Long-time collaborators include trumpeter Mark Isham; guitarist Lone Kent; cellist and singer Caroline Lavelle; trumpeter Christian Lechevretel, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums after Sahara Blue; clarinetist and flutist Renaud Pion, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums since Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses; drummer Bill Rieflin; and Japanese recording artist Ryuichi Sakamoto.
His discography demonstrates his affinity for cross-cultural collaborations, and incorporating modern techniques and sounds in re-recordings of traditional material. He was influenced by Peter Gabriel's album Passion in his fusion of musical polarities (traditional and modern, electronic and acoustic) on his own album Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses.
Zazou regards his work during the 1980s as his time of apprenticeship in the studio. On his 1986 album, Reivax au Bongo, he experimented with fusing classical vocals with an electronic backdrop. On his 1989 album, Géologies, he combined electronic music with a string quartet.
The albums that he has released under his own name from the 1990s onwards are usually concept albums that draw from literary or folk sources and revolve around a specific theme. The collection of songs on each album assemble contributions from a diverse and global range of pop, folk, world music, avant-garde, and classical recording acts.
Zazou's 1992 offering, Sahara Blue, was based on an idea by Jacques Pasquier. Pasquier suggested Zazou commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of author Arthur Rimbaud by setting music to Rimbaud's poetry. Contributions included spoken word from Gérard Depardieu, and music by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerard of Dead Can Dance, Tim Simenon, and David Sylvian. He even adapted a traditional Ethiopian song.
In 1994, he released the album Chansons des mers froides (called "Songs from the Cold Seas" for the anglophone market). The album was based on ocean-themed traditional folk songs from northern countries, such as Canada, Finland, Iceland, and Japan. It featured vocals by pop and rock artists such as Björk, Suzanne Vega, John Cale, Värttina, Jane Siberry, and Siouxsie Sioux in addition to recordings of shamanic incantations and lullabies from Ainu, Nanai, Inuit, and Yakut singers. Musicians included Mark Isham, Brendan Perry, and the Balanescu Quartet. A cameraman accompanied Zazou on the project and they shot and recorded in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Scandinavia, and Siberia. The single "The Long Voyage" was the only song to be an original composition from Zazou. He wrote it in gratitude to his record company Sony who gave him complete artistic liberty.
His 1998 album, Lights in the Dark, showcased ancient Celtic music sung by Irish singers.
Zazou's collaborative 2000 album 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) with Sandy Dillon was regarded as a financial and critical failure. In the book "Sonora Portraits 2", which accompanies the CD Strong Currents, Zazou says that 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) was his most elaborate album. He describes it as a work of black humour and regards his instrumental composition "Sombre" on the album as one of his best songs ever.
Strong Currents was released in 2003 and featured an all-female vocal cast which included Laurie Anderson, Melanie Gabriel, Lori Carson, Lisa Germano, Irene Grandi, Jane Birkin, and Caroline Lavelle. Musicians included Ryuichi Sakamoto and Archaea Strings. The album took six years to complete.
In 2004 Zazou released a companion CD of sorts, L'absence, which included instrumentals, many of the same female vocalists that were featured on Strong Currents, and one male vocalist, French singer Edo.
Zazou has recently been a member of the musical collective named Slow Music. The line-up also included Robert Fripp and Peter Buck on guitars, Fred Chalenor on bass, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Bill Rieflin on keyboards and percussion. He contributed electronics to the group's music, and much of his recent work, including a soundtrack for Carl Théodor Dreyer's silent film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc and the multimedia collaboration released as a CD in 2006, Quadri+Chromies, has focused on electronic sounds produced on computers.
A number of recent projects are documented on the Music Operator interactive multimedia web site (www.musicoperator.com), which graphically documents his recent collaborations while in the background his recent music plays. In january 2008 Hector Zazou released his newest album, Corps électriques, featuring "one of the original riot grrrls" KatieJane Garside, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent and fusion jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær.
Hector Zazou died on the 8th of September 2008 at the age of 60 in a hospital in Paris after serious illness.
Cocoon
Hector Zazou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going to taste sunlight
Wrapped in a snow tomb, blind
Cocoon
Sign up to ghost of you
Cocoon
No window, no door in this room
This cocoon does not [?]
[?] so lost
Cocoon so lost
A nail, it locks down in isle
A nail, it locks down in isle
Ooh, distort
Ooh, distort
(Cocoon, cocoon, cocoon, cocoon, cocoon, cocoon, cocoon)
Cocoon me, so love
Cocoon me, so love
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Oh, cocoon
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Oh, cocoon
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Oh, cocoon
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Oh, cocoon
Sever the cord
[?]
