Denez Prigent
Overview
Santec
Santec is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-References:** -External links:* *...
, Finistère) is a French (Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
) folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter of the gwerz
Gwerz
Gwerz is a type of folk song of Brittany, a Celtic region in France.In Breton music, the gwerz tells a story which can be epic, historical, or mythological. The stories are usually of a tragic nature. The gwerz is characterised by an often monotonous melody and many couplets, all in the Breton...
and kan ha diskan
Kan ha diskan
Kan ha diskan is likely the most common type of traditional music of Brittany. It is a vocal tradition . The style is the most commonly used to accompany dances...
styles of Breton music
Music of Brittany
Since the early 1970s, Brittany has experienced a tremendous revival of its folk music. Along with flourishing traditional forms such as the bombard-binou pair and fest-noz ensembles incorporating other additional instruments, it has also branched out into numerous sub-genres...
. From his debut at the age of 16 he was known for singing traditional songs a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, and has moved on to singing his own songs with techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
music accompaniments. He has performed in France as well as internationally, and has recorded four studio albums and a live album.
During his childhood, Prigent lived with his father in Le Relecq-Kerhuon
Le Relecq-Kerhuon
Le Relecq-Kerhuon is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:Inhabitants of Le Relecq-Kerhuon are called in French Relecquois or Kerhorres.-Breton language:...
and spent his weekends at his grandmother's, in Santec.
His father, a primary teacher, raised him speaking French, although he spoke Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
fluently, because he did not see the point in teaching Breton to his son.
