Archives & Music: Diego Dimarques, an ode to the guitar
- Rémi Abad
- 10 hours ago
- 4 min read
With Francophonie in the spotlight, we revisit an interview with Diego Dimarques, a highly talented French artist who performs regularly in Siem Reap and occasionally in Phnom Penh. Four years ago, the artist told us how to cope with a long period of forced unemployment.
The singer and guitarist came up with his own answer to this tricky question, deciding to use his enforced break to work on a project he had never had time to devote himself to before: recording albums.
When listing the professions hardest hit by the current crisis, hoteliers, restaurateurs and tour operators immediately spring to mind. However, musicians are also being impacted by the inexorable decline in activity. Diego Dimarques is well placed to testify to this, as the hotel restaurant where he performed regularly closed its doors last March. For how long? No one can say, so the musician decided to make one of his long-held dreams come true.
To do so, he locked himself away for three months, in more or less voluntary confinement, surrounded by his instruments and his inspiration. The result of this creative burst is two 12-centimetre discs, two CDs on whose covers the artist poses with his inseparable guitar. Two albums, one in French and one in Spanish, with a total of 29 tracks, most of which are original compositions. Only a few essential covers are included, by Cesária Évora, Stevie Wonder and the Gipsy Kings. These are all songs that mean a lot to the artist and have accompanied him throughout much of his career, which began in the mid-1980s.
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‘The personality of my maternal grandfather, who was Spanish and a guitarist, probably influenced some of my tastes and choices. At the age of 12, I decided to learn music, starting with the piano, but I very quickly chose the guitar as my instrument of choice.
Unlike many teenagers, it wasn't a crazy admiration for the ‘guitar heroes’ of the time that drew me to this instrument. On the contrary, I've never been particularly fascinated by purely technical skills. My idols have always been artists such as Paco de Lucía, João Gilberto, Santana, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Gilberto Gil.
And let's not forget the Beatles: how could you not want to pick up a guitar and try to play the chords to one of their songs, Let it Be for example? All these people inspired me to learn music and influenced the way I play. Gradually, other influences emerged, and my songs are often, in one way or another, tributes to Brel, Brassens, Aznavour, Lavilliers, Nougaro, Cabrel, Souchon, Jonasz... All artists who cannot be ignored if you love French music.
A life devoted to music
Diego loves French song, of course, but he also loves Latin rhythms, and these two ingredients are an integral part of his musical sensibility, which straddles France and Spain. At a very young age, Diego took to the stage and quickly opted for a career in music. Could it have been any other way? ‘Not really knowing what to do, I first thought about becoming a hairdresser, but I quickly realised that it wasn't for me. After my military service, my aunt, who ran a restaurant, encouraged me, not to say forced me, to perform in her establishment. I quickly developed a taste for it!’ With his new-found confidence, Diego Dimarques made a name for himself in the République and Bastille districts, where he found a wealth of bars and restaurants willing to hire him, either solo or as part of a group.
‘It was the heyday of the Top 50, and the audience wanted us to cover the latest hits, such as Yaka Dansé, Les Yeux revolver and À toutes les filles.’
The repertoire changed very quickly! At the same time, we covered a lot of songs by the Gipsy Kings, who were very popular at the time. They're excellent songs that create a great atmosphere and are extremely enjoyable to play. When you're in your twenties, you love music and being in contact with the public, and on top of that you get paid a ‘Pascal’ per performance, all you can think about is continuing! It was still a bit of a bohemian lifestyle, and my real professional career only began around the age of 30, when I was hired on a regular basis in piano bars on the French Riviera.
In addition to providing a steady, well-paid job, this opportunity allowed me to broaden my musical knowledge in order to adapt to the demands of consumers. In this profession, you always have to be able to respond instantly to the audience, which can be very diverse. During my time in Cannes, I sometimes played concerts at the Carlton and the local campsite. The expectations were inevitably different, but I can assure you that the joy of being on stage was exactly the same for me.
The Cambodian gamble
Diego Dimarques pursued this career until 2011, when he discovered Asia. First Thailand, then Cambodia. The common thread running through these trips was friendship, which led him by chance to these two countries.
It was July, and without looking too hard, he landed a gig for the evening of 31 December. Why not give it a shot, especially since his contracts in Paris were about to expire? The fee would help cover some of the travel expenses...
And so Diego arrived in Cambodia one day in December 2011, giving himself a year to make his dream come true. Many years later, his voice and guitar chords still provide the soundtrack to Cambodian nights, whether in concert or, now, on his listeners' turntables.
Diego Dimarques' albums are available in Siem Reap at a few outlets, such as Barrio and Alliance Française. The artist can also be contacted directly via his Facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/rescourio
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