Deep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel S… Read Full Bio ↴Deep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet. They compose a new kind of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance beats or chillout beats. Their sound has been described as an "ethno-introspective ambient world music". They were nominated for a Grammy Award in 1994 for Best World Music Album, and in 1995 they won the Award for the album Boheme. The group also became World Music Awards Winner - French group with the highest 1995 world sales. Their albums have sold over 10 million copies.

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.

Fazenda
Deep Forest Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pescando em rios turvos
Suas corredeiras , fim de mundão
Passava dias na fazenda
Montando em bezerro
Com meu primo e meu irmão
Caçando morcego, banho na bica
Chuva de estrelas e lampião 3X
Fazenda

Curral e pasto
Primeiras aventuras
Estórias e lendas
Fazenda
Rancho do peão
Certeiras travessuras
Glórias e prendas
Montando em pêlo de cavalo
Quando tinha arreio
Era um saco de feijão
Passava dias na fazenda
Capinando mato
Com meu primo e meu irmão
Trepando em mangueira , tocando berrante
Banho na represa e violão 3X
Fazenda
Curral e pasto
Primeiras aventuras
Estórias e lendas
Fazenda
Rancho do peão
Certeiras travessuras
Glórias e prendas
Fazenda
Moda de viola
Primeiras aventuras
Estórias e lendas
Fazenda
E seu casarão
Certeiras travessuras
Glórias e prendas.
Passava dias na fazenda
Vida de peão , cavalo alazão
Pescando em rios turvos
Suas corredeiras , fim de mundão
Passava dias na fazenda
Montando em bezerro
Com meu primo e meu irmão
Caçando morcego, armando arapuca
Chuva de estrelas e lampião 3X

Eu e minha vó em sua fazenda
Muita emoção !

Overall Meaning

The above lyrics are from Deep Forest's song "Fazenda," which is a celebration of country life and rural experiences in Brazil. The song pays homage to the simple joys and adventures of growing up on a farm, such as fishing in turbid rivers, riding horses, hunting bats, taking baths in the creek, and playing guitar by the lantern light. The lyrics also reflect on the tight-knit relationships and strong bonds that develop between family and friends who share the same rural lifestyle.

The imagery in the song is vivid and evocative, capturing the essence of rural Brazil. The chorus extols the pride and memories of growing up on a farm with the lines, "Fazenda, curral e pasto / Primeiras aventuras, estórias e lendas / Fazenda, rancho do peão, certeiras travessuras, glórias e prendas" (Farm, corral and pasture / First adventures, stories and legends / Farm, cowboy's ranch, surefire pranks, glories and accomplishments). The verse about horseback riding also captures the innocence and simplicity of youthful pleasures when it says, "Montando em pêlo de cavalo / Quando tinha arreio / Era um saco de feijão" (Riding bareback on a horse / When there was a saddle / It was like a beanbag).

Overall, "Fazenda" is a song that celebrates nostalgia for a simpler, happier, and more authentic way of life. It highlights the importance of family, friendship, and community in shaping one's identity, values, and aspirations. It also serves as a reminder of the beauty and richness of Brazilian culture, particularly in the countryside.

Line by Line Meaning

Pescando em rios turvos
Fishing in murky rivers

Suas corredeiras , fim de mundão
Its rapids, end of the world

Passava dias na fazenda
Spent days at the farm

Montando em bezerro
Riding on calves

Com meu primo e meu irmão
With my cousin and my brother

Caçando morcego, banho na bica
Hunting bat, bathing in the spout

Chuva de estrelas e lampião
Rain of stars and kerosene lamp

Fazenda
Farm

Curral e pasto
Corral and pasture

Primeiras aventuras
First adventures

Estórias e lendas
Stories and legends