of time and how traditions and truths can change or be lost.
The chorus of the song speaks to lifting your head in prayer and speaking to your God, only if you dare. This could be seen as a commentary on the state of the world and how people may have lost faith or fear judgement. Additionally, the ball and chain of tradition claiming the right could be interpreted as oppressive systems and constructs that hold people back.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the lack of dignity and trust in the world, and the importance of seeking guidance and holding onto personal values and beliefs even in the face of hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
Pull the sword from the sheath
Take action and face challenges.
Place the wreath beneath the tree of life
Give respect to nature and acknowledge its role in life.
Honor in the dust the final thrust
In which the trust once thrived
Now dies
Recognize the end of trust and honor its memory.
Lift your head in prayer
Only if you dare
Find courage to seek help and guidance through prayer.
You can speak to your God
Hold him in your heart
Acknowledge the presence of a higher power in your life.
Roots in the ground
Winding down around the feet of time
Visualize the connection between oneself and nature through time.
Poverty and pain
The ball and chain tradition claims the right
Honor in the dust the final thrust in which the trust has died
Examine the impact of societal traditions on people's lives and remember the loss of trust caused by them.
Contributed by Benjamin K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.