Making Good Music is Only a Part of the Job

This article was originally published on jazzdergisi.com on November 20, 2018

Fotoğraflar: Fatih Bilgin

Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Centre is on the final day of its ‘1 Festival Izmir’ event, organised for the third time this year. The festival’s closing concert is by French funk, jazz and soul band Electro Deluxe.

I have been waiting for this concert with anticipation just like WootenChambersFranceschini; this is just my kind of music. The band has been to Turkey many times but I hadn’t had a chance to listen to them live before. I know I will somehow like it but my excitement mainly stems from the fact that a musician friend, whom I was convinced that he didn’t enjoy music because I hadn’t seen him excited by a live performance for quite a while, had said “Their live performance is great!” What could possibly make him say that?

I look for the answer to this during the first two pieces. Their performance is quite impressive, there is solid music on stage. All musicians are great: Arnaud Renaville plays with the strength of 10 drummers, bass guitarist Jeremie Coke gives the music its groove, keyboard player Gael Cadoux adds a delicious taste to the music with his Rhodes, Nord Electro 3 is on guitars, tenor saxophone player Thomas Faure, trumpet player Vincent Payen and trombonist Bertrand Luzignant contribute to the music not just with their fantastic playing but also with their shows. James Copley is an amazing front man. He has a devilish charm, not a poker face but definitely a ‘joker' face, he is confident, funny, uses his body well, has the audience in the palm of his hand, incredibly energetic; he never leaves the audience unattended and he is a great singer. I get my answer soon enough: There are tons of bands who makes this kind of music, what differs Electro Deluxe from the others is that they bring this music to life and keep it alive. Making good music is only a part of the job, that is already expected, but we are presented with not only a concert but with a show. Music is a solid part of it but so are the sounds, dances and communication with the audience. He calls out to the audience in the midst of All Alone: “In a world full of fear and hate, now we will leave all that behind here together” and the song continues: “Got to let it go, you’ve got to let it, let it go”. Everyone in the hall sings it together. I think this is the keyword, ‘together’. We are a part of everything that’s going on the stage now.

They continue with a groovy piece which allows the bodies to sway. The soloist invites the audience to get on their feet. There is a weak movement but everybody sits down when the people on the back stay seated. Then a young girl comes towards the stage and starts dancing, and she is followed by other young members of the audience who fill the aisles. I naturally get up as well, I initially had thought “How will we stay seated during this concert?”, it seems like we won’t. I might have increased the age average but my soul is young 😅 There is some serious funk going on on the stage. The winds, Rhodes, wah-wah guitar; they’re all on the drums and the bass and flying. The singer does not stop for a moment; he dances if he doesn’t sing, jokes with the members of the audience, becomes the third and the fourth hands on the keyboard. The mid and back sections are still seated. He doesn’t give up teasing them until everyone is on their feet. He approaches the subject from all fronts, never sounding snobbish or forceful thanks to his devilish charm. Everybody is having fun with a smile on their faces, doesn’t matter if they are up or down.

Another hyping-up session is in order. “This song’s name is Liar. Liar is how I get rid of the negativity that is accumulated inside of me because we need to make space for love and excitement in our lives. All of you know a liar, somebody must have lied to you, could be a man or a woman, could be your boss or a politician…  We have all been lied to, I cannot keep this disgrace inside, I need to get it out. Now raise a finger and shout ‘Liar’ with me.” Imagine the state of the concert hall. Over and over again, together, stronger, once again. It becomes sort of a ritual. When the piece is over, the members of the audience have a purified look on their faces along with the smiles.

The next piece played by the winds is called Devil, a very suitable title as it has devilish up and downs, and it makes the whole concert hall sway back and forth. The arrangements of Electro Deluxe are nothing but usual, forms and rhythms change within pieces. Good musicianship and show, and great music. Then the winds start playing their solos. The floor moves under your feet. Our feet! Gael Cadoux takes over from the saxophone and trombone with the wah-wah on Nord Electro 3, the breath of the bass is on his neck, then comes Q&As and unisons… These guys are great man! There is a delicious musical feast on the stage. The next piece is Paramount and the singer doesn’t sing in this one but he’s still in the leading role; instead he is after mischief again. He contributes to Rhodes solo, musically and visually.

The tempo slightly drops. They turn their face from funk to funk jazz. We listen to a jazz solo from the piano for the first time during Oh No, a soul-funk piece. We can get a better taste of James Copley’s mastery as a singer. Soul and jazz suit him, it is evident that he is a good singer in the other pieces but in this it’s crystal clear. Then the vocal, piano and trombone come together for an acoustic version of Circle of Light, not exactly a ballad person myself but his singing makes me listen. He reminds me of Prince’s Sometimes It Snows in April, not with his vocal colour but the way he sings it.

The singer invites everyone to sit down and take a breath during the slow piece, I really needed that. It won’t be a long rest, though. The next piece is a mid-tempo called Heaven, and the audience joins in at the end with a game of ‘repeat after me’. The tempo rises; so do music and the audience. And just like that, everyone is on their feet again. The winds are again marvelous in this piece; trombone, trumpet, saxophone take our breath away. Applause and screaming.

No sign of tiredness on stage, where do they find all this energy? Especially the singer and the drummer. Of course, they are all energetic but the energy of those two require physical fitness. They must be taking really good care of themselves. If I hadn’t fallen asleep after the concert in my hotel room, I would have joined them and ask this in person but I missed out on the journalism opportunity due to many days’ fatigue.

The tempo keeps rising as if I hadn’t questioned their energy level. Keep My Baby, Twist Her… Now the winds play and the audience repeats. James hypes everyone up “People in Istanbul sing stronger. Those in Paris make more noise! Once more!”. There isn’t a still body inside. Eye For An Eye, a song to lose yourself in. He makes a confession. “We have never finished a show with people sitting down. Never. Get off your asses. Let go. This is freedom.” The few who were still sitting finally get up. The whole venue is on their feet, jumping, clapping, everyone shouts when he counts to four. There is the sound of a stadium audience. This man would make a good politician, he knows how to have command over crowds. But this is hard to do with messages like ‘Put your phone away, your life passes by while you stare at your screen, put it down and look me in the eye’ 😃

This was the most enthusiastic and fun show I have seen in a while, in addition to having musical satisfaction. Those on the stage and we leave the venue with tired smiles on our faces. Mine is more of a grin because I am thinking that I will converse with the band in a bit, I want to listen to their side of the the story. Of course, I just don’t know yet that I will fall asleep right away when I go to my hotel 😃