MENTAT ROUTAGE is a French collective performing a trans-artistic show that combines improvised music, tap-dance, painting and video-projection. At the crossroads between jazz, rock, free, and contemporary music, this outfit from Le Mans (France) creates a sonically and visually stunning universe that is considerably off the beaten track.
There are too many influences for all to be quoted here, among which are Frank ZAPPA, Miles DAVIS, MAGMA, THE MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, Bernard LUBAT, AKA MOON, Phil MINTON, John ZORN, Thelonious MONK, Iva BITTOVA, KarlHeinz STOCKHAUSEN, Salvador DALI, PORTISHEAD... And you could surely add POTEMKINE or ART ZOYD, to name a few.
Their contribution to the short-movie "Mortinium" was largely noticed among professionnals, as this film received the First Prize for the Original Soundtrack during the Festival de Bourges, the second Prize at La Baule in 2007, and was seen in May 2008 in Cannes during the parallel festival dedicated to shorts.
In 2010 at last, MENTAT ROUTAGE realises its big project: the recording of its first eponymous album, now released on the Musea Parallèle label.