We’ve finally given in and featured a group with vocals other than Engrish. Namasté’s first single, L’absurde, despite my inability to understand the lyrics – they’re in French – has a rich sound that popped from the start. Raphaël Cornet, vocalist for the group, had a certain finesse when accompanied with the instrumentals; his words just seemed to bounce off the beat. There’s not much to say about the lyrics as of yet, but the vibe I get from the song is meaning enough. Instead I’ll let one of the group members explain it, “L’absurde is about the absurdity or randomness of many daily life situations. Raphaël wrote it when he was working as a cook to pay the bills, but really wanted to spend his days writing and playing music.” He goes a little more into the specifics, but since the interview is longer than most of my other articles, we’ll move on to that – don’t let the length deter you, it’s a fresh perspective from half a world away.
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Download: L’absurde
Questions answered by Raphael Cornet (vocals/guitar) and Kenzo Zurzolo (keyboards).
How did you come up with Namasté as your group name?
Well, we wanted a name that sounded the same in all languages! Not a French one…and not an English one.
Namasté means “Hello” in Indian, but in a more spiritual way, that’s what I like about it. The sophisticated meaning of Namasté is “the divine in me greets the divine in you”. It’s like an invitation to travel, but also an invitation to meditate on the sounds we can produce and give… I really believe that the music has a spiritual dimension. By that I’m not referring to spirits or god: I just mean that Music is powerful, it reigns over every kind of material thing or whatever things human nature thinks it needs.
Who are some of your inspirations? What inspired you to play music?
From the sounds of my loud street to a sweet serenade of Debussy, from the flow of Busta Rhymes to the harmony of the bulgarian States Radio & TV! These are my inspirations… I can’t even begin to list names because i’ll spend the night on it! Music comes quite naturally… I mean, when you know how and when, the rest comes easily. If I had to give you names…recently, we’ve been listening to a lot of Jamie Lidell, Bon Iver, Four Tet and Flying Lotus. Yet, the artists who give me the wish to sing are Ray Charles, James Brown, and more recently Fink.
How has the group evolved since you first began playing music together?
Kenzo and I began to jam at the age of 10 or 12! I was playing drums and Kenzo was at the keys. We covered “Caravane” by Duke Ellington. After not seeing each other for a few years, I came back to Kenzo as I had composed a few songs and wanted to begin a more serious project. Then we began to work on what would later be called “Namasté”… We worked with various other musicians before finding the right team. Today, we’re 6 on stage: Drums, Bass, Cello, Beat & scratch box – me on the guitar, and Kenzo on the keys. I sing too and Kenzo and Octavio (cello) do the chorus. 99.9% of the songs are written and composed by Kenzo and I. Our music evolved as we did… as I said before, Kenzo and I listen to plenty of different kinds of music, and the other guys in the band have their own style. This is great because it allows us to bring in a wide range of influences. As off today, we only have our first EP out so it’s too early to say that we have ‘found our sound’. But it will come… the most important thing to me is that our music needs to stay faithful to who we really are, and therefore, it should evolve if we change too.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band? How did you overcome it?
We had a lot! I think the first challenge was to create a team and I’m pretty confident that today we have THE team! We spent 3 years to find the good people to work with, that is, the ones that fit with the right understanding of what we wanna do, and where we wanna go. And when I talk about team, it’s not only musicians, but also a manager, a producer, photographers, graphic designers, video people and everything. It’s a daily challenge to build a team and keep it tight over time as an indie band. But it’s only by fighting everyday that you earn the right to exist. This point brings me to another one of our biggest challenges: patience! Most people think that it’s all about writing two or three good songs and finding a good label to be famous overnight. But we’ve learnt that you have to be patient and build a career step by step: everyday we learn a little bit more about the reality of the music world and business, as well as develop intellectually and artistically. On top of everything else that can be done, being amazingly patient is really what is gonna make me live from my music. Oh yeah, and stay positive too! There are many challenges but it’s exciting! Most things are not innate but pushing your limits is really rewarding.
What’s the ultimate direction for the band? Where would you like to see yourselves in ten years?
World-wide tour for sure!! :) No, but seriously… before that, I think we need to really find what Namasté’s sound is. For now we have our EP, and it’s a good start to say “Hi, we are Namasté, we’re coming!” We have this Namasté’s sound inside of us, and it’s asking to be released, but we have to take the time to really find it and express it. The fact that we blend various genres is fun and our mix is somewhat unique. We really want to develop that and find more sounds. It’s a like a painter looking for the right colors and shadings before painting, we just have to search. You know, I think someone has the right to call himself an artist only when he’s creating something novel, unique or original. So if we want to be able to call ourselves artists one day, we really have to add something to the table.
What sets your music apart from other musicians?
I think that we have an original combo, with the traditional bass/drum/keys, mixed with the cello, a classical instrument. The beat & scratch box adds its own touch, and the fact that we brings acoustic guitar in that mix too allows for the whole thing to sound like heavy soulful groove. I’m also attached to writing in both French and English. This is one way for me to express freedom in creation. And the idea that i’m completely free when I create is the only thing that really gives me fever.
What advice would you all give to aspiring musicians like yourselves?
“Patienter, calmement… prendre le thé, prendre le temps… vivre l’espace d’un instant… s’exorciser du soucis qu’est le temps.” Or in English: “Have patience, calmly… Have some tea, take your time… Live the duration of an instant… free yourself from the burden that is time”.
Are you working on an LP or any other side projects right now?
I put my side projects to the side for the moment… one thing at a time! And yes, we’re gonna work on a future Namasté LP over the summer… It could get released in 2011 or later…we’ll see what comes out this summer! The only side projet that I still work on today is that of my good friend Ardzen. He’s a fucking good French rapper! I compose songs with him and perform live. He actually featured on one of the songs from our EP, “Monkeys”. You should check out his myspace: www.myspace.com/ardzenmusic.
Do you have a moment in your musical career that stands out to you – a memorable concert, recording or event?
For me it wasn’t really a concert, but more a moment… 3 years ago, I decided to spend the Christmas night playing with the guys of “Les Restos du Coeur” (it’s an association of volunteers who offer food to the homeless). I’ve played in lots of similar places but this night was crazy… they were really sweet people – I love these simple and pure human interactions. This is a strong memory. The other one was when at the end of a concert I wanted to jam with the musicians backstage, and as I put down the mic and turned around to call them, I saw Keziah Jones!! So I invited him and we played! He may be one of the guys who made me want to sing, so imagine how I felt jamming with him, at my own show! It was amazing!
An interesting little end note, sometime after listening to Namasté I started another book that began with defining what Namasté meant. It actually explains the word a lot like Namasté did (above). Here’s what it said:
Namasté Information:
Genre: Pop, Hip-Hop, Indie
Hometown: Paris, France
Members:
Raphaël Cornet: Vocals, Guitar, Author, Composer
Kenzo Zurzolo: Keys, Chorus, Composer, Arranger
Octavio Angarita: Cello, Chorus, Composer, Arranger
Benoit Dordolo: Bass, Arranger
Patrick Biyik: Beat, Scratch Box
Reda Samba (Tiss Rodriguez): Drums
Label: Moonkeys Music
Links: MySpace | Facebook | Bandcamp
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I really enjoyed the article.