by Marie Neplaz
Born in Paris from a French mother and Guinean father, Patrice Gomis has always been passionate about music. Influenced by his father, a salsa musician himself on his spare time, he got started with violin playing, and became part of a choir, where he sang Mozart, Beethoven, Fauré, conducted by Francis Bardot. Later he learned to play guitar and piano.
As a teenager, he set up bands and played in various clubs in France. His perfectionism pushed him to improve his musical knowledge. He learned counterpoint with Jean Robert, classical and contemporary harmony, and composition with Pedro Palacio, instrumentation and orchestration at the Schola Cantorum with Patrice Sciortino.
He puts the skill in use composing music for Audio books edited by Gallimard Jeunesse (see collaborations), and signed the original score of L’Afrance and Andalucia two feature films conducted by his brother Alain. He also composed the music of Française,first feature film coducted by Souad El Bouhati in 2007, and of French television programs for Canal+ and France Télévision.
En 2008, he joined Africa and his influences, for the composition of an album. He settled down in Ziguinchor, in a red little house in Casamance Senegal, where he set up a mobile studio within which he gave free rein to his creativity until 2012.
First opus, Following – 7 blue songs from the red house, where he is accompanied by the Peace Orchestra is the result of an intense adventure, and gave occasions to wonderful meetings: The Berimbaob tour organized par Samuel Desmoliens and the Alliances and French Institute of Senegal and Gambia network. - 18 artists on stage, through Senegal and Gambia with Aldeido Vieira and Tribo Ethnos, especially come from Brazil. - A video clip conducted by Marc Antoine Ragot, and this website all designed by Michaël Babel.
The lyrics in French and in English talk about the necessity to find a way to be oneself, but also about links weaved during a lifetime About the album.
Now back in Paris, he rediscovers the pleasure of fruitful collaborations, and currently works on a new personal project. To be discovered soon…