"It was the vocals and the emotion of the songs which attracted me," he says. After the first album, there was a disagreement on what direction Deep Forest should take. He explained, "I wanted to get even more into the studio side of things. The others wanted to make Deep Forest a 'live' thing. I feel this kind of music stands on its own for what it is, exploring these great sounds. I consider the studio my musical instrument."

^« Cheb Mami - L'Enfant Fleur
Official page: http://www.chebmami.net
Cheb Mami, born Khelifati Mohammed in Algeria, is considered by many the "Prince of Rai." His music is describes as "Arabic rock & roll retaining virtues of traditional music but infused with urban urgency."

In 1999 Ched worked with Deep Forest and Catherine Lara on the song L'Enfant Fleur which had been composed for Sol En Si (a French charity, who help HIV families). More recently Cheb Mami's collaboration with Sting has gotten him a lot more recognition. Desert Rose marked the first duet with a Western singer and an Eastern artist.

^« Abed Azrié - Media Luna  
Official page: http://www.sonymusic.fr/abed/abed/principal.html
Syrian native, Abed Azrié, who now lives in Paris, grew up being exposed to Eastern liturgy. In his teens Azrié became interested in the popular music of the United States, France, and the Mediterranean. Azrié moved temporarily to Beirut where he studied Arabian literature. Then in 1967 he settled down in France. Azrié has composed melodies based on the Gilgamesh epic, Sufi poetry, the work of Persian poet Omar Kayyam and contemporary Arabic poetry

In 2001, she performed on the song 'Magic In the Air,' composed by Eric Mouquet for Japanese oboist Fumiaki Miyamoto's album 'Air.'

Stefka appears on Deep Forest's latest album, 'Music Detected' in the song 'Endangered Species.'  She sings alongside Beverly Jo Scott and Eric Mouquet on vocoders.

^« Didier Cresson -
Official page: http://www.webcreateur.com/cresson
Bass player Didier Cresson lives in Northern France, near Sanchez and Mouquet. He started playing the guitar at the age of 15, and then went on to study musicology at the University of Paris.

Didier joined his long time friend Michel Sanchez to take part in the recording of Windows. In 1996 Didier was invited to join Deep Forest's live band to play at the G7 Summit in Lyon, France, and then for their world tour which traveled to Australia, Japan, Poland, Greece, and Hungary, as well as their 98' world tour. Didier also played bass on Comparsa, and Michel Sanchez's second solo album, Hiéroglyphes.

Oswaldo currently lives in Brussels with his wife and two year old daughter. He continues to record and perform around the world.

In 2001, she began working with Deep Forest, performing vocals to 'Sweet Lullaby' at the live 'Image' concerts in Japan.  The following year, she made her impression on 'Music Detected,' appearing as the lead vocalst in four songs.

At the live 'Image' concerts held in Japan in 2001, members of the Deep Forest troupe assisted in Taro's performances, with backup vocals and keyboarding.

Taro Hakase appears on the song 'Tokyo Street,' which is only available on the Japanese release of 'Music Detected.' 

^« Jorge Reyes -
This enigmatic multi-instrumentalist draws from the diverse culture and history of his Mexican homeland, as well as his early experiences playing in progressive-rock bands south of the border. Currently based in Mexico City, Reyes combines flute, pre-Columbian instruments, and percussion with synthesizers and voice to cast a spell of ritualistic intensity. Like shadows from Mexico's sultry and savage past, his music has a dark quality to it that sometimes scares off the unprepared, but adventurous listeners will find plenty to admire in his evocation of jungles, jaguars, and Aztec rites.

Jorge Reyes appears on Comparsa, performing percussion, vocals and the flute. Reyes also performed live with Deep Forest at the Tajín Summit in Mexico (2001).

^« Anggun - Deep Blue Sea
Official page: http://www.anggun.com

Anggun Cipta Sasmi, a native Indonesian, became a star in Eastern Asia at the ripe age of 12.  Since then, she has released numerous albums in both French, English, and Bahasa languages, but it was 'Snow on the Sahara,' which propelled her into the public's eye.

Anggun appears on the song 'Deep Blue Sea' on 'Music Detected, singing in both English and Indonesian.  A single for this song will be released in Indonesia.

^« Chitose Hajime - Will You Be Ready
Official page: http://office-augusta.com/hajime/

This upcoming Japanese star began her professional music career at age 5 on the small island of Amami.  She has released several mini-albums in Japan that have met with critical acclaim.

Deep Forest began taking interest in her when they heard her song "Shimauta."  Because of this interest, they wrote a song for her that appears on 'Music Detected,' called 'Will You Be Ready.'  Chitose sings in her native tongue, and is supported by Angela McCluskey. A single for this song will be released in Japan.

^« Angela McCluskey - Will You Be Ready
This Scottish singer was a part of Wild Colonials from 1994 on.  She has more recently performed with Télépopmusik.

Angela sings opposite Chitose Hajime in Will You Be Ready in English.

^« Pandit Brij Narayan - In The Evening
Pandit Brij Narayan is probably the finest sarod player of the younger generation. Born in Udaipur, Rajasthan, on April 25, 1952, to none other than the greatest ever sarangi player, Pandit Ram Narayan, Brij Narayan was fascinated by the sarod or rather fell in love with it at age four, at a concert by the great maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan or `Khansahib'. He started his music lessons as a toddler under his father Pt Ram Narayan and his uncle Pandit Chatur Lal, the tabla wizard.

