Sébastien Blanchon

Sébastien Blanchon, better known as N’Zeng, is a French trumpeter, composer and DJ, born on 28 October 1974 in the Saint-Étienne area. Trained at the Massenet Conservatory in Saint-Étienne and the Conservatoire National de Région in Lyon, he was awarded a first prize in cornet, marking the beginning of a rich musical career. N’Zeng has explored a wide range of styles, from jazz-funk with the band Mo’Jazz Beat to more contemporary influences in urban and electronic music. His encounter with Le Peuple de l’Herbe proved decisive: he became a full member from 1999 to 2013, contributing to six studio albums – including the acclaimed Triple Zéro and Cube – and two live albums, and playing more than 700 concerts worldwide. The band won a Victoire de la Musique in 2002 in the “Best New Live Act” category. Beyond his work with Le Peuple de l’Herbe, N’Zeng has collaborated with many renowned artists, including Beth Gibbons of Portishead, as well as groups like Asian Dub Foundation and Mes Teï Sho. In 2005 he co-wrote “Les Beaux Jours” with Agoria, a collaboration they renewed in 2011 with the track “Under the River”, and again in 2016 for music written for Jan Kounen’s documentaries. In 2014 he joined the beatmaker collective L’Entourloop, contributing to the album Chicken in Your Town and taking part in their tour. He has also produced tracks for DJ Docteur Vince from Stupeflip and worked on a variety of projects, including scores for contemporary dance and film music. His composing skills were called on for cinema, notably to record a rewritten orchestral score for excerpts from Ridley Scott’s Alien. In 2017 he worked with Rone on the track “Switches”, slated for the album Mirapolis. In 2019 his own album HOLLYWOOD HUSTLERS was released on Parigo Music and earned praise, notably from Télérama. Sébastien Blanchon continues to make his mark with his music for the show Hôtel Bellevue by the company Arcosm. His latest project, The Trip, marks a new step in his career, delving into trip-hop alongside the voice of Charlotte Savary of Wax Tailor. The record perfectly illustrates the balance between the richness of acoustic instruments and the innovation of beatmaking, with N’Zeng’s trumpet gracefully guiding the listener through this musical journey.