We will soon post subtitled versions of the interviews in french on this page; plus the videos shot for Temperature Rising(versions with Talib Kweliand John Banzaï) on our Les Nubians page. Keep checkin' back in! :):)
ECHOS ...a few extracts at the New Morning (Paris). Video by Linda Drouet
Get this video and more at MySpace.com L'enjeu artistique du projet ECHOS (Emission Boite de N'huit enregistree le 30 Novembre 2005, Direct 8)
Get this video and more at MySpace.com Freestyle de John Banzaï(Emission Boite de N'huit enregistree le 30 Novembre 2005, Direct 8)
Get this video and more at MySpace.com
Les 4 élements...
Get this video and more at MySpace.com Célia parle du projet ECHOS
ECHOS: NUBIAN VOYAGER
Introduction
CHAPTER I
Motherland
Beautiful stories, those that are told and retold, always have some degree of connection with the truest, greatest story of all: the story of mankind. And dont be surprised if the story begins with the Nubian tribes.
A Peul poet, Souleymane Diamanka has patiently stood in the shadow of his peoples history, waiting for his time to come, the day when he would become a voyager too. He told aloud the story of a princess born in Nubia, L-N, a princess whose eyes penetrated into the day-to-day life of her ancestors, though it were a living painting. After returning from a poetic journey to the Americas with her sister, this princess vowed, upon listening to the story, to make this new griots voice heard. In America, she had already met some new poets that she wanted to tell the world about. Chuma and Fisiwe, for example, who spoke of Paradise. Africa + America: was this enough for someone who called herself Afropean? For she had also brought new poets from Europe, like Anouch, a native of Armenia, who mixed his words with those of Zuga, a consummate artist who hailed from Cameroon. Together, they told of the benefits of crossed-Souls, which produces the wisdom that comes with mixed blood. Before setting out with her caravan to conquer the city and its lives, L-N met up with her sister C-Lia, and together, as if to better proclaim this Queen Godis who spoke of Liberty, they sang another round, a roots demo version, of their famous "DÈsolÈe".
CHAPTER II
Urban City Life
Shortly after arriving in town, the multi-coloured caravan of words, christened "Echos" along the way, came upon Jamarhl, an urban poet, who was spotted in Atlanta, in Boston, live, in a film, and on a Pr. Griff CD. He told the story of the war in Babylon, the city of cities, and improvised his biography for journalists who asked where he came from. It was also in America, while travelling around with her sister-Nubian, that L-N had met another of these latter-day griots. His name was John, but also BanzaÔ; he said he was Polish, but also a musician. When he gigged at Lipstik (1), his electric prose infused the City with new colours and gave love back its original fervour. It was no doubt while listening to "New York City", as told by Kasema Kalifah Caines, that L-N understood how French could provide a meaning that would become sound in America, and vice-versa on the condition, however, that these sounds and meanings were put to music. She entrusted this job to her old accomplice Mounir Belkhir, with Lee Hamblin doing all the mixing and remixing, two magicians at transforming sounds into music. Together, they thus produced the melodies, the arrangements and the beats, which were then assembled behind the poetic flights of fancy.
CHAPTER III
LOVE STORIES
"Echos", therefore, is not just poetry, not just slam (no competition between them), and not just another form of rap, either (the voices are not laid over the music); nor, is it song. So what is "Echos"? Its something else, another way of expressing in words whats bad, whats beautiful, and whats hot in spoken word, if you will. Its a new genre of poetic expression that can combine an ode to a Queen by Mr. Jamarhl and the "Untitled Rhapsody" of Nazilah Jamison, straight from San Francisco, which she left to perform with the legendary Michael Franti. A new genre of poetic expression that, like the woman to whom Souleymane wishes a sleepless night, would be dressed only in Eves attire, or a smile, and whose melody would be the most beautiful sigh. A new genre of poetic expression that would make it possible in both French and English, fused through music to express love, the city, death, and life; to imagine, recount, interpret and celebrate; from the serious to the soft, from the mystical to the autobiographical.
