Chris Arles (Mauritius Blues Society)

Born in France, on December 8, 1970, in Orleans, Christophe ARLES grew up in Polynesia, learning music on his first instrument: the ukulele…  It was also in Polynesia that he held his first concerts and where his first recordings happened as a writer, composer and guitar player with his first band when he was ony 12 years old.

Arriving in Marseilles in 1988 in order to study science, it was the encounter with an up-and-coming group of the Southern French music scene, Exclusivit korps (EK for those in the know) that offers him the chance to express powerful guitar riffs as part of a both rock and festive sound.  The road is long with this band, because they held around 600 concerts in France, recorded several compilations and an album, and all until 1998.

But the focus turns toward Blues and Africa in 1999-2000, notably through his encounter with musicians and famous Senegalese, Malian and Guinean griots such as Meissa M’BAYE, Babacar M’BAYE, Sega SECK, Samba N’DIAYE, Sekou DIABATE, (…)  As a result, he came out with an album titled Night In Casamance, produced by Fremaux et associés, distributed by Night and Day.  The Meissa M’BAYE duo formula with Christopher ARLES explores a very sensitive blues with evident African inflections.  At the same time, the studio sessions and projects abound, namely with an album for Annie Flore BATCHIELLILIES, a Gabonese artist, a project compensated with a Kora received in Johannesburg in 2002: “best new female artist”.  Within this process, the positive exchange takes place for him as guitarist and producer.  Among all these projects, there is a also a longer passage through Libreville and two original albums: “Disoumba et les enfants du Voyage- vol 1 and vol 2”, encounters with Pierre AKENDENGUE, Wasis DIOP, Coco ROBICHEAUX and Sonny LANDRETH in Louisiana, Pape NZIENGUI, Deep FOREST, Mick LANARO, Jean MUSY in Paris. And a long while in Dubai and middle eastern countries as sound engineer and designer (music composer for multimedia shows, DSF opening ceremonies, Dubai World cup,…), during which he works for Pour Prisme International, Laser systeme Europe, Total Impact, …

Today he is developing projects with several artists from the Indian Ocean and Africa, namely with Menwar, an ambassador of Mauritian culture,  The Mauritius Blues Society…