RhoDeo 1315 Roots

Hello, hmm roadside bombs went off in Boston today, I wonder if it had anything to do with those crazy North Koreans who celebrated their great diseased leader, Kim Il Sung birthdate 101 years ago. I wouldn't put it past them to sneakily strike at the heart of the USA as part of the celebrations.

France like the UK has some colonial connection to the Caribe, as a consequence they did devellop a reggae / dubscene as well. The coming weeks i'll be presenting some of it. ... N'joy

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Formed in 1995 by friends Manu Eveno (called simply Manu) and Cyril Celestin (called Guizmo), who had previously played together in other bands, Tryo got their name after Christophe Mali (who went by his last name) joined. Calling themselves Tryo, the foursome played their first concert together, supporting a hard rock band at the Fresnes youth club. Tryo have never forgotten their roots either - after they'd hit the big time they returned to Fresnes on 28th September 2000 to kick off a major national tour at the local youth club. Building up a loyal following of fans on the live circuit between 1995 and 1998, Tryo played countless gigs in the Paris suburbs and Brittany, "the only place left in France where local culture still exists. There are hundreds of local bars and cafe-concerts and musicians get a warm welcome there ...".

At the end of '97, Tryo released their debut album, Mamagubida, recorded live at gigs in Fresnes and Brittany. The foursome covered production costs themselves, recording the album on a shoestring budget of 80,000 francs (about 15,000 $). Within a year the group went on to sell 15,000 copies of the album. Then in December '98 Tryo signed a recording deal with the independent label Yelen (an off-shoot of Sony) and six months later sales were up by 120,000! It went on to sell 450,000.

Tryo are popular in France partly due to their politically charged lyrics, whilst also showing a fun side with a range of humorous songs, especially in live performances. They take a left wing stance, criticising various French politicians such as Charles Pasqua (named in corruption scandals concerning suburban low cost housing or HLM) and Jean-Marie Le Pen and world leaders (George W. Bush, for example) in their music. The band has a "tolerant" view on cannabis, demonstrated by 'La Main Verte' from the 'Mamagubida' album. Drug references are reduced in their later albums.

In 2003 Grain de Sable was released, followed in 2005 by the live album De Bouches a Oreilles, which was recorded at the famous Olympia Theatre in Paris. In 2008, the band returned with a studio album in the shape of Ce Que l'On Sème, which was then followed by another live album, Sous les Etoiles, in 2009. Sounding as vibrant and fun as ever, Tryo returned in 2012, with their fifth studio album, Ladilafé a tribute to Patricia Bonnetaud who died in February 2012. This is the first album featuring DJ Catman.

Christophe Mali released a solo album 'Je vous emmène' in April 2006. Guitarist and songwriter Guizmo is also in the band Pause. In 2007 the band made a new album "ce que l'on sème" which is very different of "Mamagoubida", "Faut qu'ils s'activent" and "Grain de sable". In this new album there is more piano sound and sometimes wonderful electric guitar solo or moreover a song with yukulele. The French and european tour was such a success they invited some local popular people where they were in live. For example in Marseille, they invited Papet Jali a singer of the Marseille's band "Massilia sound system". In 2009 an album of the tour was released.

They have sold 900,000 albums. They had their 10 year anniversary in 2005, followed by a nationwide tour. Tryo have four studio albums, a double CD live album and two live DVDs.

Guizmo - real name Cyril Célestin - singer, composer, musician (guitar) In November 2012, released his solo album C'est tout on Because Music
Mali - real name Christophe Petit - singer, composer, musician (guitar, accordion, piano, melodica)
Manu - real name Manu Eveno - singer, musician (guitar, bass, oud, flute, clarinet, tablas
Danielito - real name Daniel Bravo - musician (drums, djembé, darbouka, congas, guiro, cajón, bendir, bongos, violin)
Bibou - real name Sébastien Pujol - manager, sound engineer

