Massaya
The band MASSAYA (from "Massilia" - original name of Marseilles - and "Más alla": beyond) was born of an encounter between musicians gathered around the mythical GRIM in Marseilles, following the creation of a tribute concert to one of the fathers of the new Latin-American song, Chilean author and composer Victor Jara, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his murder in 1973 during the early days of the military coup.
After various performances in 2013 and 2014 of which a participation to the "Cinelatino, Rencontres de Toulouse" festival, the band initiated by Jean-Marc Montera (France), Alberto Arroyo (Mexico) and Sven Pohlhammer (Chile) pursued its artistic exploration around the Latin-American folk repertoire, including another emblematic figure of the genre in its programme: Violeta Parra.
Already involved through the initial spirit that united them around a tribute, the musicians consolidated the project MASSAYA with an original contemporary staging (designed by Chilean artistic painter Cristian Zurita) which combines the experimental musical language with visual elements, proposing an artistic journey that they describe themselves as a "New Social Psychedelia": the social claims of Violeta Parra and Victor Jara can be found behind the concept, giving a musical message which goes beyond ("más alla") continents, time and borders.
The creation "Te recuerdo hoy... Victor Jara y Violeta Parra" is produced by ArtChili.
SVEN POHLHAMMER: electric guitar
Sven Pohlhammer was born in Santiago (Chile) in 1957. His origins are very diverse: Basque, German, Yugoslavian and Indian from South America. He has great admiration for the late Chilean president Salvador Allende, and plays in several neo-folk music and rock bands (Ex-Babies, Parabellum, Strutter, Gas Gas Gas) whose political and spiritual conscience is opposed to Pinochet's dictatorship, after the military coup in 1973. Besides, he collaborates with Maguy Marin on her two performances "Babel Babel" and "Calambre".
JEAN-MARC MONTERA: electric guitar
Co-founder and artistic director of the GRIM, Jean-Marc Montera comes from the rock world. Nicknamed the « John Lee Hooker of noise », he draws on the whole range of amplified and acoustic strings, resonance, percussion, distortions, extensions and all types of diversions to evoke a world of abstract sounds. Since the 1970s, he has experienced cross-disciplinary exchanges with other artistic fields (theatre or choreographic creations, film scores). His most notable collaborations include Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Barre Phillips, Thurston Moore, Michel Doneda, Jean-François Pauvros and Lee Ranaldo.
AHMAD COMPAORÉ: drums
Of Egyptian and Burkinabé origins, Ahmad Compaoré confirms his singular talent alongside Fred Frith, Marc Ribot, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Camel Zekri or Egyptian choreographer Karima Mansour. With a constant craving for exploration and discovery, he shares his creativeness between music, dance, theatre and digital art. Recipient of the Culturesfrance "Hors Les Murs" award in 2005 and 2008, he lived in India and Japan as part of residencies of creation. Free from boundaries, he equally enjoys the most extreme experiences in alternative and improvised music, jazz and fusion.
MARUCHA CASTILLO: voice
Marucha Castillo was born in Madrid under the Franco gouvernment. Before leaving Spain for India, where she will spend a year traveling in the early 80s, she met musician Sven Pohlhammer in Barcelona. They moved to Paris in 1982, in the midst of punk subculture. She then joined the band Gas Gas Gas and participated in the last creation by French choreographer Dominique Bagouet, "Necesito". In 1993, she recorded a cover version of "Hasta Siempre" for the movie "À la vie, à la mort !" by Robert Guédiguian. She also sings within the bands Los Quarks Unidos, La Perla or Flor del Fango.
ALBERTO ARROYO: acoustic guitar, voice
A Mexican living in South of France, Alberto Arroyo is a young stone carver whose musical background is nourished with his interest in Latin-American folklore, the history of Latin American people and their social struggles. His passion for Chilean poet and singer Victor Jara makes him a true representative of his songs, just as painfully topical as ever.
