What? You’ve never heard of this local Nice band with festive local colors?
Well, I find myself obliged to give you a brief summary of their CV before giving them the floor:
Sinké ska krew: Alex, Chill, Djeep, Dju, Gregg, Gui’Om, Kris, and Piew
Music Style: “ska”
Lyrics: little anecdotes from daily life or the fantastical world of the Sinké Ska Krew in French-Spanish-English
Key Dates:
– In 2001, the odyssey of Sinké Zakéou took shape,
– Starting in 2002, it revealed itself on the Provençal stages,
– In 2003, it became the “revelation of the moment” during the Summer Evenings of the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes the same year, the band released its first album “Qué Calvacalde…”,
– In 2004, it shared the stage with renowned bands,
– In 2005, it performed not only in France but also in Germany.
A busy schedule for this group of young local artists!
And that’s not all! On December 5, they will release their second album “L’étrange Brasserie” (which will be available at Hit Import (rue Lépante – Nice), in the FNAC stores of Nice and Cannes, by mail order via their website, and at concert venues at the stand).
On December 3, they will perform at the MJC Altitude 500 in Grasse and on December 20, at Volume in Nice.
And today, it’s with Nice-Première that Sinké Zakéou is making the cicadas sing.
Nice-Première: Why did you name your band Sinké Zakéou?
Sinké Zakéou: We sought to identify ourselves under an original name, a name that represents our universe, our eclectic style, a name unpronounceable with Provençal phonetic-twisted sounds, to describe “what on earth is this?”. The name alone describes that it’s a unique and indescribably unique experience.
N-P: Formed in 2001, your band now has 8 musicians. How was it formed?
S.Z.: Initially 5. Grew to 8 over time. Through meetings, common connections, and vibes… a desire to share something.
N-P: Your music style is “Ska Worldcore”. What is that?
S.Z.: Given our eclectic and fusion approach to music styles and genres, and since we are often asked “so Sinké, what style?”, we felt obliged to find a title for the conundrum, which became the “Ska World Core” conundrum. It’s Ska, vibes, and a good dose of festivity.
N-P: In March 2005, as part of the Class’Eurock, you did a concert in Berlin. How were the people from the Azure coast received in Germany?
S.Z.: The welcome was a big surprise, whether it was from the members of the organization, the Landesmusikakademie where we spent a week making music (thanks to the Aix-based association AixQui? which organized the Class’Eurock), from the group of Berlin musicians Rascasse with whom we composed a common song, and from the audience who was really very receptive to our performance…
In fact, it was one of our best concerts… The Germans were ecstatic… And the surprise was even greater because the concert’s lineup mainly featured rock bands and we were a bit of an odd one out with our festive ska from the south of France… Good experience, we will return!!
N-P: On December 3, you release your second album titled “L’étrange Brasserie”. Why name it that?
S.Z.: “L’étrange Brasserie” is for us what best images the content. We tried things, we experienced others, we tried to mix different styles, while keeping an approach that is strange at times which ties it all together.
This title also pays homage to our Berlin experience, and its “KulturBraureï” (Cultural Brewery), to our adventure which is discovered a bit more every day. After careful consideration, it seemed logical to call it that.
N-P: Your team is composed of 8 “Moulskataire” of the male sex. Aren’t you tempted by a female touch in your “Sinké Ska Krew”?
S.Z.: To be honest, the question never arose. In the formation of the band, made up of successive stages, we did not encounter individuals of the female sex, but we would not have been against it…
N-P: The 10th song “Bimbo” does it refer to a type of girls you come across on the Côte d’Azur?
S.Z.: We are not the type to generalize or to trust appearances but it is true that the Azure context was a very good source of inspiration. Had to pull out all the stops for the next summer hit… :-p.
N-P: You have nearly a hundred stages to your credit. Do you have a tic before you get into the arena?
S.Z.: Generally, it happens in the dressing rooms, we motivate each other by humming some acoustic tunes or by letting out a good scream to get the juices flowing… it’s not really a tic, let’s say rather a need to gather just before this magical moment.
N-P: Haven’t you been tempted to audition for Star Academy when they came by to recruit candidates, like Pascal who used to play in the pubs of Nice?
S.Z.: So actually we tried 4 times, but we were turned away at the last stage each time… sniff… it took us a while to get over it but now we’re better! (laughs)
N-P: What is Sinké Zakéou’s dream?
S.Z.: Sinké Zakéou dreams above all of having the opportunity to play more music, having more time to dedicate to this wonderful adventure… Because that’s what it is above all a music band, especially when it’s also a group of friends, who appreciate and have fun together in music as in the rest. More time and opportunities to rehearse in better conditions, to export our music beyond our Provençal borders as we were able to do in Germany, starting already by the other regions of France. After this stage, we can talk about the dreams that animate all the musicians who start to see the public appreciate their creations, living from music is not necessarily the priority but living more intensely the music at first.
N-P: Who do you recommend your album to?
S.Z.: To everyone, of course, from 7 to 77 years, regardless of size, weight, color, origin, destination, music is made to be communicated, distributed, shared…
N-P: What are your projects?
S.Z.: For now, the priority is to find labels, tour managers, distributors, and any structure that will be likely to support us in our approach.
Sinké Zakéou thanks the team of Nice Première very warmly for this article and especially Audrey Bollaro for her interview…