St Germain (10th Anniversary Edition) St Germain

• 1 Real Blues 05:16
• 2 Sittin' Here 06:23
• 3 Hanky-Panky 07:06
• 4 Voilà 06:30
• 5 Family Tree 07:54
• 6 How Dare You 06:43
• 7 Mary L. 05:22
• 8 Forget Me Not 05:44
• 9 Sittin' Here (Karizma DJs Dub) 07:00
• 10 Sittin' Here (Peacey Remix) 07:22
• Total Runtime 01:05:20

Info for St Germain (10th Anniversary Edition)

Today marks the release of the 10th Anniversary Edition, self-titled record from St Germain. The artist, aka Ludovic Navarre, whose albums Boulevard (1995) and Tourist (2000) originated a genre of French electronic music that later included artists like Daft Punk, has returned to the studio to create his first album in 15 years. The album marries percussive grooves, which have always been central to St Germain’s sound, with a new element: traditional Malian music. To pick up a copy of the album in the United States, head to your local music store, iTunes, Amazon, or the Nonesuch Store.

The album features various musicians and singers from the African diaspora including Malian kora players Mamadou Cherif Soumano and Cheikh Lo Ouza Diallo, Malian violinist Zoumana Tereta, and Senegalese bass player Alioune Wade (Ismael Lô) amongst others. Notably, St Germain also includes contributions from revered Malian guitarist and n’goni player Guimba Kouyata whom Brian Eno recently heralded as "the greatest guitar player I’ve heard for years and years."

All About Jazz gives a perfect five stars to the new album with its "inspired alchemy." "St Germain is a remarkable album of rewarding and organic music," exclaims All About Jazz reviewer Nenad Georgievski. "It is really a rare occurrence that an electronic music is crafted with so much style and substance as this record." Georgievski goes on to explain: "What is evident on these tracks is Navarre's sense of space. Not only he has a great sense of melody, but a deep understanding of how traditional instruments can retain their authenticity, beauty and impact within a setting they were not designed to operate in. Navarre injects personality and charisma into these sounds and avoids them to sound lifeless and soullessly synthetic. The latter songs introduce a more deeply layered sound and swirling kaleidoscopic melodies. Eventually these layers masterfully and smoothly stack into a cohesive but rich sound."

The review concludes: "Rarely has electronic music been crafted with as much substance and style as it has on St. Germain's records including this one. Meticulously crafted, the combination of warm live instruments, the catchy house drum loops with ambient keyboards, African sounds and vocals, a plethora of clever musical references and subtle baselines reveals a true craftsmanship in Navarre's production of house music."

St Germain

St Germain (aka Ludovic Navarre)
One of the few producers to pursue a real fusion of jazz and house music, Frenchman Ludovic Navarre began recording in the early '90s using various aliases (Subsystem, Modus Vivendi, Deepside) for a range of French imprints. St. Germain debuted in 1994 for Laurent Garnier's F Communications label and Navarre released his first album, Boulevard, in 1996. Featuring trumpeter Pascal Ohse, the album worked as a hybrid of American R&B and jazz with the growing French house scene exemplified by Garnier, la Funk Mob, and Dimitri from Paris. Tourist, issued at the turn of the century by Blue Note, took the concept further, with Navarre working post-production on a fuller complement of musicians. Navarre has also remixed such varying artists as Björk, Pierre Henry, and the Suburban Knight.

As St. Germain he signed with Nonesuch in early 2015. In May he announced a self-titled offering — his first album of new material in 15 years. Inspired by his longtime love of Malian music, the album was recorded in Navarre's Paris studio. His stable of studio musicians included Brazilian percussionist Jorge Bezerra, Malian kora player Mamadou Cherif Soumano, Malian guitarist and n’goni player Guimba Kouyate, and longtime associate, Martiniquais keyboardist Didier Davidas. St. Germain's pre-release single "Real Blues" was issued in May, with the album scheduled for release in October.

This album contains no booklet.