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«Le Passeur de Sangatte», experimental alt-rock with a touch of free jazz
This track was conceived as a companion to "Le Voyage de Yassine", a novel by the French novelist and poet, Jack D. Tickett, my brother.
I started to work on this track in June 2022 right after I received the first draft of the lyrics from my him after passionate discussions we had on the topic. I finally reached the point where I am satisfied enough to release it. To celebrate, I decided to make this my first release on Bandcamp. Other streaming platforms will follow soon. This is also a return to my alt-rock and post-punk guitar based roots.
It is probably better not to mention the motivation behind this track as this forum became a non political place. All I can say is that the music was composed to describe the tragic journey of migrants on the Channel between France and the U.K. On the other hands, the words are written from the cynical point of view of a shameless and murderous smuggler.
I believe the main interest of this track is in the lyrics. My brother's writing on this one is very sharp and detailed and include references to greek mythology and recent news but... These are in french... I hope the music can keep the listener's interest even without getting the lyrics.
As usual made exclusively on iPad. Please follow me on Bandcamp !
Le Passeur de Sangatte by ORIPEAUXLyrics in the spoiler:
PART I : LA DUNE
J'ai pris ma place sur le haut de la dune,
Tous les soirs j'y reviens.
S'annonce encore une belle nuit sans lune,
Dans la brume et les embruns.
Je ne suis personne et pourtant je suis quelqu'un,
L'anomymat, j'y tiens.
Tous les soirs je viens en haut de cette dune,
Je ne viens pas pour profiter de son panorama,
Et pas plus des oyats.
J'y viens pour contempler mon entreprise,
Les cheveux dans la brise.
En contrebas sur la plage de Sangatte
Bientôt commencera la régate
Je vois tous mes petits pantins s'avancer.
Certains sont en train de prier.
Aujourd'hui ils sont près d'une centaine,
Et la mer est incertaine...
J'ai pris ma place sur le haut de la dune.
Tous les soirs j'y reviens.
J'avoue que l'être humain me fascine,
Dans la brume et les embruns.
Quel que soit le poids de leur bagage.
Qu'ils aient échappé au carnage,
Aux sécheresses, à la faim,
Ils espèrent en demain.
Je ne fais que recruter des equipages,
Fournir l'accastillage.
J'embarque les espérances dans mes radeaux,
Parasitant l'Eldorado.
PART II : CHARON ET LA MANCHE-ACHÉRON
Je suis le passeur d'âmes
Que le destin réclame.
Je suis le Roi des Aulnes
Bien assis sur son trône,
Le dérobeur d'enfants,
La terreur des parents.
La Manche tient dans ma main,
J'en ai fait l'Achéron.
Mon surnom est Charon.
Je pourvois aux démons.
Je transporte les âmes
Que le destin réclame.
Je n'ai pas d'état d'âme
C’est pas mon genre de came.
Ils m'appellent, je décroche.
Et je leur fais les poches.
Je couvre la demande,
Je saisis les commandes,
Je signe les bordereaux,
Refourgue les canots
Sans police d'assurances,
Juste un petit peu d'essence
Et qu'ils perdent la vie,
C’est le cadet de mes soucis.
Je suis le passeur d'âmes
Que le destin réclame.
PART III : LA TEMPÊTE
La nuit est tombée sur le haut de la dune,
Mon troupeau a disparu.
Tous les soirs je les vois s'éloigner,
Dévorés par les vagues.
A l'horizon j'aperçois le cortège de cargos,
Leurs feux illuminés.
Ils doivent éviter ces grandes murailles,
Et leurs machoires de fer.
Je sais que certains ne feront pas de ce voyage,
Ce qu'ils en attendaient.
Demain matin, je n'irai pas sur la dune,
La Mer y vomit ses noyés.
D'autres auront atteint Dover ou London,
Le Beau Joe les attend.
Qu'ils pourrissent dans les égouts de Brighton,
Ou dans un avion du Rwanda.
L'Europe est une pieuvre impérieuse et gourmande
Elle a toujours faim...
Oh insatiable Europe !
Toi qui a toujours faim...
Je suis ton petit poisson pilote.
Je m'engraisse sur les restes de tes fins.
Oh insatiable Europe !
Toi qui a toujours faim...
Je suis ton petit poisson pilote.
Je m'engraisse sur les restes de tes fins.
Oh insatiable Europe.
Allez vas-y, nourris moi !
Nourris moi encore.
Allez! Encore un peu.
Oh insatiable Europe !
Here's an attempt of translation in English:
PART I: THE DUNE
I took my place on top of the dune,
Every evening, I return.
Another beautiful moonless night unfolds,
In the mist and sea spray.
I am nobody, yet I am someone,
Anonymity, I cherish.
Every evening, I come to the top of this dune,
Not to enjoy the panorama,
Nor the beach grass.
