User:Imhotep Kheper/sandbox

Imhotep, of its real name Pascal Perez, was born on May 19th, 1960 in Algiers, North Africa. At the same time composer, beatmaker, producer, he is called "the musical architect" of the french rap band from Marseille, IAM, known as the number one top-selling, french-speaking rap group.

Before joining IAM in 1988, Imhotep played percussions, drums, guitar, bass in various bands of blues, rock, reggae. He particularly improved his skills in mixing reggae and dub on a 4 tracks cassette recorder, and in 1986 started to have a real passion for digital instruments. While learning about the early drum-machines (Roland TR 808, EMU SP12 ...), samplers (Akaï S 1000, MPC 60),  Keyboards, Imhotep makes his firt steps in this new field of exploration : electronic music. Known as one of the first french Hip-Hop pioneers in beat-making, he widely participated to give to IAM his musical color, keeping on his own experiments in instrumental music, dub, "Trip-Hop" (before this word exists !). He is certainly the first beat-maker in history to use oriental or mediterranean music samples in his tracks.

In 1998,  while "L'école du micro d'argent" was exceeding one millon sale (still unique in french rap), Imhotep releases an instrumental album entitled Blue Print, mixed in Essaouira, Morocco. Influenced by mediterranean and arabic music, this album seems to be the very first one in "Lounge music".

All over the last 30 years, Imhotep remains busy in studios and on stage : IAM albums and tours, Chroniques de Mars (1 & 2), Marseille Reggae All Stars, Movie sound-track "Les Barons", "Désert Rebel", remixing and producing for rappers and artists all over the world : Absolute Beginners (Germany),  LKJ (UK), PBS, Daara J, Negrissim (Senegal), Cheb Mami, Cheb Khaled, Intik, Hamma boys (Algéria), Ari, El club de los poetas violentos (Spain), Mr Catra (Brazil) ...

"KHEPER", his new solo project, to be released in june 2012, appear as the "ethnotronica" foundation stone.

Notes et références
L'école du micro d'argent