CHAPTER IV
Spiritual Human Nature
All in all, this is what "Echos" is a convoy embarking from a mythical Mother Earth, winning over whole cities full of artists, bringing them along, letting them tell their various tales... But wait, says the unbeliever, what are the Nubian sisters four songs doing here? This is not about songs, nor is this a Nubian album. Well, the songs are a reminder that all these people, all these artists, met each other through the journey of these two princesses. It was L-N who brought all these poets together; these are clearly her musical choices, the project is her creation, but without C-Lia, she would not be L-N... And, by the way, they are offering new versions of these songs. All means are necessary if their purpose is to make the very cries of the sky heard, to set off the elements and the fire evoked by the incandescent Queen Goddis, the prose composed of the winds, finally given wings by the Peul poet, the one who, while reading over the Scriptures, asks himself whether, after all, there were not Emotions before the Word as in the beginning
Sounds Like
LES NUBIANS DE RETOUR EN ATELIERS MUSICAUX AVEC LE PROJET ECHOS D'AQUITAINE!!!!!!!!!
Duo bordelais composé des soeurs Hélène et Célia Faussart, Les Nubians sortent leur premier album Princesses Nubiennes en 1999. C'est un succès immédiat outre manche, avec plus de 400 000 ventes, et 1 Lady Soul Train Award en 1999. En 2003, Les Nubians reviennent avec leur 2ème album One Step Forward. Cet album leur permet d'explorer leur sensibilité artistique à travers un voyage musical métissé mariant des sonorités des quatre coins de la planète. Ce projet est récompensé d'une nomination aux Grammy Awards 2004.
2005 sonne le retour des Nubians, avec la sortie de l'album Echos Nubian Voyager, projet de slam / poésie urbaine regroupant des poètes des quatre coins de la planète. Ce projet se décline désormais sous la forme d'un livre sorti dans le commerce en Août 2006, en complément de l’album CD, disponible lui depuis Novembre 2005.
Mais c’est depuis 1995 que Les Nubians font leurs armes sur Bordeaux en menant notamment par le biais notamment de l’association « Les Nouveaux Griots » des actions socio-culturelles. Fortes de leur expérience sur le marché musical international, Les Nubians reviennent en 2004 en tant que directrices artistiques du Carnaval de Bordeaux et de Quartiers Musique, pilotées par l’association Musiques de Nuit diffusions.
Sans cesse, Les Nubians continueront leurs actions dans la ville de Bordeaux et la CUB (Communauté Urbaine Bordelaise), intervenant en direction des jeunes, des écoles, collèges et lycées, des centres d’animation ou d’écoles de musique, sous forme d’ateliers ou de rencontres (ateliers de sensibilisation musicale, chant écriture poétique).
C’est donc naturellement que Musiques de Nuit Diffusions et Les Nubians se rapprochent de nouveau en créant le projet Echos d’Aquitaine.
Désormais, l’opération Echos d’Aquitaine 2006 s’ouvre aux villes de Bayonne, Biarritz, Mont de Marsan, Villeneuve sur Lot, Bergerac, et un grand final se tiendra à Bordeaux en Mai 2007.
Chaque ville concernée sera le lieu privilégié des interventions sous forme d’ateliers musicaux d’une durée d’une semaine, impliquant localement les salles de musique amplifiées des villes concernées, les écoles primaires, les classes niveau collège et les écoles de musique.
Les Nubians, accompagnées de plusieurs artistes du collectif Echos interviendront et encadreront ces ateliers, et proposeront trois types d’ateliers de sensibilisation et de pratique artistique :
- ateliers d’écriture poétique / slam,
- ateliers de chant,
- ateliers de découverte instrumentale de la musique soul.
Chaque semaine d’ateliers se terminera par une représentation le samedi soir d’un concert du collectif Echos, en présence des Nubians. Les créations travaillées durant la semaine trouveront leur place sur scène et seront présentées au public lors du concert de Bordeaux, en Avril 2007.
Cette opération permettra aux poètes locaux alors rencontrés en atelier de rentrer dans le casting visant à réunir les nouveaux poètes de la future compilation Echos.
