About
Patyatann is a musical project from Mauritius, which today includes five versatile musicians: Sarasvati Mallac, Anthony Bouic, Kan Chan Kin, Cledy François and Stephan Paul.
The group was formed in 2012 and was subsequently selected to represent Mauritius at the World Event Young Artists in England, a festival organized in the wake of the Olympics. In 2013, the band performed at the Indian Ocean’s Music Market (IOMMA) in Reunion Island and was the first Mauritian band to be awarded third place in the Prix Musiques de l’Océan Indien. the band was acclaimed for its “originality” and “freshness”.
In 2016 they released their first album Sanpek, which was successfully received, and enabled them to tour in Mauritius and internationally in France and Switzerland in 2018.
”Patyatann” is a composite word in Mauritian Creole, which literally means: It was not expected. This word was chosen because it chronicles the extraordinary journey of the band and its singular musical style. Patyatann’s repertoire is built upon the cultural diversity of Mauritius by incorporating elements of traditional Mauritian music, but also sonorities from the Indian Ocean and beyond. The band brings together elements of Indian, Chinese, European and African music, which are part of the Mauritian identity.
Patyatann experiments with different traditional instruments that can be found in Mauritius, including the erhu, the bobre, the sanza, the tabla, the didgeridoo and of course the ravanne.
Their music is also characterized by its vocal harmonies or polyphonies, sung in different languages: Creole, French, English, Sanskrit or Bhojpuri.
Patyatann’s music, lyrics and melodies aim to inspire and convey strong values by addressing themes such as respect and love for nature, generosity, spirituality, openness with others, and the importance of embracing the diversity of this world.
