Artús member, Romain Baudoin used to play with "Torrom Borrom" since 7 years, hybrid instrument he imagined and created, half hurdy-gurdy and half electric guitar : Kind of drone noise, closed to desert rock, shamanic & mystic ("1 Primate" & "Bestiari").
But 5 years ago, Romain bought a traditionnal hurdy-gurdy, made in 1930 in Jenzat, Allier area, France, made by a well-known instrument maker called « Pimpare cousin », with an incredible play quality and a full sound, like old hurdy-gurdies. The so-called simplicity seems to Romain at the opposite of contemporaries hurdy-gurdies, but it's the starting point. He works on this idea : Can we invent others play forms on this instrument, totally backward flow with actual practice ?
I the same time, he works on "collectages", ancient songs from ancestors, recorded to collect and keep them in common Gascony (south-west France) culture.
He decided to communicate and play with them with his one-man band.
The "ARREHAR" ("back to the roots") project was born.
article posted by:Julien Dufourg, Hart Brut