Ce concert clôture de l’opération ECHOS D’AQUITAINE qui se tiendra à Bordeaux s’agrémentera d’une restitution scénique des meilleurs travaux réalisés au sein de chaque ville participante.
A signaler également que l’enregistrement d’un DVD aura lieu lors du concert de Bordeaux.
Par Florence Borrut & Hélène Faussart
LES NUBIANS PRESENTS:
'ECHOS: CHAPTER ONE - NUBIAN VOYAGER' (ARTEMIS/TRILOKA/NUBIATIK PUBLISHING)
Sisters Helene and Celia Faussart of the Grammy-nominated, French urban music duo Les Nubians have always had an affinity for poetry. That love has culminated with 'Echos: Nubian Voyager,' a unique and remarkable project more than five years in the making. 'Echos: Nubian Voyager' brings together contemporary slam and musical poetry scenes with the ancient tradition of the Griot, the sacred African storyteller and oral historian. Ahmadou Hampate Ba, The Last Poets, Zora Neale Hurston Amiri Baraka, Maya Angelou also paved the way for this project. 'Echos: Nubian Voyager' will be released Sept. 27 on Triloka/Artemis.
The album finds Les Nubians telling a new story with deep roots. Conceived and co-produced by Helene, 'Echos: Nubian Voyager' features a remarkable group of French and English-speaking urban poets -- Souleymane Diamanka, John BanzaÔ, C.Lia, Anouch, Zuga, Chuma, Fisiwe, Jamahrl Crawford, Kasema Kalifah Caines, Claire Keim, Nazeelah Jameson and Queen Godis. Les Nubians have also included three new tracks including Rendezvous with John Banzai and previously unreleased live versions and remixes from their groundbreaking debut album. 'Echos' is a new wave of poetic expression that is redefined through street inspiration and a new vocabulary, with urban rhythms borrowed from hip-hop.
The sisters began to formulate 'Echos: Nubian Voyager' while on a boat journey to Nubia (a region of southern Egypt and Sudan) to celebrate New Year's Eve 2000. They were amazed at the beauty of the land and its people and appalled by the discrimination facing the Nubians. Helene promptly canceled her hotel room. She says, "I decided to give that money to my Nubian brothers. So I stayed and I slept on the boat. We spent the whole night talking about what their lives were like, how is it to be twenty-something in Nubia. We listened to some music. We shared a lot of things." By morning, the ideas behind 'Echos' were fully formed. "For me, that was the revolution of the new millennium," adds Helene.
Les Nubians had previously toured the United States in 1999, befriending many talented musicians and poets; they held a contest in each city to find the best poet, who performed onstage with the duo. Helene also found some talented French wordsmiths. Amazingly, the poems all come together to form one narrative, the story of the 'Nubian Voyager,' which is divided into four sections: La Terre-mere/Motherland; Urban City Life/Dans La Ville; Des Hommes Et Des Femmes/Love Stories; Spiritual Human Nature/Les Elements.
"When they recorded the poems a cappella," Helene says, "I could feel the energy when they performed their poetry. After the recording was done, I knew what type of beats, what type of instruments, the BPM, I knew what type of music would definitely put a spotlight on their poetry." Helene set up sympathetic musical backgrounds for the poets that complemented their voices and words, allowing them to speak outside of a strict meter. She worked with Les Nubians veteran Mounir Belkhir, the soulful producer of the US hit track Makeda." Guest producers Yogi & Wamba, Brian Frazier Moore, Kevin Arthur, Lee Hamblin and Jason Katt Chue also contributed. The music and poetry were recorded in Marseille, Bordeaux, Paris, London, New York, and San Francisco.
Everything fell into place in what Helene calls "little miracles." For example, when she came to New York to record, she could not find a studio. The night before she was supposed to leave town, her friend invited her to dinner with a few people, one of which had a studio with time available.
