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Grammy Award-winning composer and musician Eric Mouquet of Deep Forest fame has had a lasting impact on music which is the stuff of legends. The founder of the pioneering ethno-ambient electronica band has worked with the likes of artists such as Josh Groban, Joe Zawinul, Peter Gabriel, Herbie Hancock, Catherine Lara and Charles Aznavour among many others. Deep Forest’s second album Boheme went on to win the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 1995.
Mouquet recently performed at the prestigious Jodhpur RIFF which was held at the Mehrangarh Fort. Excerpts from the interview: How would you describe your sound for the newer generation who may not have heard your music? Deep Forest is an immersive ethno-electronic style merging ethnic-traditional chants and sounds with electronic grooves. It’s quite unique but it could be described as melodic techno ambient depending on the track I play.
Right from your first album, your music became a rage and continues to remain popular. What do you think it is about your music which speaks to everyone? I see different generations attending our concerts. Our fans from the ‘90s as well as young, new people who are discovering my music through social media.
Deep Forest is not à la mode. The sound has evolved through the years and is always innovative. What are your earliest memories of making music? Who were some of your inspirations? As a teenager, I was fascinated by the sound of the Hammond B3 organ.
It fuelled my curiosity and brought me from Rock to Jazz. Then I got my first synthesizer — a Moog — and it was a revelation and another approach to the sound. I am always looking to make the synth as expressive as I can.
Your second album Boheme won a Grammy Award. Why did you decide to take a different approach from the first one? To be innovative every time is a big challenge, but it is important for me to develop my own musical language. Therefore, every new album needs to explore a different direction.
Can you tell us a bit about the collaboration with Peter Gabriel for While the Earth Sleeps? I was a big fan of Peter during the Genesis period. I saw him a couple of times on stage. Then he started his solo career and took a new musical direction.
It was the perfect example for me of how an artist can be creative. It was magic when I met him. In just a few hours, we created the song.
It was a very powerful experience for me. Was this your first performance in India? What do you think of Indian music and are there any collaborations in the pipeline? I have played many times in India, including a few times with Rahul Sharma when we worked together on the album Deep India. I have also played at the Sula Festival.
This time, I came with a new set, a new arrangement of the Deep Forest iconic songs, and of course, some new material. I’m also very excited about collaborations with Indian musicians. What’s next for Deep Forest? There are always a couple of projects cooking in my studio.
At the moment, I am working on three projects. One will be a Deep Forest album and two will be collaborations. They should be ready for 2025.
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