aaamusic | On 01, Mar 2013

Moussu T e lei Jovents, made up of the founder and singer of Massilia Sound System, Tatou (alias Moussu T, Mister T), and his guitarist, Blu, are now a major presence on the French music scene: an uncontested figurehead of Occitan music, the group is now making a name for itself beyond the frontiers of their homeland.

Over the thirty years of their encounter-rich career (Massilia was founded in 1984), they have connected with many people, notably those in the Nordeste region of Brazil and singers like Lénine, Silverio Pessoa and Jamilson Da Silva. From this, the group has drawn their inspiration and fundamental principles. The influence of Marseilles music from the thirties and the popularity of its light operas have also made a major contribution to building the group’s repertoire. And aside from these influences, Moussu T e lei Jovents have managed to come up with their own style, half-way between chanson and Mediterranean blues. Now recognised around the whole world, Moussu T e lei Jovents have come – like other world music groups – to represent the music of their home town.

Moussu T e lei Jovents work with almost the same team on their recordings as on stage: Tatou on vocals, Blu on guitars, banjo and vocals, Déli K on percussion and Denis Lo Bramaire on drums. For this occasion, the Brazilian percussionist, Jamilson Da Silva, with whom the group has worked since they started out, also accompanies them (here, he plays on the tracks ‘Le bateau’, ‘Monte vas cançoneta?’, ‘Mon drapeau rouge’ and ‘Embarcatz!’). For stage performances of their new repertoire, they will be joined for the first time by the bass player Fred Simbolotti (Raoul Petite, Royal de Luxe, IAM), for a show which will be, as always, full of good cheer but even livelier!

On this album, ‘Artémis’, which is their fifth, the influence of blues music stands out more than ever (cf. ‘Embarcatz!’, ‘Te’n vas de matin’, ‘Mistral’, ‘Lei rainards’, ‘Occitanie sur mer’ etc.), whether it’s in terms of the subjects the songs deal with (‘Tout mon temps’) or in terms of their structure. This never descends into a purely pedantic style, but instead calls on modal forms and open tuning, which is very common in blues music (particularly in the work of Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones). Moussu T e lei Jovents find their inspiration in many different sources, from Brazilian compositions (‘Le bateau’, ‘Mon drapeau rouge’) to Floyd-style pop forms which are borderline progressive, but they never leave the chanson style behind (cf. ‘Monte vas cançoneta?’). The prominence of the acoustic guitar on this album gives it a less electric feel than ‘Putan de cançon’, their previous work, although it’s still definitely rock music!

There are more songs than ever in Occitan here, since it’s when they work in this language that the group feels the most independent. As in the past, they use a clever mix of light-heartedness and nostalgia, rebellion and powerful hints of poetry, always without the slightest ostentation. This time, it’s the goddess Artémis who serves as Moussu T e lei Jovents’ muse.

Artémis, the goddess of Phocaea and the guardian angel of Marseilles. She is both a symbol of the struggle for change and against exploitation, and the immutable image of motherhood and the sweetness of home life: an ambivalent sentiment which keeps cropping up in the group’s work as each song goes by. It is incidentally this same principle which was behind the work of Occitan troubadours in the Middle Ages (they composed love songs and poems dedicated to the ‘Lady’) and which can also be found in the work of more contemporary artists. Their repertoire subtly combines the mildness of the climate and ocean-side landscapes with the harshness of naval construction work and the smell of steel, and it all smacks of the fight for social justice. Once again, the group’s favourite topics (sometimes presented from a very ‘masculine’ point of view: war, steel, oil tankers) are expressed under the watchful eye of a protective female guide, Artémis, who follows logically on from the female figures on the group’s previous albums: a school crush in ‘Mademoiselle Marseille’, neighbourhood girls in ‘Forever Polida’ and the tomboy in ’Home Sweet Home’.