MANAU
Whoever would come up with the idea of fusing traditional Celtic folk melodies with modern rap beats? A young trio by the name of Manau, that's who! Manau surprised everyone by rocketing to the top of the charts with their debut single "La Tribu de Dana". The group, who have managed to irritate traditional music purists with their innovative new fusion sound, are currently being sued by French folk star Alan Stivell (who has accused them of 'ripping off' one of his 70's folk hits). Let no-one say that Manau and their Celtic rap fusion have failed to cause a major stir !
Manau - the group's name was inspired by the old Gaelic term for the Isle of Man - are a three-piece outfit, made up of Martial Tricoche (lead singer and songwriter), Cédric Soubiron (DJ) and R.V. (aka Hervé) Lardic (the group's composer and multi-instrumental musician). All three members of Manau are currently based in Paris, but Martial, Cédric and Hervé all trace their roots back to Brittany, a region stepped in Celtic tradition.
French music fans were soon walking around humming the catchy chorus line to "La Tribu de Dana" - a melody which sounded strangely familiar to many older music fans. And well it might! The chorus of Manau's single was actually a cover of the melody line from Alan Stivell's famous 70's folk hit "Tri Martolod". Manau had originally asked the legendary French folk bard if they could sample the chorus from his hit, but Stivell had steadfastly refused. Manau had thus decided to recreate their own version of the melody in the studio. However, Stivell still reacted badly to what he considered to be a wilful act of 'plagiary' - and promptly attempted to sue the group!
The group embarked upon a major national tour at the beginning of 1999 and, right in the midst of the tour, surprised everyone by triumphing at the 'Victoires de la Musique' (the annual French Music Awards) held in Paris in February. Manau carried off the award for Best Rap/Groove Album of the Year. Shortly after this new triumph, Hervé decided to leave the group and Manau were transformed from a chart-topping trio to a chart-topping duo. But this change in line-up did not appear to affect the popularity of the group. When Manau performed at the legendary Olympia in Paris on March 8 fans greeted Martial and Cédric with rapturous applause. What's more, in July the group received a diamond disc when sales of their album "Panique celtique" topped the 1 million mark!
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