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When Tryo released their debut album, Mamagubida, in 1998 they caused an instant stir on the French music scene with their vocal harmonies, funky guitars and vibrant mix of chanson, reggae and protest songs. After building up a loyal following of teenage fans on the live circuit Thirteen of the fifteen songs were recorded live and two are studio recordings. If you want to listen to something chilled out and original. It doesn't matter whether you understand what they are saying because they harmonize their voices and combine them with guitars in such a great way that you forget after a short while. Whatever stereotype you have about French bands-- throw it into the sea and just chill to Tryo as though you were kickin it at the beach. With a touch of political humor yet giving all the appreciation to the simplicity of love and good buds (in both senses), Manu, Mali, Guizmo, Daniel, and Bibou all put the feel-good and the culture back into french roots music. The title, Mamagubida, was created by connecting the first syllable of each member's name (plus that of their manager, Sebastien "Bibou" Pujol),

Tryo - Mamagubida (flac  409mb)

01 L'Hymne De Nos Campagnes 3:25
02 Pour Un Flirt Avec La Crise 3:47
03 C'Est Du Roots 4:06
04 Salut Ô 7:12
05 La Révolution 3:36
06 Regardez Les 3:44
07 La Misère D'En Face 4:58
08 Un Homme Qui Aime Les Femmes 4:36
09 La Main Verte 2:13
10 France Telecom 2:48
11 Yakamonéyé 7:39
12 Les Soldats De Plomb 4:45
13 Suprématie 5:28
14 Babylone 6:33
15 J'Ai Rien Prévu Pour Demain 11:01

Tryo - Mamagubida (ogg 185mb)

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Protest songs have been out of fashion on the French music scene of late, but Tryo have chosen to defy all notion of 'musically correct', making their second album more militant than ever. Faut qu'ils s'activent, the foursome's second offering, packs a hefty punch. Indeed, ten out of the fourteen songs featured on it are mini-manifestos.

Tryo's radicalism goes back a long way. When the group released their first album, Mamagubida in 1998 , Christophe Mali, one of the three singer/songwriter/guitarists in the group, warned French music fans that Tryo "have a real message to put across. We're not prepared to compromise our views in our lyrics - but that doesn't mean you can't whistle along to our songs in the shower!".

Make no mistake about it, Tryo have a powerful message to put across - but they don't go about things with a musical sledgehammer. Keeping things fresh, light and upbeat, the foursome mix chanson, reggae and bossa beats with superb vocal harmonies and acoustic guitars. At the same time, Tryo's lyrics pack a powerful punch, denouncing the money extorted from music fans to watch live concerts (Paris), the market economy (Les nouveaux bergers) and the domination of boys' bands (on the highly danceable track La debandade). Oh, and don't forget the revolution (cf La lumière) - a concept which appears to have gone out of fashion these days!

Tryo - Faut Qu'ils S'activent  (Got to take action!) (flac  367mbmb)

01 J'Ai Trouvé Des Amis 4:43
02 Le Petit Chose 2:59
03 Con Par Raison 4:07
04 Plus On En Fait 3:28
05 Paris 5:48
06 Les Extrêmes 2:43
07 Cinq Sens 4:40
08 La Mer 3:31
09 La Débandade 2:21
10 Les Nouveaux Bergers 4:37
11 Le Monde Est Avare 6:48
12 Ca Y Est C'Est Fait 2:56
13 Le Saule 5:12
14 La Lumière 6:45

Tryo - Faut Qu'ils S'activent (ogg 152mb)

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In a time of jingoistic ballads and processed muic, Tryo's fun, uplifiting beats and funky sound is a welcome addition to any (liberals) music collection. If you understand French and you are liberal you will love the biting criticism of the Bush administration. If you dont understand French and you dont have time or inclination to learn, you can still enjoy the dance-inducing music. Almost no-one British can name any good French modern music, but this is where to start. This album got the Group Award at the Grand Prix du Disque for French Song in 2004

Tryo - Grains De Sable (flac 358mb)

01 G8 2:51
02 Sortez-Les 3:46
03 Comme Les Journées Sont Longues 3:24
04 Pompafric 3:48
05 Si La Vie M'A Mis Là 5:36
06 Dans Les Nuages 4:17
07 Monsieur Bibendum 2:42
08 Serre-Moi 3:46
09 Ta Réalité 3:47
10 Récréation 3:24
11 Ballade En Forêt 4:06
12 Désolé Pour Hier Soir 3:39
13 Pas Pareil 3:37
14 Apocalypticodramatic 3:46
15 J'Ai Un But 3:49

Tryo - Grains De Sable  (ogg 145mb)

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