Hector Zazou R.I.P

Crammed Discs:

It is with great sadness that we announce to you today the death of Hector Zazou, who passed away on September 8, 2008, in his sixtieth year.

Algerian-born French composer/producer Hector Zazou had a surprise waiting with each new record: twisted rock, neo-classical compositions, world music (from Africa to Central Asia), string quartets, pieces for wind instruments, voices or synthesizers, he's been using a wide variety of genres to create the most unexpected and subtle blends, as witnessed by a discography containing many original and often groundbreaking albums, such as Barricades 3 (his 1976 debut), Noir et Blanc (the album which, way back in '83, laid the foundations for Afro-electronic fusion), Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses (which earned him a "Victoire de la Musique" - the French Grammy - in 1992), Songs From The Cold Seas (1994, with Björk, Suzanne Vega, Siouxsie), Lights In The Dark (1998, with Brendan Perry, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Peter Gabriel) and about fifteen others, which all earned him a reputation of excellence worldwide.

Admired and respected by his peers, Hector Zazou has collaborated with an amazing collection of singers and musicians, including Jon Hassell, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Manu Dibango, John Cale, Harold Budd, David Sylvian, Khaled, Lisa Gerrard, Suzanne Vega, Björk, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Peter Buck, Jane Birkin, Lisa Germano, Laurie Anderson, Asia Argento and Gerard Depardieu. He was also an in-demand producer, and worked a.o. with Tibetan vocalist Yung Chen Lhamo and Uzbek singer Sevara Nazarkhan (both for Real World)

Crammed enjoyed a long, friendly and fruitful relationship with Hector since the early 1980s, releasing 10 of his albums to date. The eleventh is 'In The House Of Mirrors', a wonderful and sadly posthumous opus which was recorded earlier this year in India, and is due for release imminently. Hector Zazou will be greatly missed.

Far too soon, he will be missed indeed.

Barbara Gogan with Hector Zazou - True Love



Hector Zazou