The Australian aborigines’ didgeridoo is an impressive instrument. Mix his guttural sounds with a touch of Celtic, Latin and oriental rhythms, and you find yourself in a remarkable trance.
Imagine two wild children under aboriginal influence, bringing their audience into an intoxicating acoustic trance worthy of the best present-day DJs. These children exist. They are Québécois, and their names are Julien Fréchette and Rodolphe Gagnon.
A few years ago, the two friends developed a passion for the didgeridoo, a centuries-old instrument from Australia. With their continuous blowing and various accompanists, they produce a musical style blending samba, Celtic airs and oriental or electronic melodies. Close your eyes, and take a journey across continents!
But lets go back to the beginning. In 2005, there was Apaduraï, a group consisting of these two devotees and a drummer. Rodolphe Gagnon discovered the didgeridoo during a year-long stay in Australia. He has been a member of several groups, including Quicksound and the Métis collective, and he performed on the sound track of the Denys Arcand film Joyeux Calvaire. Julien Fréchette perfected his style playing in Montreal metro stations, aided by many musical encounters. In recent years, he has performed for several film sound tracks and fashion shows. Since its inception, the trio has given numerous concerts in Montreal and across Quebec, producing an eponymous album along the way.
In 2008, the groups hard core, consisting of the two didgeridoo players, decided to bring in the talents of new artists, Dany Nicolas on guitar and Sylvain Plante on drums, to form a new group, Apadooraï. Dany Nicolas, with a degree in interpretation, is highly influenced by jazz, klezmer and folk. He has collaborated on many projects, such as , the Pourpour, the duo and the trio. Sylvain Plante learned to play drums at an early age and has recorded two albums with the group Insanasomnia. He has collaborated with J-F and the Junkyard Dogs, La Chango Family, L?fautre gala at the Just for Laughs Festival, and many others. AlongsideApadooraï, he performs today with Papagroove, Oztara, Wesli, Urban Afro 5, Madame Moustache, King Gorilla Group and Petit Pays.
These collaborations bring new blood to the duo, a promising addition to their first album, expected in the early summer of 2009.
Learn more about Apadoorai at
http://www.myspace.com/apadoorai
Learn more about Nuits D'Afrique at
festivalnuitsdafrique.com
Photos by
HeatherLWeimer.Com
