Sages Comme Des Sauvages has today premiered their new album titled ‘Maison Maquis’ as well as their new video for the track titled ‘On te l’avait dit’ via Capitane Records.
‘Maison Maquis’, which I translate as ‘house resistance’ (read up about the French resistance movement during World War 2 for some good history), at times feels like a film score as much as a diverse and interesting album. I attribute that to the focus and musicianship of the artists involved. Also, it’s that feeling and vibe that sparks the creative drive in most of us who listen and appreciate music. The obvious language barrier to people like me is irrelevant. This is a lush set of soundscape painted on a canvas of originality.
Check out our other features with Sages Comme Des Sauvages HERE.
About Sages Comme Des Sauvages & ‘Maison Maquis’
‘Maison Maquis’ is the new album from Sages comme des sauvages. These live performers have toured all over France, winning over a loyal audience. Sages comme des sauvages is a Franco-American-Greek-Corso-Brussels duo made up of Ava Carrère and Ismaël Colombani.
They say: “When we crash our bikes. When we’ll be made fun of in the playground. When we have to run in a demonstration. When we’re riding alone at night. We’ll put the record on. The one that talks about us. The one where our sorrows have a mouth. Where we become the heroes of our unpayable bills. And to this music, dark and flamboyant, we’ll jump over hurdles. We’ll pick up our teeth. Make necklaces out of them. Everyone will be invited to nail their troubles to the floor. And dance on them to flatten them. And in the dark of night, the dance floor will glow. Our imperfect bodies will find their place. The sun will scatter us. And once again it will be day. Some kind of shelter or hiding place. Something we can sneak into to reassure ourselves or lose ourselves for as long as we need to.”
She is a visual artist, polyglot, musician and autodidact, he is a violinist by training, polyinstrumentalist. She comes from the cosmopolitan world of Berlin cabaret, he from noisy, experimental music. The album is co-produced by Dakou, the great master of Afro-Cuban electro rhythm and prominent member of Tschegue and The YD. Also participating on the record are Sofiane Saidi – the ‘prince of Rai 2.0’ -, the San Salvador Occitan folk collective and the brilliant MPL.
While touring in Zimbabwe, Sages comme des sauvages met Stimy Stimela and Blessing Chimanga. After singing live with them, they couldn’t resist including them on the album. The album, mixed by Florent Livet and mastered by Chab, marks a new stage in the band’s career. The duo’s artistic audacity hit the mark, and now they’ve added an ambitious artistic and sound direction.
Sages comme des sauvages are not the people you think they are. Since 2015, you’ve been wrong about them. You thought they were naive, but they’re anarchists. You thought they were nice, but they’re angry. Out of fashion, in tune with the periphery, Sages comme des sauvages are forging a place for themselves between the popular and the cool. Their songs are medicines against bad news, attempts to re-enchant the diagonal of the void. They look like nobody because nobody looks like them.
Ismaël Colombani began playing the violin at the age of six, and has gone on to play in a number of avant-garde music groups. He also composes music for the stage, notably for the world-famous dance company Peeping Tom. Ava Carrère studied Fine Art until she felt the need to find a more direct way of addressing people. In the world of the Berlin underground she discovered that she was full of songs.
Gum, Viagra, Carambar and LSD are all examples of serendipity. These are things you find without looking for them. Sages comme des sauvages is another example of that. It all happened by chance. Ismaël wasn’t supposed to meet Ava Carrère, just as Greek instruments weren’t supposed to play Réunionese music. When they mixed their voices, a third entity appeared, that of the grouple. They made French groove in a way that few native Frenchmen do.
By chance, they bounced like pinballs between Berlin, Greece and Reunion Island. There they found traces of music that commerce had not completely dominated, and brought with them instruments, friendships and the idea that the creolisation of the world needed to be amplified. And so it was that, in spite of themselves, Sages comme des sauvages became an almost household name, releasing two albums, being played on all the French-language radio stations (France Inter, France Culture, FIP, RTBF, RTS…), winning prizes and playing hundreds of concerts in France and abroad.
Wherever they go, they get whole families up and dancing to political or poetic songs, something not everyone can do (especially when you’re not dead yet). But behind the randomness is a commitment to putting music at the centre, for everyone, without concessions. For them, rebellion is not a posture, it’s part of the air they breathe every morning. Sharing it wholeheartedly with their audience is vital. Not only are you likely to be moved by their music, but it’s possible that their concert will suddenly turn into a onecouple- show. The two of them have a lot to say, and giving them a platform is not without risk. Expect the unexpected.
Sages Comme Des Sauvages tour dates