Multi-cultural sensibilities come naturally to Les Nubians. Born to a French father and Cameroonian mother, Helene and Celia learned how to sing at a young age. Inspired by a backstage meeting with jazz singer Abbey Lincoln (who encouraged them to "do it-the greatest thing in the world is to be a singer!"), the group pursued their music relentlessly. Their debut, 'Princesses Nubiennes' (Higher Octave/Virgin), was a successful amalgam of the music they'd experienced during their life travels, combining their African roots with jazzy nuances, funky rhythms and a hint of British soul, all delivered in their uniquely elegant French style. 'Princesses Nubiennes' became the most successful French-language album in more than a decade of Billboard charts.
The acclaimed 'One Step Forward' (Omtown) album followed, seeing Les Nubians joined by African jazz legend Manu Dibango, pianist Ray Lema, classical musician Benjamin Biolay, dancehall reggae stars Morgan Heritage, UK electronica wizard I.G. Culture, Belkhir and more. More recently, Les Nubians have presided over an explosion in the French slam scene. The sisters oversaw the artistic direction of the Carnival of Bordeaux in France, bringing poetry in the form of workshops, performances, and public billboard displays.
Helene knows that, like a modern day Griot, she has more stories to tell. This album is just the first chapter in what promises to be an ongoing series for Les Nubians. Helene says, "We'll tell another story, still a voyager story because this is my life. I love that nomadic experience because it opens us to humanity."
Voici un ensemble de textes poétiques composées à quatre mains par John Banzaï et Souleymane Diamanka.
Voici un éloge de la "poésie urbaine" contemporaine.Voici des mots nouveaux, pour traduire des émotions, des regards, des amours, des sensations, des sentiments.Voici un livre autour duquel les amoureux des mots vont pouvoir se retrouver. "J'écris en français dans une langue étrangère" par John Banzaï et Souleymane Diamanka.
Pour en savoir plus et commander le livre, cliquer ici
Please contact us for any proposal, interview request, request for promotionnal stuff and we will send it to you. The sisters are waiting to hear from you! Remember that this page is managed by Helene and Celia aswell. If you are someone from the United States requiring interviews, participation, a live performance at your event, radio drop or official pictures for professionnal reasons, please add "for Exodus" in the subject of your message. If you are from Europe, France, Japan, Australia or any other location, please state "for Florence" in the subject of your message. We will get back at you.
Thank you The Les Nubians team
New album ECHOS Chapter One Nubian Voyager in Stores EVERYWHERE!!!
Support our project...
The brand new ECHOS book is also now available on Amazon!!!
Check out that beautiful 120 pages book!
Book Description
Celebrating a new generation of underground poets, Grammy-nominated "Afropean" world music artists Les Nubians set their 21 favorite poems from an international poetry competition to music in this exciting dual-language CD-and-book release. Representing an innovative urban art form and forum (à la Def Jam Poetry), this fusion of spoken word and music addresses a variety of issues, including city life, love, spirit, and human nature.
From the Publisher
A music CD and book from the Grammy-nominated French R&B duo Les Nubians, presenting poems from 21 promising urban-underground poets.
Includes the latest album from Les Nubians, Les Nubian Presents Echos.
ANOUCH vit à Paris. D'origine arménienne, chanteuse et poétesse, elle tire son inspiration des sons, des langues et dialectes du monde ( salsa, gospel, yoruba, arménien, jazz) quelle explore de manière quasi holistique. Limprovisation est un de ses talents majeurs. Anouch écrit actuellement son futur album.
Artiste urbaine engagée, originaire du cameroun, ZUGA est une pionnère du Hip-Hop franÁais avec son groupe Ladies Night. Son amour du verbe lamèner à la discipline du Mot Parlé. Adepte de la Roots Attitude et passionnée dArt Urbain, Zuga participe à plusieurs projets multimédia, presse et images, la rencontre et le voyage sont pour elle une nécessité.
CHUMA & FISIWE
Duo originaire de NYC. Ils font une prestation éblouissante et mémorable à Philadeplhie lors du Tour Les Nubians 99.
FISIWE, chanteuse, poète et auteur. Elle est lhôte dune scène de poésie au Sugga Shack Café, à NYC avec le groupe No Restrictions. Elle participe à plusieurs autres collectifs dont Fuzz Deluxe et Precious Gift. Fisiwe dirige un organisme dédié à lAide à lEnfance.