I come to contemplate my endeavor,
Hair in the breeze.
Below on Sangatte beach,
The regatta will soon begin.
I see all my puppets advancing.
Some are in prayer.
Today, they are close to a hundred,
And the sea is uncertain...
I took my place on top of the dune.
Every evening, I return.
I confess that the human being fascinates me,
In the mist and sea spray.
Regardless of the weight of their baggage,
Whether they've escaped carnage, Drought, hunger,
They hope for tomorrow.
I only recruit crews,
Supply the rigging.
I embark hopes in my rafts,
Parasitizing their El Dorado.
PART II: CHARON AND THE CHANNEL-ACHERON
I am the ferryman of souls,
Demanded by destiny.
I am the King of the Alders
Seated firmly on his throne,
The child-stealer,
The terror of parents.
The Channel rests in my hand,
I've made it the Acheron.
They call me Charon.
I provide for the demons.
I transport the souls,
Demanded by destiny.
I have no qualms, It's not my kind of thing.
They call me, I answer,
And I empty their pockets.
I meet the demand,
I take the orders,
I sign the slip sheets,
Unload the boats
Without insurance policy,
Just a little fuel,
And if they lose their lives,
It's the least of my worries.
I am the ferryman of souls,
Demanded by destiny.
PART III: THE STORM
Night has fallen on top of the dune,
My herd has vanished.
Every evening, I see them drift away,
Devoured by the waves.
On the horizon,
I see the procession of cargo ships,
Their illuminated lights.
They must avoid these great walls,
And their iron jaws.
I know some won't make of this journey, What they expected.
Tomorrow morning,
I won't go to the dune,
The Sea spews its drowned there.
Others will have reached Dover or London,
Bo-Jo awaits them.
Whether they rot in Brighton's sewers,
Or in a plane to Rwanda.
Europe is an imperious and voracious octopus,
It is always hungry...
Oh insatiable Europe!
You who are always hungry...
I am your little pilot fish.
I fatten myself on the remains of your feasts.
Oh insatiable Europe!
You who are always hungry...
I am your little pilot fish.
I fatten myself on the remains of your feasts.
Oh insatiable Europe.
Come on, feed me!
Feed me again.
Come on!
A little more.
Oh insatiable Europe!
Comments
It's mini-opera in three movements! The lyrics are especially beautiful (despite the subject matter), and the scope and sheer ambition of this track is pretty breathtaking, I can see why it took a long time to put together, in fact I'm sure I heard an earlier version of this last year.
The vocals are beautifully delivered and tell the story very effectively. All the music, sounds, and the overall production are great as well. It's not ann easy listen, but it tells the story with the requisite drama and emotion. The crescendo at the end is cathartic.
That is not the style of music I usually listen.
That being said, the writing, the recording, the production are super clean and pro. The bass is top notch. Well, everything actually is.
Weirdly, your voice sounds a little bit in the back (I doubled check I didn’t leave Spatial Audio on). Guess it is on purpose.
What can I say? That is a crazy good piece of art!
What makes it a true masterpiece is definitely the end, those brass are monstrously good!
I agree with @jo92346 the brass at the end. Any chance getting a translation of the lyrics? My high school French isn’t holding up. Good to see you go deep, Jean.
This is f##€ great!.
Agree with @richardyot, this is a very complex and ambitious and you make it work, it flows.
The bass is superb. It’s you playing, right?. Impressive.
Love the vocals. In a ways they consistent, and calm, through the track. The contrast with the more aggressive Instruments works great. It “glues” the song together.
The build up at around min 4 gives me goosebumps.
The brass part?. Everyone seems to agree on that, that 007 on acid vibe is crazy good.
Production and mixing is great.
I first listened with the iPad speakers and could sort of see what @jo92346 was talking about. Using headphones makes a world of difference. I don’t know if there’s some phase thing happening on the iPad speakers because on headphones it sounds 10000 times better, vocals specially.
Congrats and hats off. This is top notch. 🙌🙌🙌🏅🏅
Great track, sounds like a mix between Mickey3D and Etienne Daho.
Thanks for listening, Richard. I remember letting you listen to it at some point.
It is the first time I invested so much of my time on a project. In cumulative hours spent, I guess this amounts to weeks... Ironically, this is very likely that this track won't be getting much attention out there despite all the efforts I put into it, which I totally get, given its topic and form. But this time was not lost, I learned many things on the way !
Thank you for listening, Joseph! I didn't want to vocals to be too empowering but stay intelligible so that listeners can focus on those only if they really want to.
Glad you enjoyed the brass, these are my favourite parts in the track with the bass line.
Have you tried the SWAM apps? That's what I used for Alto and Tenor sax. I believe they sound convincing enough in a mix.
