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Section: Artists & Music

HEAT SEEKERS IMPACT

LOS ANGELES--The unusual pairing of contemporary dance rhythms with indigenous vocal music of South America, the South Pacific, and Central Africa has made Deep Forest an unlikely mainstream favorite.

The 550 Music/Epic self-titled release moves 89-87 on The Billboard 200 this week, as the first single, "Sweet Lullaby," is bubbling under the Hot 100.

During the week of Feb. 12, "Deep Forest" became a Heatseekers Impact Artist as the title moved 82 positions to No. 89 on The Billboard 200. According to SoundScan data, 185,000 units have been sold.

In addition, "Deep Forest" has received a Grammy nomination for best world music album.

Since the album's release May 4, "Sweet Lullaby" has spent time on various charts. It peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Club Play chart May 22, No. 4 on the Maxi-Singles Sales chart June 26, and No. 14 on Modern Rock Tracks Aug. 14. "Sweet Lullaby" also debuted on Hits of The U.K. Feb. 12 at No. 12. It's now No. 10.

Deep Forest is the work of two European composers, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet, who combined a Central African pygmy lullaby with a dance beat to create "Sweet Lullaby." Deep Forest also weaves music from the Solomon Islands, Burundi, Tibesti, and Sahel into a bed of house grooves and ambient rhythms.

Mouquet has composed and arranged music for a number of French artists, including Herbert Leonard, Patsy, and Jacky Quartz. Sanchez is a classically trained pianist and organist who has worked as a session musician. Currently, he is working on a jazz instrumental solo album.

The project carne about when Sanchez, an avid student of ethnic music, decided to try to combine African voices in a modern pop context Mouquet, in turn, gave the music its ambient dance sound.

The indigenous recordings used on the album were taken from a variety of archival sources.

A percentage of the proceeds from Deep Forest is being donated to the Santa Monica, Calif.-based Pygmy Fund, which aims to help the pygmies of Central Africa cope with their changing environment.

Mouquet says he's a bit surprised at the project's success. "When we began this project it was not for commercial [success]," he says. "The idea was just to play the music we want and to preserve the emotion of the music. It was important for us to pre-serve the tribal voices and not let the music overpower it."

Initially, "Deep Forest" was released internationally by Columbia June 3, 1992. Epic picked it up and released it in May 1993 in the U.S. before handing the project over to its new imprint, 550 Music, in August.

The success of "Deep Forest" is another example of how MTV support can influence album sales.

Torrace, Calif.-based Wherehouse Entertainment new-release buyer Bob Bell says sales started taking off once MTV started running the "Sweet Lullaby" clip in December. For the week ending Feb. 4, "Deep Forest" went from No. 61 to No. 51 at the chain, Bell says.

"It's one of those totally unique records like Enigma or Enya, where when you hear it on in-store play you have to have it," says Bell.

550 Music GM Polly Anthony says MTV didn't kick in until after 550 Music took over the project from Epic.

"When we took the project over, we saw it needed a visual attached to it," says Anthony. Acclaimed video director Tarsera, known for lensing R.E.M.'s award-winning "Losing My Religion" clip, directed the Deep Forest video (Billboard, Feb. 12).

Says Anthony, "MTV fell in love with it right away and before the holidays put it in breakthrough video. After the holidays, they put it in buzz bin."

Product manager Brenda Hazell adds, "MTV just started this whole wave. Since they added it, MTV Latino added it, and so did VH-1 and the Box."

The album also benefited from exposure on a television commercial for the Sony Trinitron XBR TV, which included "Sweet Lullaby" as an audio track.

The initial set-up for the album focused on the dance market. Last spring, a green 12-inch single featuring different mixes of "Sweet Lullaby" was introduced at the Winter Music Conference in Miami.

"This created a buzz for those people who carry the message of the street most effectively," says Anthony. "It really gets reaction every time it's played. The first big story that caught the attention of the company was when Virgin Megastore [in Los Angeles] started playing [the import] in-store, and they started selling the imports hand over fist."

Jon wheats, world music buyer for the Virgin Megastore, says "Deep Forest" was the store's No. 5 import for 1993. The domestic release is now the store's No. 4 best-selling title.

"We started playing it in-store in December 1992 because it was already big overseas," says Wheats. "It's one of those records that's unlike anything else. We're still selling 60 a week, and that's great for a world music title."

KROQ Los Angeles APD Gene Sandbloom also supported Deep Forest early on.

"We played it as soon as we got the advance tape on April 30," he says. "We got immediate phones, but it didn't quite have that mass appeal like Enigma. But when MTV added it and the Sony commercial was on the air, we thought it was the perfect time to put it back on the air, and we got an even better response. It serves the eclectic part of our audience."

Broadcast Data Systems reports that 26 modern rock stations, including KNDD Seattle, WFNX Boston, and WDRE Long Island, N.Y., played "Sweet Lullaby" during the week ending Feb. 6.

According to Anthony, Epic originally attempted to take the release to top 40 and met with some resistance. "That's when we changed from Epic to 550 Music and made the video," she says. "We decided to wait until MTV came on board to really develop it at top 40, which is where we're at nOW."

BDS reports that the song was played on 22 top 40 outlets, including WAPE Jacksonville, Fla., WVSR Charleston, W.V., and WPOW Miami, during the week ending Feb. 6.

Up next, says Hazell, is a cross-pro-motion with the Body Shop; the label is negotiating a deal with the organic beauty supply store chain.

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By CARRIE BORZILLO