CHUMA est auteur de plusieurs recueils de poésie et ses performances sur les scènes des Nuyorican Poets Café, Brooklyn Moon, Demu Café restent inoubliables pour les amateurs de poésie urbaine de NYC. Il travaille aujourdhui à Los Angeles, à lécriture dune série de romans.
JAMARHL CRAWFORD aka.UFO Prophet
De Boston, JAMARHL est un poète qui sinscrit dans le hip-hop conscient. Pluridisciplinaire, UFO Prophet travaille à la restauration de la conscience collective, crachant ses mots tels des météorites verbales par le biais de ses livres et de ses performances. Il rencontre Les Nubians en oct. 99 à Boston et monte sur scène, accompagné par le band. On peut retrouver le travail de Jamarhl CRAWFORD sur le dernier projet de Prof. Griff (ex-Public Enemy).
JOHN BANZAï
Poète dorigine polonaise, né à Londres, JOHN vit à Paris. Une envie décrire Radikal lui fait abandonner ses études de litres-et-ratures. Avec DJ WAMBA, il devient VIZJONER.En 99, son chemin croise celui des Nubians lors de lUS Tour. Il rejoint le projet ECHOS. Auteur de grand talent, il donne Rendez-Vous à la comédienne Claire Keim (Lipstick) sur une musique de Dj Wamba qui sallie à Yogi pour une promenade urbaine ( Prose électrique ). John BanzaÔ travaille actuellement sur la sortie du projet Vizjoner et participe à lécriture du prochain album des Nubians.
KASEMA KALIFAH
Native de Brooklyn, KASEMA organise la sélection des poètes qui participeront à la tournée des NubiansTour 99. Elle monte sur la scène nubienne à Boulder (Colorado), Las Vegas et Portland, et offrira son inspiration à dautres publics (Nuyorican Poets Café) conquis par ses mots à fleur de peau. Elle a travaillé sur plusieurs pièces de thétre, actrice puis metteur en scène. Elle vit maintenant à Atlanta.
MONET
Musicienne, chanteuse et compositrice de talent, originaire de NYC, MONET trouve son inspiration dans ses racines cubaines-afro-américaines-indiennes-caribéennes. Fl°tiste remarquable, elle accompagne DJ Spinna pour Bahia Blues sur lalbum Trip Do Brasil ( Rythmix records/Sony France), Shiner Massive ( Slash/London records ), Rise and Shine ( Rawkus ), Vernon Reid, Antibalas et le concert Echos des Transmusicales de Rennes 2000.. Elle écrit et interprète 4 morceaux sur la compilation de Brooklyn Lost, Found & Soul Project (2001). Elle travaille actuellement sur plusieurs collaborations musicales et prépare la sortie de son album solo.
NAZEELAH JAMISON
Poétesse originaire de Philadelphie. NAZEELAH fait une longue route aux côtés de Michael Franti ( Spearhead) avant de poser ses bagages à San Francisco. Le Spoken Words devient sa mission artistique. Elle participe à de nombreux collectifs de poésie, puis entame la compétition ou Slam, au National Poetry Slam Contest 2000 dans léquipe dOakland. Elle rencontre Les Nubians en oct.99 et paratage leur scène. Elle reÁoit et anime comme hôte de nombreuses soiréesSlam dans la baie de San Francisco. On retrouve Nazeelah sur le dernier album de Spearhead, Stay Human.
QUEEN GODIS
Artiste inspirée de Brooklyn. Dès son plus jeune ge, Godis entre sur scène, chante et délie le verbe comme une prÍtresse en prière, bénissant de osn charisme et de son flow les scènes de Common, The Roots, Dead Prez ou Sonia Sanchez. Elle monte sur scène avec Les Nubians en oct.99 à NYC. Une révélation de beauté et de puissance.
SOULEYMANE DIAMANKA
Cest dabord par le rap que SOULEYMANE exprime ses convlsions poétiques et ses visions de griot peul. Leader du groupe Djangu Gandhal, auteur du titre Princesse Nubienne sur le 1er album des Nubians, on retrouve SOULEYMANE sur les 2 albums du groupe de R&B franÁais Tribal Jam, B.O de filmsAuteur de talent, il écrit pour Dianké, artiste produite par Universal ainsi que pour le prochain album des Nubians. SOULEYMANE travaille actuellement sur son projet solo ( Universal).
