Eclectic band Paris Combo to take Istanbul stage tonight

ISTANBUL

The venture “Paris Combo,” founded by Belle Du Berry and David Lewis of the rock band “Les Endimanchés,” started giving performances with eclectic and authentic repertoire around the River Seine in Paris.  The band released its first album with the recording company Boucherie.

The second album “Living-Room,” released in 1999, made the band famous in France and was followed by six studio and live concert albums.

The band has drawn great interest during their concerts in America, Australia, Brazil, Eastern Europe and southeastern Asian countries.

As part of the world tour for their latest album “Tako Tsubo,” Paris Combo will take the stage in Istanbul’s Cemal Reşit Rey (CRR) Concert Hall on Nov. 13.

Your latest album is Tako Tsubo. What would you like to say about this album?

There was quite a long and thorough pre-production phase for this album—including working out arrangement ideas before we even played the songs as a group. The idea was to try and achieve distinct, almost cinematic settings for each song and then adapt the group’s interpretation to those pre-conceived ideas. Maybe in that way, it’s similar to songs on the first couple of albums.

What kind of changes do you think there have been in Paris Combo’s music since the first release until now?

We released our first four studio albums between 1997 and 2004—the first couple of albums drew very much on Belle’s songwriting as a basis and each group member contributed. Later albums contained more originals from other group members. When we resumed working together in 2011, we decided to entirely co-write the music for “5.” The latest album, “Tako Tsubo,” has been arranged more like the first two, with most songs by Belle and David and has been arranged with more of a cinematic approach, like in the songs “Living Room” or “Istanbul.”

Which culture has influenced Paris Combo’s music the most?

This is hard to answer because there are influences from many countries in our music—one of the reasons for this is the role that jazz, and particularly gypsy music, have played a role in our development. These are musical styles, which are not limited to any one country and which are really about the meeting and fusing of different musical styles and traditions.

You have made a song for Istanbul. What does Turkish music mean to you?

The song “Istanbul” was actually inspired by a visit I made to Istanbul in the early 90s and from hearing a 9/8 rhythm in a discothèque of all places, as well as the sounds of the city—the fog horns from boats coming through the Bosphorus strait, the chanting from the mosques and a particularly violent storm where I found myself near the Hagia Sophia without an umbrella.

Is there a new project you have been working on?

We’re working on an album of remixes of our songs, which we hope to release early next year in digital and vinyl formats.What awaits those who will attend your performance on Nov. 13 in Turkey?

We have just created a new show for the French tour, which is about to start in September, so people in Istanbul have the chance to see it too. There will be new songs on our album “Tako Tsubo” but old favorites like “Living Room” and “Senor” will also be on it too.