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.
Twosome
Deep Forest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was so sad, I had no color
I've gone past my borders
I was so sad, I had no color
When I started from "csík"
I still had my color, was not sad
Oh my god what can I do
My mother, oh my heart
If she still would be alive
Oh my god where did you throw me
Oh my god give to me
I've gone past my borders
I was so sad, I had no color
When I started from "csík"
I still had my color, was not sad
Oh my god what can I do
My mother, oh my heart
If she still would be alive
Oh my god where did you throw me
Oh my god give to me
I've gone past my borders
I still had my color, was not sad
Oh my god what can I do
(my borders my borders)
My mother, oh my heart
If she still would be alive
The poor man
Oh my god where did you throw me (my borders my borders)
Oh my god give to me
Deep Forest's song "Twosome" is a hauntingly beautiful track that is both deeply personal and universal in its themes. The song talks about the experience of feeling lost and disconnected from oneself and one's surroundings, as if one's spirit has gone past its borders. In the first verse, the singer talks about feeling sad and colorless, as if he has lost touch with his emotions and his sense of self. He contrasts this with an earlier time ("When I started from 'csik'") when he still had his color and was not sad. However, now he feels lost and overwhelmed, crying out to his mother for help.
The second verse is even more poignant, as the singer talks about his mother who has passed away. He longs for her to be alive so that he can ask her for guidance and support. He wonders where she has thrown him, feeling alone and abandoned in a world that seems to be closing in on him. The repetition of the chorus throughout the song ("I've gone past my borders") reinforces the sense of being lost and disconnected, as if the singer is on the edge of something unknown and frightening.
Line by Line Meaning
I've gone past my borders
I have exceeded my limits and gone beyond the boundaries I had set for myself.
I was so sad, I had no color
I was feeling down and had lost my sense of vibrancy and life.
When I started from "csík"
When I first began from this place or point in time called "csík".
I still had my color, was not sad
I still had my sense of vibrancy and joy and was not feeling down or depressed.
Oh my god what can I do
An exclamation of hopelessness in the face of a difficult situation.
My mother, oh my heart
A lamentation for the loss of a beloved mother and the pain felt in the heart.
If she still would be alive
If only my mother were still alive and with me.
Oh my god where did you throw me
An expression of feeling lost and abandoned, questioning where one's path may lead.
Oh my god give to me
A plea for help or guidance from a higher power.
The poor man
Someone who is down on their luck or suffering in some way.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIC MOUQUET, MICHEL SANCHEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind