Univers Zero - 1983 - Crawling Wind

Univers Zero

1983

Crawling Wind

01. Toujours plus a l’est (5:29)

02. Before The Heat (4:03)

03. Central Belgium In The Dark (Live) (9:50)

04. Influences (Bonus) (7:36)

05. Triomphe Des Mouches (Bonus Live) (9:51)

06. Complainte (Bonus Live) (5:28)

- Daniel Denis / drums, percussion, voice, violin, harmonium

- Dirk Descheemaeker / clarinet

- Andy Kirk / piano, organ, synth, voice, viola, music box, percussion, harmonium, radio

- Guy Segers / bass, voice, violin, invisible talk, flies talk

- Alan Ward / violin

- Christian Genet / bass

- André Mergenthaler / cello

- Jean-Luc Plouvier / keyboards

- Michel Berckmans / oboe, bassoon

- Patrick Hanappier / viola

- Roger Trigaux / guitar

Tracks 1 & 2 recorded in 1983 in Jemappes, Belgium.

Track 3 recorded live on March 27th, 1982 in Haine Saint Pierre, Belgium.

The remaining tracks are bonus tracks:

Track 4 recorded in January, 1982 in Hennuyères, Belgium.

Track 5 recorded live on March 31st, 1984 at "The Pavillon" in Hannover, Germany.

Track 6 recorded live on April 5th, 1979 at "T' STUC" in Leuven, Belgium.

“Crawling Wind” was originally released in 1983 as a limited edition, japanese only 12? EP by Eastern Works. This rare 3-track EP has been re-mastered with the addition of previously unreleased studio and live material.

Daniel Denis’ “Toujours plus a l’Est” is an excellent composition that easily matches the consistently high quality of the band’s other studio works from that era. The piece is uncharacteristically brightly colored, obviously taking a breather from the darkness and brooding that defined their previous three albums, though still with the dashes of Eastern European flavor and uncluttered, rhythmic precision that gives it that unmistakable Univers Zero identity.

Before we get too comfortable, however, Andy Kirk’s “Before the Heat” is more characteristic of the macabre atmosphere indigenous to the band’s earlier albums and reputation, with plucked strings and chasmal reverberations. This mood is reinforced by the live improvisation “Central Belgium in the Dark”, recorded in 1982.

The bonus additional tracks feature “Influences”, a Kirk-penned studio recording from 1982; “Triomphe Des Mouches” recorded live in Hannover in 1984 and “Complainte” recorded live in Belgium in 1979.

“Crawling Wind” is somewhat of an uneven EP, and certainly the massive interest in it was due in part to its obscurity and rarity. It is a must-have for those who can’t get enough of this band’s peak period. Not the best place to start, but certainly not be ignored either.