Somewhere Sometime

LOK! - PAIN PAIN GO AWAY (Prod. LOK!)

libres interprétation et arrangement de "Blue bossa" (devenue un standard du jazz comme de la musique brésilienne)

free blue bossa

Cruel Land

The Talented Mr. Ripley - Music from The Motion Picture

Syncopes (Album Version)

Gipsy Kings

Inspiration

Tango: Zero Hour

Milonga Del Angel

La Camorra: The Solitude Of Passionate Provocation

Soledad

Aventine

Chord Left

Morricone Film Music

Once upon a time in America (Deborah's Theme)

Over the years the Gipsy Kings—whose members hail from the gypsy settlements in Arles and Montpelier in the south of France—have included singers and guitarists from the Reyes (Canut, Nicolas, Pablo and Patchai) and Baliardo families (Diego, Paco and Tonino). Lead singer Nicolas Reyes is the son of famed Flamenco singer José Reyes, who, with Manitas de Plata, sold millions of records in the 1960s and 70s. The band’s vigorous guitar work and passionate vocals are the trademarks of an indigenous musical tradition known as “rumba flamenca.”

There are no other examples of a non-English speaking band (the group’s language is the Gypsy dialect of gitane) with such a consistent winning streak in the U.S., where the group is the biggest-selling French act ever. Since the 1987 release of the international hit single “Bamboleo,” from their platinum-selling eponymous debut album, the Gipsy Kings have dominated the World Music charts and sold more than fourteen million albums worldwide—more than four million in the United States alone. Their platinum compilation, The Best of the Gipsy Kings, was on the charts for more than a year.

Django Novo creates music in different genres and has been presented as a solo artist at several arenas and festivals in Norway including the Oslo Jazz Festival, Hortenfestivalen, Alta Blues & Soul Festival, and byLarm. In 2022 Django Novo - together with long-time collaborator Tov Ramstad - landed a contract with NXN Records (Naxos) and released the album "The Distance" on CD/digital format in March 2023.

Reviews:
★★★★★★★★ 8/10 - Eclipsed Rock Magazin (Germany):
«Django Novo and Tov Ramstad's duo project is more intellectual art than crude pop music. Ramstad's deep cello provides a delightful contrast to Novo's clear voice.»

★★★★ 4/5 - Ivan Rod - journalist, critic, author, and editor (Denmark):
«The lyrics are well-written, and the vocals and accompaniment are clearly intended as a whole - almost a performance. For the same reason, I could easily imagine a VJ having a central role in the live performances. It is very fascinating.

Top track: Let Nothing Happen.»

Jazz-fun.de - Magazin für Jazz Musik (Germany):
"An intriguing narrative and excellent compositions make this album a listening pleasure."

UKVIBE (United Kingdom) 
«A beguiling combination of dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes and original songs are the order of the day for this latest release from Norwegian label NXN Recordings. Created by fellow countrymen Django Novo and Tov Ramstad, “The Distance” is a series of wistful compositions that combine a whole host of musical influences – from pop to blues to world to folk to jazz to cinematic to classical and back again – all wrapped up in a blanket of comforting ambience.

The thing I love about this kind of music is how easy it is to let the imagination run wild. It’s like listening to a make-believe film score, one where I can create my own characters and plot, through visual ideas and emotional input. To this end, I get the feeling that Novo and Ramstad are natural storytellers themselves, with their music incorporating all the key elements needed to let my imagination run free.

Django Novo performs vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, and percussion, with Tov Ramstad playing cello, double bass, electric bass, piano, keyboards, and percussion.
To further expand their sound and vision, the duo invited a selection of musicians to add trumpet, keyboards, harmonica, lap steel guitar, accordion, flute, strings, piano, percussion, and even therevox custom instrument. Samples and electronic treatments also play a part in this dreamy offering. Everything is pieced together with skilful aplomb, resulting in an intriguing offering for lovers of ambient / song-writing music.

Making music such as this is an artful craft in itself. It does however sometimes detract from a necessary prerequisite; that the compositions have an innate strength to them. In the case of “The Distance”, it’s a bit of a mixed bag to be honest. There are moments of brilliance – the fiercely distinctive “The Screen You Look Upon” and “Time Travel” being two cases in point – mixed with a sometimes slightly confusing set of songs/tunes. For me personally, the vocals work well on some tracks but leave me wishing they weren’t there on others. Overall though, the combinations of instruments and ideas work well together, and I can only tip my hat in appreciation to the two eclectic musicians who have put this album together.»

Mike Gates

Lyrics on the album "The Distance" written by DN. Songs on "The Distance" composed by DN and TR, except 1,3,4 and 8 by DN. 

At the present time, DN is focusing mainly on studio work - mostly solo with the occasional collaboration - venturing into dramatic, scenographic pop, and electronic music.

Lives and works in Oslo and Mjøsa, Norway.

Oslo, March 2023.

Inspiration

Gipsy Kings

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