( français )

After two albums with the complicity of Elodie Ozanne (who later started the project ElodieO in New York City) amidst the duo ELM, Manuel Bienvenu recorded his first solo album, Elephant Home, in 2005. The record was first noticed in Japan by MemoryLab (Sakana - band remixed by Jim O'Rourke -, Miho Asahi, The Konki Duet, Numbers) then in Europe by the newborn label Alsphalt Duchess (Grizzly Bear, Psapp). This first opus of the multi-instrumentalist received wide critical acclaim ((Les Inrockuptibles, Magic, Libération, Le Temps de Genève, Sound&Recording Magazine). Music writers celebrated echoes of Brian Eno, Ennio Morricone or Robert Wyatt, and above all a genuinely pop writing, a rare harmonic freedom and a remarkable work on the sonic matter.

In 2007, MemoryLab (Tokyo) and PopcornProd (Paris) produced "BRING ME THE HEAD OF MANUEL BIENVENU", mixing naturalistic recordings in the studio with drummer Jean-Michel Pirès (Yann Tiersen, Bed, Nlf3, Sébastien Schuller) and nomadic recordings of Japanese harpsichords, trumpets, analogical synthesizers and unusual percussions. The album was released in exclusivity in Japan by MemoryLab.

On the live front, in Europe as well as in Japan, Manuel Bienvenu shared bills with Cat Power, Elysian Fields, Tahiti 80, Peter Von Poehl, The Little Rabbits, Sylvain Chauveau, Encre, Clearlake, Bed, Don Nino, Oliver Mellano, Tica, mama!milk, Yoko Ikoma. In the studio, he contributed to the illustrious THE NEWTON PLUM, by , in 2001, as well as to the produtions d'Headphones (Ici d'Ailleurs), Yuko Ikoma (Windbell), Masayuki ishii (Avex).

After a early japanese release on Memory Lab BRING ME THE HEAD OF MANUEL BIENVENU , will be released in France in spring 2010. A release tour is being prepared, including Masayukii Ishii with whom Manuel as already toured in Japan. Manuel Bienvenu is now working on an ambitious third solo album and on several japanese projects.

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