Thank you for taking the time to listen, Mike! I am really happy with the way brass sound at the end, especially Alto and Tenor sax!
Here's an attempt of translation in the spoiler:
PART I: THE DUNE
I took my place on top of the dune,
Every evening, I return.
Another beautiful moonless night unfolds,
In the mist and sea spray.
I am nobody, yet I am someone,
Anonymity, I cherish.
Every evening, I come to the top of this dune,
Not to enjoy the panorama,
Nor the beach grass.
I come to contemplate my endeavor,
Hair in the breeze.
Below on Sangatte beach,
The regatta will soon begin.
I see all my puppets advancing.
Some are in prayer.
Today, they are close to a hundred,
And the sea is uncertain...
I took my place on top of the dune.
Every evening, I return.
I confess that the human being fascinates me,
In the mist and sea spray.
Regardless of the weight of their baggage,
Whether they've escaped carnage, Drought, hunger,
They hope for tomorrow.
I only recruit crews,
Supply the rigging.
I embark hopes in my rafts,
Parasitizing their El Dorado.
PART II: CHARON AND THE CHANNEL-ACHERON
I am the ferryman of souls,
Demanded by destiny.
I am the King of the Alders
Seated firmly on his throne,
The child-stealer,
The terror of parents.
The Channel rests in my hand,
I've made it the Acheron.
They call me Charon.
I provide for the demons.
I transport the souls,
Demanded by destiny.
I have no qualms, It's not my kind of thing.
They call me, I answer,
And I empty their pockets.
I meet the demand,
I take the orders,
I sign the slip sheets,
Unload the boats
Without insurance policy,
Just a little fuel,
And if they lose their lives,
It's the least of my worries.
I am the ferryman of souls,
Demanded by destiny.
PART III: THE STORM
Night has fallen on top of the dune,
My herd has vanished.
Every evening, I see them drift away,
Devoured by the waves.
On the horizon,
I see the procession of cargo ships,
Their illuminated lights.
They must avoid these great walls,
And their iron jaws.
I know some won't make of this journey, What they expected.
Tomorrow morning,
I won't go to the dune,
The Sea spews its drowned there.
Others will have reached Dover or London,
Bo-Jo awaits them.
Whether they rot in Brighton's sewers,
Or in a plane to Rwanda.
Europe is an imperious and voracious octopus,
It is always hungry...
Oh insatiable Europe!
You who are always hungry...
I am your little pilot fish.
I fatten myself on the remains of your feasts.
Oh insatiable Europe!
You who are always hungry...
I am your little pilot fish.
I fatten myself on the remains of your feasts.
Oh insatiable Europe.
Come on, feed me!
Feed me again.
Come on!
A little more.
Oh insatiable Europe!
Thx, Jean, a great opus to illegal immigration in mythic terms.
But, it is not meant to stigmatise people choosing to immigrate, Most of the time, it is their only hope for better future. Smugglers are some of the worst individual on this earth.
Outstanding JF! Had to listen a few times. There's so much going on - driving bass (amazing bass playing btw) & guitar parts, beautiful layers of piano, xylophone (glockenspiel?) and strings, tritone horns, dissonant saxophones, ... with your spoken voice/vocals sitting nicely in the middle. I think this has to be listened to very loud for full effect, but I'll have to wait until the family is out! Thanks for sharing - eventually - and I hope it gets you some attention.
Thank you for listening @tahiche ! Glad you liked the ba(da)ss playing. I had lots of fun playing but killed my calluses !
I didn't notice any of the problem you and @jo92346 mentioned on my side, both with headphones or through iPad speakers. Actually it is quite the opposite. Both guitars being hard panned on part 1 and 3, when listening to the mono version, the vocals are very upfront. Strange 🤔
Thank you for listening! Thanks to my older brother, I have been listening to Etienne Daho since I was a kid. So even if I didn't have him in mind, maybe his influence was somewhere floating around me. I am a lot less familiar with Mickey3D's work. Any track/ album recommendations. Is it the half spoken words that reminds you of him?
I think it is the way you sing with short sentences. It reminded me this track from Mickey 3D
Nice track! I like to chorus a lot. The bass sound is also similar.
The first three minutes were a total surprise. Your voice and French language go smoothly together. Those three minutes were uplifting and rock'n'rolling. After that goes another more strong section till the end of the song, but I’m afraid to comment on my experience, I don’t want to be misinterpreted, haha. But you faithfully described that tragic journey, like a true master. 🤩
Thank you for listening, Paul ! The bass line was lot of fun to play but a real calluses killer 😉.
Not sure this kind of music can gather much attention, but I that's not why I created this.
I would definitely recommend to listen to it very loud whenever you can.
Thank you for the kind words!
Thank you for listening and for the kind words! Would be curious to know your experience 😉. Rock'n roll baby !