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.
Elemental
Deep Forest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And carves her footprints in the earth
She feels like wind to a sailor
And like a candle on a hearth
Elemental
Allahu ekber allah
Asik olmak
[To be your lover]
Of dunyada senin asikin olmak
[In this life (world) be your lover]
Allahu ekber allah
[Greetings Allah]
Asik olmak
[To be your lover]
Of dunyada senin asikin olmak
[In this life (world) be your lover]
She sounds like poetry to a blind man
Step, step, stepping from the pages of a book
Comes on as smooth as the truth in high fidelity
Sharper than a look.
Elemental
Allahu ekber allah
[Greetings Allah]
Asik olmak
[To be your lover]
Of dunyada senin asikin olmak
[In this life (world) be your lover]
Asik olmak
[To be your lover]
Of dunyada senin asikin olmak
[In this life (world) be your lover]
The lyrics of Deep Forest's song "Elemental" portray the various elements of nature as a woman who moves like water over England and leaves her footprints in the earth. The lyrics juxtapose her fluid movements with her solidity and permanence in the earth. She feels like wind to a sailor and brings comfort like a candle on a hearth. In this context, the elements of nature are personified as a woman with an enigmatic presence that can transform any environment. The lyrics then take a spiritual tone with the inclusion of Islamic greetings and a declaration to be a lover of Allah.
The lyrics suggest the power of nature to soothe the soul and the necessity of connecting with the divine. The singer compares the woman to poetry in a book that comes to life and is even more captivating than its written form. "Elemental" conveys the idea that nature embodies a life force which can provide essential meaning and contentment to disheartened souls. The lyrics ultimately attempt to convey the transcendental, transformative power of nature as a life force that can bring an individual close to the divine.
Line by Line Meaning
She moves like water over England
She moves gracefully over the land like water flows over England
And carves her footprints in the earth
She leaves her mark on the earth by carving footprints as she moves
She feels like wind to a sailor
She gives the same feeling as wind does to a sailor
And like a candle on a hearth
She provides warmth and comfort like a candle does on a hearth
She sounds like poetry to a blind man
Her voice is like poetry to someone who cannot see
Step, step, stepping from the pages of a book
She seems to come alive from the pages of a book with every step she takes
Comes on as smooth as the truth in high fidelity
Her presence is smooth and authentic like the truth in high fidelity
Sharper than a look
Her impact is powerful and meaningful, even more than just a look
Allahu ekber allah
The phrase means ‘Greetings Allah' in Arabic
Asik olmak
The phrase means ‘To be your lover' in Turkish
Of dunyada senin asikin olmak
The phrase means ‘In this life (world) be your lover' in Turkish
Asik olmak
The phrase means ‘To be your lover' in Turkish
Of dunyada senin asikin olmak
The phrase means ‘In this life (world) be your lover' in Turkish
Contributed by Aria O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.