P18
VIVA P18
P18 ?
Behind this codename is Tom DARNAL, sound and image researcher on civvy street, band
leader on stage and (well) accompanied by a plethora of contributing artists in general. Tom begins his
musical adventure in 1982 with the totally forgotten band GPS whose track "Quand revient l'été"
nevertheless remains in Les Inrockuptibles' top 10 French punk singles of all time!!
In parallel, he diverts into graphic art and soon becomes creative director and designer for
Mano Negra's iconography before joining the band ..boards.
The last days of Mano coincide with the first steps of P18 in Patchanka's basement in the
heart of the 18th district of Paris with the recordings of Drum & Bass inspired Electro musicians. Their
first album "URBAN CUBAN" is released in 1999 and gives birth to one of the first electro and world music
fusions, an experience which owes its authenticity to the collusion with Barbaro Teuntor, a Cuban
trumpeter which he met during Mano Negra's South American tour in a cargo ship, and his family who
dunked Tom into the traditional repertoire of music from Havana.
A group consisting of musicians and dancers, both French and Cuban, is created before Tom
& P18 set out on a series of tours taking the band across the planet from Europe to Cuba to the USA
and China. P18's music was at the time widely used as soundtracks for mainstream Hollywood films
such as the Yard, Maid in Manhattan, Chilli con Carne… and was to contribute to the band's growing
reputation.
In 2002 "ELECTROPICA" was released and received unanimous acclaim from the critics. Tom
pushes on with the electronic experiment whilst remaining at the service of traditional sounds. Other
tours follow, "Never mind how long the road is, we'll go round the world"… until 2004.
Then there is a break period where Tom works on a diversity of projects, as director (Dvd
Mano Negra) or composer (soundtracks for films and documentaries).
Active collaboration with Thomas Martinez leads to sowing the seeds of "Viva P18", the band's
new opus. Tom returns to a more traditional concept in the treatment of the Afro-Cuban repertoire,
characterised by the funky trademark that constitutes one of the key elements of his style. A reunion
with Sylvano Matadin, Urban Dance Squad's bassist, sets up a new live combo.
The tone is more detached after a period of dilettante activism, Tom has returned to a more
personal vision of the world, an attitude he illustrates by the formula "anarchy is the key, latin is the
melody".
P18 « Viva P18 » - 3° album - Sept 22 (Tabata Tour / Discograph- FR/BE/CH)
www.myspace.com/p18spacebox www.p18international.com