Manau (group)

Manau
Manau at the Sons d'une nuit d'été festival (Nuits Saint Georges, France) on july 10, 2010.
Background information
Origin	France
Genres	French Hip-Hop
Years active	1998-present
Members	Martial Tricoche - songwriter, singer, leader Cédric Soubiron - composer, singer, programmer, DJ RV Lardic - composer, singer, bass, accordion, guitar, piano, keyboards Grégor Gandon - composer, programmer, violin Loïc Taillebrest - bagpipes, bombarde Laurent Vernerey - contrabass, bass Manu Vergeade - guitar Anne Mispelter - harp Eric Mula - trumpet Anne-Gaëlle Bisquay - violoncello Elsa Kalfoglou and her troupe, Pierre Aulas, John Maro Doucouré, Corbett, Iakovos Pappas, Bertrand Ricq, Paul Eric Toussaint - chorus

Manau is a French hip hop group formed in 1998, known for their fusing of traditional Celtic melodies with modern hip hop beats. It was initially composed of Martial Tricoche, Cédric Soubiron, and R.V. (Hervé) Lardic until R.V.'s departure and replacement by Gregor Gandon. Although the band is currently based in Paris, all of the members can trace their roots back to Brittany. The group's name comes from the old Gaelic name for the Isle of Man.

In 1988, Martial and Cédric began hosting a radio show on a local FM station, with Martial rapping in the show and Cédric as DJ. The show ended in two years and built up a following of fans. When the show ended, Cédric managed to get a job at the radio station Skyrock.

Several years later, Cédric met R.V., who had come into the station to perform a live session with his group MeanWhile. R.V. had just finished seven years of schooling at the prestigious Paris Conservatoire, and was now able to play guitar, bass, accordion, and keyboard. Cédric and R.V. hit it off immediately and began talking about making a group.

Meanwhile, Martial had been developing a career as a songwriter. One of his brother's friends had introduced him to the joys of Celtic culture, and he picked up on it immediately, discovering the work of Breton folk stars such as Dan Ar Braz, Yann-Fanch Kemener and the group Tri Yann. Martial's early songs were also greatly influenced by Jean Markale's novel L'épopée Celte, an amazing account of ancient Celtic folklore, peopled with Druids and Celtic warlords.

Shortly after Cédric and R.V.'s meeting, they teamed up with Martial to form the group Manau. They set to work on a unique fusion of Celtic rhythms and rap beats. One of their demo tapes landed on the desk of the creative director at Polydor. Impressed by their highly original sound, he immediately offered them a recording contract.