In the early days (1994) WATCHA was born with the meeting of FRED (guitars) and EL BUTCHO (lead vocal) in a sound engineering school in the suburbs of Paris. Quickly between them settle understanding and they decided to create a band. First they recorded a few demo tapes to find others musicians. By want ads, they found MANU (guitars), JEAN PIERRE (bass) and KEUJ (drums) in Paris. This last one will leave them after a few weeks, leaving the place to ELDER (drums). From this moment on, only one thing was missing: The “name” to qualify its music, which has already a strong personality. During a wash down party FRED and MANU opened an English book at random, pointing a finger on the word WATCHA. They found this word out of cliches of metal band, and it sounded good.IIt was approved unanimously. After one year ELDER left WATCHA.KEUJ stood in for ELDER again.
WATCHA was the first metal band in France with a typical sound, a technical instrumentation influenced at the beginning by bands Like PANTERA, EXTREME. During a concert a record company (XIII bis) was there and paid attention to them, asking the band to appear in a French national compilation called (XIII n°2). It was its real first studio experience with Philippe Chambin (Their sound engineering schoolteacher) with the title “conformity”. Little by little the WATCHA ‘s style asserted itself but the influences became more technical (Meshuggah, Korn). The year 1997 was a turning point for a WATCHA. The departure of JEAN PIERRE for musical divergence was the occasion for PENDULE (bass) to integrate the posse. The transition was easy and natural, it was like he has always been in the band. A short while after, WATCHA joined the label WET MUSIC, then they started gigs after gigs throughout France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, Spain, and Tcheque Republic. The energy on stage was so powerful that they quickly gained an excellent reputation. ”THE MASSIVE JUMPING MACHINES” in symbiosis with the audience. Sincere, true, and positive are the qualifying adjectives for those five Parisians. At its first album release the 23 Sept 1998 the eponymous album aroused interest in the media. Philippe Chambin and WATCHA recorded this first one in Belgium. For the band, lyrics have to be pluri-represented because each one has to think on his own. That spirit (open-mindedness) is evenly in its music, WATCHA don’t imitate, they create. Creating a certain atmosphere with sound effects only with the guitars and samples. WATCHA’s background is large and rich, taking its influences in many different musical movements Like HIP-HOP, FUNK, SOUL, TEKNO-HARDCORE, JAZZ and sure METAL. They joined the structure of management and booking agency SRIRACHA-SAUCE in Sept 99 with more concerts all over Europe with every time a new audience always in progress (300 gigs). Feb 2000 the second album “VELIKI CIRKUS” was released. Also recorded in Belgium but with Stephan Kraemer. The album was a success and the talent was confirmed. A fruit of a long and collective hard work and a furious limitless energy.
WATCHA are now self-confident on what they want in their music, daring and sharing their positive vibrations. No doubt to recognize them, the identity is here, not content to have a classical structure like a verse and refrain. The album “MUTANT” is a clever gathering of musical styles and cultures which initially had nothing in common: Untypical drums playing sometimes towards METAL HARD-CORE in perfect symbiosis with a bass which has GROOVE and incisive overtones. The whole thing skillfully merging with sharpened guitar licks capable of changing into incredible noisy engine instruments. As for lead and backing vocals, a meticulous work was done, rich in harmony and a wide range of capacity.
