Raft is a French pop band active in the 1980s, most notable for their 1987

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

, " Yaka dansé".

Biography

The band was a duet composed of Christian Fourgeron (guitar, vocals) and Pierre Schott (guitar, bass, vocals, born 24 April 1958). They begin their musical career in 1985 with their single "Io (c'est ça)" which passed unnoticed in France. However, in 1987, they had their first hit with "Yaka dansé (l'arborigène)", which was a number 2 hit in France, and earned a gold disc. The single was succeeded by "Femmes du Congo", which achieved a moderate success in comparison. The band's songs contained many puns and dealt with grave themes of society, sung on joyful music. In 1988, they released their first album entitled ''Madagascar'' and was the opening act for

Niagara Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

's concerts. In 1990, the band split up and both members started a solo career.Elia Habib, ''Muz hit. tubes'', p. 113 () More recently, the reformed group participated in the concert tour named RFM Party 80, which started in 2006.

Discography

Raft

Albums

* 1985: ''It's Growing Light'' * 1989: ''Madagascar''

Singles

* 1985: "Io (c'est ça)" * 1987: " Yaka dansé" - #2 in France (gold disc) * 1988: "Femmes du Congo" - #20 in France * 1989: "Didimdam (dimdam)" * 1989: "Sea, Sun and Sensy" * 1990: "Debout gazelles"

Collaborations

* 1988: "Dernier Matin d'Asie", a charity single recorded by many artists under the name Sampan

Christian Fourgeron

* 1994 : ''Christian Fourgeron''

Pierre Schott

* 1992 : ''Le Nouveau Monde'' * 1994 : ''Le Retour à la vie sauvage'' * 1998 : ''Le Milieu du grand nulle part'' * 2007 : ''Zenland...''

References

{{Authority control French musical groups Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1990 French musical duos 1985 establishments in France