MELCHI VEPOUYOUM
The young singer-songwriter astonishes with his unconventional guitar playing and remarkably versatile voice. In his songs and sounds, he tells of experiences from his childhood, addressing everyday life in the villages of Western Cameroon and in the capital city of Yaoundé. The compositions in his native language Bamoun, in French, English, Franglais, and a little German describe the realities of Cameroonian society, the all-encompassing importance of solidarity and love, as well as the current challenges in Africa and Europe.
LE CLOU
The sound from the swamp: The music of the French band LE CLOU has its roots deep in the southern United States. In the swamps of the Mississippi Delta, the Cajuns, descendants of settlers from France who arrived in North America over 200 years ago, live. In the remote bayous west of New Orleans, they have lived in isolation for a long time, proudly preserving their own way of life, culture, and French language to this day. The Cajuns like to celebrate and have a good time, and down there in Louisiana, you can hear the sound of Cajun music thumping out of all the dance halls.
Southern states - sultry heat and gentle spirit: Christened in the waters of the Mississippi, the Cajun cult band has been "on the road" for more than four decades. Yves Gueit and Johannes Epremian have been part of the band the longest. With cheerful playfulness, they charmingly conjure up many a musical swamp flower. "We play a lot and love performing live. So our music has become more dynamic over the years, more percussive, and more danceable," says Yves Gueit, who hails from Toulon. He is the stoic helmsman of the group, circling on Cajun accordion and various wind instruments seemingly uninvolved but with deep musicality. Meanwhile, Johannes Epremian, the charming rogue of the team, intertwines his vocal lines with dreamlike fiddle parts. The Scot Steve Crawford lays down lively guitar grooves and wonderful vocal harmonies, while Gero Gellert on bass and Ralph Schläger on drums provide the necessary pound from below.
As different as these five musicians may be, they complement each other ideally to form a dreamily cohesive unit. Their joy of playing is highly infectious. Accordion and fiddle give wings to the bright vocals. The sound and history of a vibrant music style from Louisiana transform the band and the audience into a dense unity, creating a true Southern states feeling. The band steams ahead, lets the pot bubble, and cooks up the venue on a high flame.
LE CLOU was founded in 1976. As a pioneer in Cajun music, the band quickly established itself on the European concert and festival scene. The breakthrough came in 1983 with the TV Eurovision show "Songs, Rhythms, Melodies" live in front of 400 million people. In numerous radio and TV productions, LE CLOU presented its CAJUN SWAMP GROOVE. The instrumental track "Le Printemps Cadien" was a chart success. The band twice received the "German Record Critics' Award" and was honored with awards all over Europe.
YVES GUEIT ... Vocals, Cajun accordion, flutes, clarinet, saxophone
JOHANNES EPREMIAN ... Vocals, violin, guitar, electric guitar, dobro
STEVE CRAWFORD ... Vocals, guitar, rubboard
GERO GELLERT ... Bass
RALPH SCHLÄGER ... Drums
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
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