LES NUBIANS BAND
Originaires de Philadelphie, le groupe est réuni par James Poyser pour la tournée US 99 des Nubians.Brian Frazier Moore et Kevin Arthur ont arrangé le Live Show. Les membres du groupe accompagnent aussi dautres artistes de la scène Nu-Soul: Common, Eryka Badu, Jill Scott
MOUNIR BELKHIR
Producteur musical de Marseille, dorigine algérienne, MOUNIR-Le Magicien et Les Nubians travaillent ensemble sur le 1er album Princesses Nubiennes. Le hit Makeda fera de Mounir BELKHIR un des producteurs les plus précieux de la scène musicale soul; R&B et Hip-Hop. Il a travaillé sur diférents projets: Positive Black Soul, China, Prodige Namor, Nathalie Lorio, B.O de la série Les Lascars, remix
Le collectif ECHOS a fait sa première performance aux Transmusicales de Rennes 2000, avec Souleymane Diamanka, Jamarhl Crawford, Nazeelah Jamison, Anouch & Zuga, John Banzaï, Queen Godis, Monet, DJ Wamba et LN des Nubians.
Les Nubians presents Echos's Friend Space (Top 18)
Dual II present Seville(Nimbit Music) A 4 mix track with an uplifting spanish guitar, deep and sexy vibe that will reach every listener.
Release date, December 21st, 2007
Review:
SammyRock aka Soul Oasis from Cyberjamz Radio: "...a wonderful single by Dual ll. Armed with 4 mixes, this deephouse track (Radio Version) is enough to make your dancefloor go into a frenzy.Can't wait to get the other mixes..."
hey Les Nubians presents Echos, just passin by to dropp some love and wish you a wonderful weekend....stay blessed....
CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW....
EEEPA!!! EVERYONE, THANKS FOR THE LOVE AND SUPPORT, HERE'S THE LINK TO CHECK THE NEW PRODUCTION....LET ME KNOW SI TE GUSTO.....THIS RITMO SPECIALLY MADE PAL LATINO DE CORAZON...DISFRUTALO QUE ESTO TIENE SAZON....
PLEASE VISIT THE PAGE AND LEAVE YOUR POSITIVE COMMENTS Y A TODA MI GENTE LATINA LOS INVITO A QUE GOZEN DE ALGO NUEVO, DIFERENTE;
......ROMPE TUS CADENAS ........Y ESCUCHA [AB jr]....QUE AQUI LES VENGO CON SALSA HIPHOP!!!!
Hey DJ, DON'T BE THE ONE WITH OUT IT ....ADD IT TO YOUR COLLECTION....PEACE AND LATIN LOVE FOR ALL......AB JR
PEACE PEOPLES....
For all the NY massive
I have 2 upcoming Spoken Word Poetry shows in your city
sisters who are exhausted and drained from the whole Nappy Headed Ho fiasco
come thru and be loved and respected
hear the poem "To The Queen" from the Les Nubians Echos CD
If you want to hear the poetry now!
http://www.myspace.com/jamarhl
or maybe you like Pro-Black Revolutionary Hip-Hop...
http://www.myspace.com/unotheprophet
**Wednesday, 4/18 Deacon Blue Cafe
http://www.deaconbluecafe.com
http://www.myspace.com/deaconblue
417 prospect place and Grand
Brooklyn, NY
**Saturday, 4/21 Nuyorican
nuyorican poets cafe 236 east 3rd st
http://www.rockypresents.com event
WORDS :: hip hop & poetry showcase & open mic
third saturday of every month @ 10 pm
$10 admission w/ invite, $12 w/out
Holla Black
Peace, Prosperity & Health
Jamarhl
Uno The Prophet aka Nat Turner Devil Burner
available for interviews, pow-wows, other gigs, long walks on the beach (females only)
Online Now!