(Cocoon, cocoon)
I'm wide awake
Collapsed in a stairwell
I reach but I'm broken away
Eyes to the right
Collapsed into nowhere
I reach but I'm broken away
Cocoon so white
Cocoon [?]
Cocoon me till someone [?]
The lyrics to Hector Zazou's "Cocoon" are cryptic and open to interpretation. The song evokes an image of being trapped, isolated, and cut off from the world. The singer describes being wrapped in a "snow tomb" and being blind, with no window or door in the room. The imagery of a cocoon is used to represent this state of isolation and being trapped.
The line "Sign up to ghost of you" could be interpreted as the singer feeling haunted by someone or something from their past. However, they also seem to be seeking comfort and protection, asking to be cocooned in love. The line "Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath" could be interpreted as a metaphor for feeling silenced or unable to communicate.
The repeated use of the word "cocoon" throughout the song emphasizes the theme of isolation and being trapped. The distorted vocals and fragmented lyrics create a sense of unease and confusion, reinforcing the idea of being lost and stuck.
Overall, "Cocoon" is a haunting and surreal song that leaves the interpretation up to the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
When sunrise
At sunrise
Going to taste sunlight
About to experience the warmth and light of the sun on their skin
Wrapped in a snow tomb, blind
Trapped in a cold and dark place, unable to see
Cocoon
Emphasis on the state of encasement and isolation
Sign up to ghost of you
Haunted by the memory of someone who is no longer present
No window, no door in this room
Trapped in a space with no exits or means of escape
This cocoon does not [?]
Uncertainty about what, if anything, the cocoon will provide
This cocoon does not [?]
Uncertainty about what, if anything, the cocoon will provide
[?] so lost
Feeling completely adrift and alone
Cocoon so lost
Emphasis on the feeling of being lost within the cocoon
A nail, it locks down in isle
A sharp object that seems to imprison rather than secure
A nail, it locks down in isle
A sharp object that seems to imprison rather than secure
Ooh, distort
An expression of feeling out of balance or disoriented
Ooh, distort
An expression of feeling out of balance or disoriented
(Cocoon, cocoon, cocoon, cocoon, cocoon, cocoon, cocoon)
Repeating the word 'cocoon' to emphasize its significance
Cocoon me, so love
Asking to be embraced and comforted with love
Cocoon me, so love
Asking to be embraced and comforted with love
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Feeling restrained and unable to speak or express oneself
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Feeling restrained and unable to speak or express oneself
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Feeling restrained and unable to speak or express oneself
Oh, cocoon
Expressing despair and hopelessness while trapped in a cocoon
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Feeling restrained and unable to speak or express oneself
Oh, cocoon
Expressing despair and hopelessness while trapped in a cocoon
Ripped the tongue in the mouthpiece, ripped underneath
Feeling restrained and unable to speak or express oneself
Oh, cocoon
Expressing despair and hopelessness while trapped in a cocoon
Sever the cord
Breaking free from what is holding one back
[?]
Unclear what item or situation the 'cord' is referring to
(Cocoon, cocoon)
Repeating the word 'cocoon' to emphasize its significance
I'm wide awake
Fully alert and aware of one's surroundings
Collapsed in a stairwell
Physically collapsed in a place where one should be able to move and progress
I reach but I'm broken away
Trying to move forward, but constantly being held back or held down
Eyes to the right
Looking towards where one feels they are supposed to go
Collapsed into nowhere
Physically and mentally unable to move forward or make progress
I reach but I'm broken away
Trying to move forward, but constantly being held back or held down
Cocoon so white
Emphasis on the brightness and sterility of the cocoon
Cocoon [?]
Unclear what specific quality or characteristic of the cocoon is being referred to
Cocoon me till someone [?]
Asking to be enclosed in a cocoon until some unspecified future event or action occurs
Contributed by Jeremiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@eu514
it sounds half way between lalleshwari and ruby throat, to me. safely within katie's galactic back yard ... nice post - thank you.
@Psalm696969
This is lightyears away from KatieJane Garside's usual universe, but it's really interesting nevertheless, as usual with Mr. Zazou. R.I.P. Hector...
@kuujjuaq58
Thanks for the choice words.
@fvazquez64
Don't you find some resemblance to Kate Bush's voice? Thanks for sharing