His first public performance was at age 12 in the Sapru House, Delhi, Accompanied on the tabla by Chaturlalji. It was 1967, fifteen year old Brij Narayan stunned the nation, being adjudged the finest instrumentalist at the All India Radio Music Competition and was Unanimously named SCHOLAR of the Bharatiya Sangeet Sabha. The same year Brij Narayan went to Afghanistan as a ICCR cultural delegate. In his European debut in 1972, Pt. Brij Narayan mesmerised the german and international audience at the Munich Olympics, probably the first Indian Musician to perform solo at the Olympics. Since then, he has made extensive tours of Europe, the USA, Russia, The Middle East, Asia and Australia.

^« David Fall - Music Detected, Never Let Go,
The young half Senegalese, half French drummer first played on stage at the age of 8 with a funk group. He began his professional career at the age of 15 when he joined the Senegalese group XALAM. In 1992 he entered the world of jazz-rock fusion.

David joined Deep Forest on Music Detected, contributing live drums to the entire album. Since Music Dected, David and Mouquet have worked on a number of projects together including songs for Chitose Hajime, Josh Groban, Ana Torroja (Fragil), and Jean Sebastien (Je me Souviendrai).

^« Maria Sabina - Tres Marias
Maria Sabina was a native of Huautla de Jimenez, in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. Shaman, Mazatec healer, curandera (the word means "curer" in Spanish, and has connotations both of priestess and of healer), Maria Sabina is most famous for her role in introducing the sacred mushroom ceremony velada to the world. Guided by Sabina, Wasson and Richardson (anthropologists) became the first KNOWN white men documented or publicized to participate in the nocturnal mushroom ceremony, in 1957. The results of their experience were published in Life Magazine, May 13 1957. That article is considered the inspiration for Dr. Timothy Leary and others to try similar mushrooms and hallucinogens.

While performing the sacred ceremony velada, Maria Sabina would sing and chant, of which recordings had been made.

Deep Forest had their first live concert in 1996 at the G7 Summit in Lyon, France. They continued from there on to the Deep Forest 96' world tour. After the the completion of Comparsa there was a 98' world tour. Since 98' there have been numerous live performances, including the Image Concerts. The 'Image' concerts took place in Japan. The concerts were based around the popular 'Image' album (similar to Pure Moods), and featured a number of famous Japanese artists, also including Deep Forest.

The center of the Deep Forest ensemble is always the same, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet, but the rest of the group is constantly changing with each tour. Deep Forest's first world tour (96') consisted of Gino Ceccarelli, Wes Madiko, Stefka Iordanova, Mara Kane, Lena Kane on vocals, Paolo Damanti on keyboards, Didier Cresson on bass, Fred Savinien Caprais and Oswaldo Hernandez on percussion, and Neil Conti on drums.

The 98' tour was made up by Paolo Damanti on keyboard, Fred Savinien Caprais on percussion, Didier Cresson on bass, and Lala Raharimala, Monika Rasoanirina, Gino Ceccarelli on vocals

Neil Conti




(Keyboards)
(Drums)
(Percussions)
(Bass)
(Vocal)
(Vocal)
(Vocal)

Deep Forest has a number of music videos. Several of them recycle footage such as the Marta's Song videos, which are all variations of the same video. The list is as follows:

^« Deep Forest (2 versions)
Directed by Kevin Godley

^« Boheme
Directed by Didier Kerbrat

^« Bohemian Ballet
"I wasn't really thrilled with the Indian music scenario, so I decided to appraoch bands that play my kind of music - Deep Forest. More than a month later, my crew began filming at the ancient city - Hampi for their latest assignment. The video was a series of stylised images. Both the band and my crew enjoyed the experience and more ideas are on the drawing board for their next collaboration." (Sunil Raina, director of video)

^« Madazulu
Directed by Tim Macmillan. Filmed on location in Mexico with 'Josephine' and super-16. The Mexican boy illustrates the 'second coming.' The film features people from a small village on the East coast of Mexico – the intent being to involve a local community in the project and to ensure that the local community also benifits directly from the commission.

The film involved much layering, matteing and rotascoping to interweave time shifts within the story.

^« Marta's Song
Directed by Howard Greenhalgh

^« Marta's Song (Armand's Muslim Moose Mix)
^« Marta's Song (Rainforest Crunch Mix)
^« Media Luna
^« Noonday Sun
^« Pacifique
^« Savana Dance

^« Sweet Lullaby (2 versions)
Upon hearing the tune, Tarsem says he was temporarily lured away from the lucrative commercial industry by the pure, young voice of a Pygmy girl singing a cappella at the close of the track. "I wanted to do the video just so I could use the girl singing this one line," he says. "It's just so brilliant." (Tarsem Singh, director of video)

Original version Directed by David Lodge

^« Sweet Lullaby (Around The World Mix)

^« White Whisper
Uses the same video as Sweet Lullaby, directed by Tarsem Singh.

^« Endangered Species

SNEP Export Awards 2002:
 "Deep Forest" certified diamond with more than 2 million albums sold outside France 
"Bohême" certified Diamond with more than 1 million albums sold outside France 
"Comparsa" certified Platinum with more than 500,000 albums sold outside France 
"Live in Japan" certified Gold with more than 100,000 albums sold outside France