Alan Stivell

Celtic harpist Alan Stivell, 56, has never felt awkward or inauthentic about recording his chosen instrument over hip-hop beats and samples ñ both in the name of musical progress as well as to pique the interest of young listeners.

It might not be Dr. Dre, but the loops and beats figure heavily on his new album, Back to Breizh (Dreyfus/Keltia III), although he claims it's hardly the first time he's ventured into this territory.

If you listen to some of my previous CDs, there's more programming, samples, hip-hop and rap influences than on this album, which returns to a more acoustic sound," he said. "I think many musicians feel guilty about being too commercial. Therefore, there's not enough Celtic music closer to the taste of young people."

Stivell, 56, the foremost Breton musician, has earned his reputation by pushing at boundaries and making people aware of the Celtic heritage of France's Brittany region. Until Stivell's father, Jord Cochevelou built a Breton harp (which he based on medieval Irish harps) in 1953, and nine-year old Alan played it, the region's traditional music had virtually vanished. Taking the name Stivell (Breton for ‘the source'), Alan determined to single-handedly revive the music of his people - he was Celtic long before Celtic was cool.

"I had the idea to fuse Celtic music with Rock music as soon as Rock and Roll came into Europe."

While still young he learned the bombarde (Breton bagpipes), the Scottish pipes, and the shawm, making his first recording of Breton music in 1959.

He first came to international attention in 1972 when he released Renaissance de la Harpe Celtique, the first Breton harp album to become widely known, and which served as a musical clarion call for the style. He wanted his music to be accessible and contemporary, and proved it with A L'Olympia which placed it in a loud folk-rock context. It shocked many of his countymen but appealed to a younger generation who'd taken the electric folk of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span to heart.

"I had the idea to fuse Celtic music with Rock music as soon as Rock and Roll came into Europe," he explained. " I have used all new sounds and techniques: synthesizers, computer music, etc. as soon as their existence came to my knowledge. Some of my albums have been more traditional than others in order to show that I have strong roots, but my aim in music has always been, mainly, to work on the music of today."

For much of the ‘80s and ‘90s, the pioneering folk-rock gave way to New Age noodling, as if he'd lost direction. And Stivell admitted that his music "always could be called world music or rock music, new age, techno, or classical as much as it could be called folk music."

Back To Breizh offers a tighter musical focusthan Stivell has shown in a while. The title translates as ‘Back To Brittany,' and that's where he's taken his music. The softer side is still there, as on "Harpe De Vies," but along with acoustic heart he's also brought the bass and the noise to tracks like "Rock Harp," with its neo-jungle rhythm. So, does it all mean Stivell will now be appearing onstage with a DJ, replicating the scratching of "Ceux Qui Sement La Mort" ?.

"A "scratcher" on stage with me one day - why not?" he laughed. "It is still an eclectic soundscape."

This article first appeared on sonicnet,com

Alan Stivell

"I had the idea to fuse Celtic music with Rock music as soon as Rock and Roll came into Europe."

Related Articles in the 'European Artists' Category...