Era

Era is a French new age project led by composer Éric Lévi, active from 1996. The project is based in France and is associated with ambient and new age music, while also being linked with celtic, chillout and ethereal styles.

Style and construction

Era combines Gregorian chant with electronic arrangements and, at times, world music. Its lyrics, written by Guy Protheroe and also in English, are designed to sound like Greek or Latin without carrying exact meaning. Some lyrics draw on the beliefs of the Cathars, a 13th-century French Christian sect. Lévi describes the music as aiming for strong emotions and an epic-film quality rather than copying the styles of specific eras or cultures.

Members and presentation

Although Era is centred on Éric Lévi, its live shows and music videos often include performers dressed in medieval or traditional clothing and armour. Pierre Bouisierie and Irene Bustamante most often appear in performances, and other associated performers include Lena Jinnegren, Eric Geisen, Florence Dedam, Murielle Lefebvre, Chester Thompson, Lee Sklar, Daryl Stuermer and Philippe Manca.

Career and releases

The project’s self-titled debut album appears in 1997 and becomes a major export success for French music, selling more than 6 million copies. The album is followed by Era 2 in 2000 and The Mass in 2003, forming a trilogy that mixes rock, synth and pseudo-Latin Gregorian chant. Later releases include The Very Best of Era (2004), Music of Legend (2006), Reborn (2008), Classics (2009), The Essential (2010) and Classics Vol 02 (2010). The project has sold more than 12 million albums overall.

Éric Lévi

Éric Lévi, whose real name is Eric Jacques Levisalles, is born in Paris in 1955. Before Era, he founds the hard rock band Shakin' Street in 1975 with Fabienne Shine. That group releases Vampire Rock and Solid as a Rock, tours briefly with AC/DC and the Blue Öyster Cult, and disbands in 1981. Lévi later moves to New York, returns to Paris in 1992, writes film scores including those for L'Opération Corned-beef and Les Visiteurs, and moves to London in 1999, where he lives.