FRANCE: Eclectic band challenges tradition, holds live musical performance for deaf and partially blind people to "sense" their concerts

Record ID: 561063

  • Title: FRANCE: Eclectic band challenges tradition, holds live musical performance for deaf and partially blind people to "sense" their concerts
  • Date: 17th November 2010
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) PIERRE SCARLAND, LEAD SINGER, SAYING: "This is something that anyone can do, and I'm sure that this is an example we're setting for other groups, to open up and try to open up to other senses, and for other people who aren't used to it, they deserve to see ... not just a concert for deaf people who use sign language, they deserve to see a guitar, and rock music as well."
  • Embargoed: 2nd December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVADW4ICELO2UFYHTCZVVYC9Q6VL
  • Story Text: A French band with a cause - they make their eclectic musical blend of electronica, hip-hop and rock accessible to deaf and partially blind people, with the help of special equipment allowing them to "sense" their concerts.
    The first concert of its kind in France, Fumuj provides special inflatable balloons that allow audience members to feel the musical vibrations all over their bodies, guaranteeing a unique sensory experience. An interactive video projection is shown simultaneously onscreen that allows the audience to visualize what the band is playing.
    "We came up with this idea to make these balloons, so once you inflate them, you can actually feel the vibrations through them. We thought in the beginning that we would just use sub-bass, the deep bass that you can feel in every concert, but that's too powerful for deaf people actually, apparently they're a lot more sensitive than we are to feeling sensation," said Pierre Scarland, lead singer for band named Fumuj.
    Fumuj wants their music to reach out to a more universal audience that does not exclude the hearing or visually-impaired, and hopes that other musical groups will follow suit.
    "This is something that anyone can do, and I'm sure that this is an example we're setting for other groups, to try to open up to other senses. For other people who aren't used to it, they deserve to see ... not just a concert for deaf people who use sign language, they deserve to see a guitar, and rock music as well," Scarland added.
    For hearing-impaired music fans, Fumuj's multilateral approach to live performance has much to offer them, but it could be further enhanced, one audience member said.
    "The sound is very powerful, and the vibrations were strong, it vibrated from within, and the lights and everything they signalled were very interesting visually, but it's a shame that we were frustrated with the lack of content for the songs. We had no idea what they were saying," commented Sandrine Hermann, a hearing-impaired audience member.
    Fumuj was formed in 2003. They recently released their newest album "Drop A Three".
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