Pleymo

All Music Guide:

French rap-metal/alternative metal six-piece Pleymo were formed in 1997, when the genre was truly at the top of its game. Bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park ruled the airwaves and their sound was made popular and in high demand all over the world. However, as general enthusiasm for the genre was gradually replaced by bored indifference by the first half of the next decade, and bigger bands either moved on in search of different sounds or carried on working for diminishing audience, Pleymo chose to hold on to a by then unfashionable sound. Moreover, they did so with enough energy and inventiveness to keep things fresh and interesting well into the 2000s. The members of the band were still in their late teens when they came together to form Pleymo. Originally there were only four of them -- Marc Maggiori (vocals), Benoit Julliard (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), Fred Ceraudo (drums), and guitar player Mattias. The original name of the band was "Pleymobill," after a line of plastic toys. It was shortened to Pleymo within a year, when the band's lineup expanded to five due to the inclusion of turntablist DJ Frank (Frank Bailleul). Erik Devilloutreys replaced Mattias as the band's guitar player and remained a permanent member. At that point the musicians cited Rage Against the Machine, Korn, and Primus as their main musical influences.

Looking to expand their fan base, Pleymo created a sort of underground coalition with a number of like-minded bands, such as AqME, Watcha, and Enhancer. The coalition was dubbed "Team Nowhere" -- the bands performed together and helped each other out in various ways. The group's first record, an eponymous four-track EP, was issued in 1998, to little interest. Still, Pleymo continued to build a formidable reputation in the underground as an explosive live act. Soon they were invited to Belgium to record their first full-length with producer Stephen Kremer, who already had some experience with "Team Nowhere" bands. During the recording, Pleymo finally solidified their lineup with the sixth member, guitarist Davy Portela. The resulting record, Keckispasse, was issued in 1999 by Wet Music and eventually sold about 10000 copies, which was quite a start for a young band. Following the release of their first record, Pleymo toured relentlessly, and finally major labels began to take notice. In 2000, the band was signed by Epic Records and began to work on their second full-length; Episode 2: Medecine Cake was released in 2002 and performed even better than its predecessor, selling over 50,000 copies. The tour in support of Medecine Cake included more than 120 dates. The English version of the record, titled Doctor Tank's Medecine Cake also brought Pleymo surprising popularity in Japan.

By the end of 2002 the band issued a stopgap EP with live recordings, and were concentrating on their next release. Their third record was the first attempt of the band to alter their formula somewhat, and was simply titled Rock. It was far more melodic and less aggressive than their previous full-lengths. It was also something of a concept album: the record told a story of a four-year old blind boy and his imaginary double. In 2005, the band released a full-length live effort Ce Soir, C'est Grand Soir, available on both CD and DVD. Their 2006 record Alphabet Prison neatly tied up all the threads running through their previous work, as it combined the aggressive sounds of their earlier records with more melodious leanings of Rock, resulting in the most well-rounded effort by the band yet.

Wikipedia:

Pleymo is a French nu metal band. Pleymo have sold over 100,000 albums to date. The band's name apparently originates from the lead singer once having a haircut as a child that was similar to that of Playmobil figures.

History [edit]

Beginning and Keçkispasse? (1997–1999) [edit]

Pleymo started in 1997, and they released a 4 tracks demo in 1998. The same year, the group as evolved with the exit of Mathias, the guitarist at the time. Erik de Villoutreys and DJ Frank Bailleul joined the band. Little by little the group was growing and then caught the attention of the producer Stéphane Kraemer In the 15th of June 1999 they released their first album called Keçkispasse signed to the label Wet Music.

Episode 2 : Medecine Cake (2002) [edit]

In 2002, they released Episode 2: Medecine Cake, with this, they were already well known in Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, UK and also Japan (where they played a lot of concerts in 2002 and 2004). They also released an English version of this album, called Doctor Tank's Medicine Cake, with English lyrics.

In November 2002 the group released a six-track "(Ep)Live", recorded at Les Eurockéennes festival in Belfort.

Rock (2003-2004) [edit]

Their third album title, Rock, announced a major change of musical direction, with greater emphasis on melody and vocals. The members of the group stated that this third album was influenced by the work of bands like Pink Floyd and The Smashing Pumpkins. Rock is a concept album about a blind four-year-old boy and his imaginary double.

Sales of Rock topped the 50,000 mark in France and 18,000 in Japan.Pleymo were nominated in the "Best Pop/Rock Album of the Year" category at the "Victoires de la musique" Awards. Some of the band's older fans felt alienated at the perceived change in direction and sound.

In September 2004 recorded a duet with teen pop'n'rock idols Kyo, resulting in the single "On ne changera rien".

Alphabet Prison and hiatus (2005-2007) [edit]

In October 9, 2006, they returned with Alphabet Prison, an album that englobes all that they've done until that date, that have slower and calm songs (Un parfum nommé 16 ans) and heavier songs (Zéphyr, Blockout).

In 2007, they announced that they're going on hiatus. Mark confirmed that in a concert. Mark is going to Los Angeles, where he's going to film a movie. Franck will go to the EUA to promote his brand Kill. Benoît is going to play in a new group called Empyr, that have members from Watcha, Vegastar and the ancient singer of Kyo. Fred also is going to play in a new group called Hewitt. Davy will continue in the group Enhancer and Lula Fortune And Eric hasn't announced any project.

In 2008, the song "New Wave" from Medecine Cake was released as a downloadable track for the game Rock Band.

Influences [edit]

Their influences range from Rage Against The Machine to bands like Korn and Primus.

Epic (a branch of Sony) offered the band a record deal in 2000. In 2002 they released "Episode II: Medecine Cake", produced by Fabrice Leyni. Sales of Pleymo's second album topped the 50,000 mark, establishing the band as a major new French band. In August 2002, Pleymo went on to perform at the Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo and also in Osaka, sharing the stage with major international stars such as The Offspring and No Doubt.

Members [edit]

The nicknames and colors attribute to the "Medecine Cake" era.

Videography [edit]