MARTIN MEISSONNIER

Making Music, soundtracks, Pictures, Documentaries, drawings ...I am trying to have an interesting life. I started as promoter for concerts of numerous jazz legends, such as Don Cherry, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, John Lee Hooker and Dizzy Gillespie. Later I became music producer for a number of African artist including Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Ray Lema, Papa Wemba, Manu Dibango... I collaborated on various soundtracks like "OC&Stiggs" with King Sunny Ade for director Robert Altman,"Black Mic Mac"; with Ray Lema for Thomas Gilou and "Arizona Dream" with Goran Bregovic for Emir Kusturiza.In 1986, I organised the first rai festival in Bobigny, opening the borders of France to this type of Arabic pop music. I then coproduced Khaled's first album with Algerian composer Safy Boutella, two albums and other songs with Tunisian actress and songstress Amina, then co-produced Arthur H's first album and an album for thelegendary Alan Stivell.In 1989 I directed a music TV serie entitled Megamix for la Sept on France 3 and then Arte. This music magazine ran for six years with over 220 broadcasts. In 1992, I was advisor to Philippe Decoufle;233; and composed a big part of the music for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Albertville. Between 1994 and 2000, I directed (and composed music for) numerous documentary films for Arte and Canal Plus, including several programmes about the Internet and numeric art "Internet:un monde digital", "www.Monde", and the techno movement "Music is my Drug". In 1994 I collaborated with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page on their "No Quarter" album.In 2001, after my documentary "Invisible War",I published a book with Frederic Loore & Roger Trilling about depleted uranium entitled "Uranium appauvri: la guerre invisible" which was published by Robert Laffont. I came back to producing music for the project "Big Men", which brings together legendary figures of reggae such as U Roy, Gregory Isaacs, Sly and Robbie and rai algerian singers such as Khaled and the diva Fadela. (you can find here an album exerpt with Horace Andy)Since 2003, I am still composing music for my films like "Life of Buddha",or "On God Right", but also on other friends films like "Diana the night she died" of David Carr Brown and David Cohen, or "L'affaire Clearstream racontée aux ouvriers de chez Daewoo" by Denis Robert or feature films like "the Great Match" of Gerardo Olivares. More music and documentaries to follow ! Layout - Myspace ..