Arts & Culture - Armenian Reporter

The soulful sounds of DeleyamanLos Angeles debut May 2by MarinaTerteryanThe music of Deleyaman is what the UnitedNations might sound like if its membershappened to be talented musicians anddecided to form a band. The four membersare of American-Armenian, French-Armenian, French and Swedish descentsand use lyrics and instruments from theirrespective countries. Their songs are melodicand soulful, every note and wordpacked with deep emotion. The groupconsists of singer/songwriter/producerAret Madilian, singer/songwriter BeatriceValantin, drummer Mia Bjorlingsson andduduk player Gerard Madilian.To add to their diversity, fans of thegroup range anywhere from Armeniangrandmothers to listeners of gothic music,to psychologists at a convention.Though it may be an odd combination oflisteners, hearing their music explainsexactly why such unrelated groups ofpeople could enjoy it. The best way to describeDeleyaman’s sound is a dark, harmoniousand sacred vibe that combinessmooth, choral-influenced vocals withthe mourning sounds of the duduk.Each member’s unique backgroundand contribution is clearly showcasedthroughout their songs: Aret and Gerard’sArmenian heritage, Beatrice’schoral background and Mia’s rhythmicfeel. In fact, the influence of all factorsof their lives can be heard throughouttheir music. For one, the members alllive and record in Normandy, France; aserene seaside town surrounded by nature,and that sense of peacefulness ispresent in their music.“What brings us together are…ourpaths that have strangely yet naturallycrossed in a foreign land and our mutualattraction to a certain form of music.[Also] a deep belief about existence, theway we talk about our beliefs, philosophies–those conversations are importantfor us,” said Aret. “We have something incommon–all four of us are still searching.We are not old enough to be wise but notyoung enough to be still dreaming.”Aret, Beatrice, and Gerard met in 2000.They started recording together almostimmediately and completed their firstalbum by July of the following year.Starting with a set of songs that Arethad composed, they each added their respectiveelements of vocals and duduk.Knowing they would need a drummer forlive performances, the three approacheddrummer Mia Bjorlingsson, a Swedishdrum teacher who also lived in Normandy.Soon after, they signed an agreementArmenian Reporter Arts & CultureCopyright © 2008 by Armenian Reporter llcAll Rights ReservedContact arts@reporter.am with announcementsTo advertise, write business@reporter.am or call 1-201-226-1995Gerard Madilian and Aret Madilian.with a French independent record labelcalled NECH, for duplicating and promotingtheir CDs, and another label namedTTO Records, for album distribution andfinancial support for concerts.“We wanted to keep the creative processas independent as possible,” saidAret on why they chose to record theiralbums themselves in his home studio,without the involvement of a record label.“Keeping control over our recordingsgave us the possibility of creatingour own sound and atmosphere.” Thegroup happens to be very serious abouttheir craft. Though they enjoy the processesof making music, they also take avery professional approach for the successof the group.“This isn’t just a way of passing time,it’s a serious activity that gives sense toour lives,” said Aret. He explained theyare very punctual when it comes timeto practice and determined to make themost of the time they have. When theband was first formed, they realizedthey would need some substantial practicein performing in front of an audienceas a group before they could branchout to promotional concerts. So they begana series of public dress rehearsals ina small neighborhood venue called “LaMenuiserie,” inviting their friends andfamily to attend.“We wanted to rid ourselves of thepressure of performing in public,” saidAret. “Pretending you’re playing in publicduring practice is very different fromactually performing in front of people.It automatically gave us the pressure totighten up and play better during concerts.”The first Deleyaman performanceas a band was at the 2002 Armenian MusicAwards at the Alex Theatre in Glendale,California.Aret, whose compositions made upmost of the first album titled 00/1, grewup in Los Angeles and was constantlyinvolved in music. Part of the “generationof punk bands at the time whenwe didn’t give it names, we just playedmusic,” he says describing one of hisearliest band projects which won a localcontest sponsored by the famous radiostation KROQ FM.He moved to Europe in his 20s to pursuea distribution deal for that projectwith a Dutch record label. When thatdidn’t work out, he moved back to LosBeatrice Valantin.Angeles and challenged himself to recordan album of acoustic piano compositions,something different fromthe electronic instruments he was usedto. The result was two albums, Mask, in1996 and Illusion, in 1998 released underStepan Partamian’s then-young recordlabel Garni/Diaspora. Moving back toFrance in 2000, he formed Deleyaman.The group has since released three fulllengthalbums: 00/1 in 2001, Second in2003 and 3 in 2006.Gerard and Beatrice encouraged Aretto integrate Armenian words and melodiesinto their music. The first song theyrecorded together was Deleyaman, writtenby Aret and named after the famousArmenian folk song, which Beatrice immediatelyfell in love with.“I asked him the meaning and he toldme about the story of the song…thewords Dele Yaman are like a calling inthe story – exactly the meaning of whatwe want to do in our music,” she said.On page C1: Fresno DJ Tatevik Ekezian counts down the hits on Horizon TV.See story on page C10.So the name stayed, along with heavyinfluences of Armenian words, poetry,melodies and history.“It’s not difficult to sing in Armenian.In the beginning it was very strange becauseit was far away from French butnow it’s very familiar for me,” Beatricesaid. As the female vocalist in the group,she draws on her extensive choral trainingfrom her early involvement in music,which is immediately felt in her stackedharmonies and ethereal melodies.“[As a child] I used to go to church everySunday, all day long,” she explained.Getting bored of waiting for her turn tosing, she regularly went to her parents’sections in the choir and “learned theirparts of the hymns. That’s how I learnedharmony, and why I’m so sensitive toit.” Beatrice’s creativity also stretchesto visual media. Aside from her choralbackground, she comes from an artisticfamily and incorporates her interestin painting, photography and film intothe band’s endeavors. She creates thealbum artwork, posters and images theyproject onto the stage during live shows,which she calls “dreaming videos.”Gerard, who has been playing theduduk since he was 12 years old, waspreviously involved in several projects,including performing in a duduk-dholduo, a two-duduk and dhol trio and creatinga dance company called Les BalletsArmeniens. Mia, studied music in highschool and later at the J. Dalcroze Instituteof Ryhthm in Brussels, Belgium.She performed bass guitar with an allgirlgroup before joining Deleyaman.In April 2007, the group was invitedto perform several shows in Armenia bythe Naregatsi Art Institute, a nonprofitphilanthropic organization that promotesArmenian arts and culture. Theyperformed at the inauguration of theNaregatsi Art Institute Center in Shushi,Karabakh, an April 24 commemorationevent at the American University of Armeniaand a series of shows in villagessuch as Goris, Alaverdi, and Gyumri.Though it was his first time in Armenia,the Istanbul-born and American-raisedAret immediately felt at home due tothe warm and receptive atmosphere. Atone show in Alaverdi, he recalled thataudience members saw their van arriveand rushed to help them unload theirinstruments. Beatrice had no troublefeeling at home, either.”Armenia was a great experience for me.I felt like I was in my own family- theywelcomed me so well, as a sister,” she said.That has led to other international performances,including a series of upcomingshows in the Los Angeles Area in May, producedby the Naregatsi Art Institute andTTO Records. Aret explained the group islooking forward to these and other performancesand later working on a new albumto be released in 2009, which will explorenew musical directions for them.“We are still young as a band - we have alot of creative paths to explore, a lot to saymusically,” he said. “My goal is to continueto explore ourselves, to continue to dig intowho we are, all the while doing music.” fconnect:deleyaman.comC2 Armenian Reporter Arts & Culture April 12, 2008