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.
Green and Blue
Deep Forest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tapes on the floor
Songs we can't afford to play
When we came here today
All I wanted to say was
How much I miss you
Alcohol and cotton balls
And some drugs
When we came here today
I felt something true
Now I'm red-eyed and blue
The lyrics to Deep Forest's "Green and Blue" paint a picture of a relationship that is struggling to survive in the modern world. The song starts off with references to technology, tapes on the floor, and songs that the singer cannot afford to play. These lines may suggest a sense of disconnection and isolation caused by the increasing prevalence of technology in our daily lives.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more personal and emotional. The singer confesses to missing someone they love and feeling something true in their presence. However, the presence of alcohol, cotton balls, and drugs suggests that this relationship may be succumbing to a destructive lifestyle, one that is fueled by substance abuse and financial struggles.
The last line of the song, "Now I'm red-eyed and blue," captures the essence of this emotional rollercoaster. The singer is both sad and angry, hurt by the challenges they face and the choices they have made.
Overall, "Green and Blue" is a hauntingly beautiful reflection on the complexities of love and the difficulties of navigating the modern world.
Line by Line Meaning
We've got solid state technology
We possess advanced technology for audio recording and processing
Tapes on the floor
The physical tapes used for audio recording are scattered on the ground
Songs we can't afford to play
The cost of playing our own music is too high
When we came here today
At the moment of arriving at this location
All I wanted to say was
The sole thought occupying my mind was
How much I miss you
I deeply long for your presence and companionship
Alcohol and cotton balls
Substances used for disinfecting wounds and consuming alcoholic drinks
And some drugs
Additionally, we possess drugs for altering our mental states
We can't afford on the way
The cost of obtaining these substances is too high for our budget
I felt something true
A genuine emotion or feeling overcame me
Now I'm red-eyed and blue
My eyes are bloodshot from consuming drugs or alcohol and I feel sad
Writer(s): Eric Marie Mouquet, Michel Eugene Sanchez, Eric Mouquet
Contributed by Parker N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.