In another cold, windy evening at the French Cultural Center’s theater in Mounira, a large, enthusiastic audience cheered for the hypnotic music played by the French slam group Vibrion, who made their impressive Egyptian debut last Tuesday.
The four-man band first came together seven years ago in their hometown of Marseille. Christophe Isselee plays the guitar, Stephane Paulin on the drum bass, Julien Lefevre plays the cello and front-man Eric Cartier recites the slam poetry.
Poetry slam is essentially a competition born in the mid 80s in Chicago. Competing poets and rappers battle it out in front of the audience who pick the winner based on the accumulated points they grant every contestant.
Vibrion’s music, on the other hand, borrows the spontaneity and inventiveness of slam and blends it with different, familiar musical genres.
“The music doesn’t only come from the lyrics but there is an important interaction between the two, Paulin explained.
The band’s immaculate instrumental skills and their compelling presence on stage wowed the audiences who were constantly surprised by the untraditional directions the band took and the original sounds produced from the sonic hybrid mix.
Some pieces featured a jazz-driven sound with a touch of electronica.
Others came off as straight rock accompanied by gentle acoustic-guitar tunes.
Paulin explained that the new acoustic sound is a major departure from their older, electronica-infused material – a new territory the band has just begun exploring.
They’re addicted to experimenting with different music genres, and are leaning towards rock sounds nowadays to avoid falling into the trap of a static type of music associated with slam.
“We take risks when we are on stage and it creates an incredible fever for us, said Isselee.
Vibrion’s performance was incredibly touching, deeply poetic and dreamy – qualities that might initially seem at odds with the concept of poetry slam. Cartier’s recital brilliantly combines words with slang expressions and fragments of disjointed dialogue into a fascinating framework. At one point, he treated the audience to a piece of improvised poetry performed without music.
Every song or poem was lined with sensual imagery that was, at the same time romantic, though not overly sentimental.
Even for non-French speakers or those unfamiliar with French expressions, the show was captivating, thanks to Cartier’s passionate performance.
This romantic mood, however, was continuously disrupted with a number of songs that jolted the audience back into the real world of corrupt politics and serious social issues.
A song entitled “I am an 8-year-old tells the wretched tale of child labor and poverty, while “Dust is a stern attack on the market systems and oil domination.
Cartier explained that the themes of their songs are taken from issues that affect him and the group in their daily lives.
“We mostly proceed with questioning, this is the poetic demarche, said the guitarist.
The band is currently working on its second album and will be performing in various cities in France.
