- Kurt Budé / clarinet, bass clarinet, alto and tenor saxophones and percussion - Daniel Denis / drums and percussion - Dimitri Evers / electric and fretless bass - Nicolas Dechêne / electric and acoustic guitars - Antoine Guenet / keyboard
Univers Zero's, 2014, " Phosphorescent Dreams", makes it quiet clear, from start to finish, how well this nsemble has aged for good. This release will even challenge the band's close followers, by striking some rushes of a somewhat, not very Univers Zero's commonly known musical language. But as all true owners of an own musical idiom, this "new" approaches never, not even by chance, lose their "trademark" dark intentions.
So, to cut things short, expect a very strange and hypnotic tour, through a bombastic deep bitter-sweet obscure beauty. Tainted with "free-Jazz", some "happy melodic lines" here and there, splashes of very "heavy" electrics and subtle solos, "medieval-like intros and passages", a couple of piano based songs, marvelous instrumental arrangements and intelligent compositions full of extraordinary and daring ideas. All matched up with highly inspired performances by each member of this re-modeled version of the, somewhat movable, musicians involved under this band/name, to bring everything into perfection.
I myself, have been listening to it intensely for the past weeks and it only gets better, and more difficult to turn down, each time I play it. I know myself, and what really turns me on. This Univers Zero, 2014 realease, is one of those things
Michel Berckmans / bassoon, english horn, oboe, melodica
Kurt Budé / clarinet, bass clarinet, alto sax
Pierre Chevalier / keyboards, glockenspiel
Daniel Denis / drums, percussion, sampler
Dimitri Evers / electric and fretless bass
Andy Kirk / guitar (2, 5), percussion (2)
Martin Lauwers / violin
with
Nicolas Denis / drums (10)
Philippe Thuriot / accordion (1, 10)
Aurelia Boven / cello (10)
Univers Zero perform chamber rock music. Interestingly there are many variations on what constitutes this genre. And a great deal of these varaitions are featured here. Clivages has material from four of their members, leader, drummer and main-stay rock of UZ, Daniel Denis contributes four pieces, reed playing long term associate Michel Berkmans provides three, fellow horns and reed player and relative newcomer to the revolving door of UZ Karl Bude contributes two. The last is by the man who creates the darkness in UZ Andy Kirk. He contributes guitar (usually keyboards) on his Warrior and Denis; Soubresauts.
This music overall is as about as far from rock as one can get. Really it is modern classical. The instrumentation is drums, basson, clarinet, violin, keyboards, bass and some guitar.
If you like atmosphere, if you like imaginative music and where it can take you as you respond accordingly then Clivages works and does just fine. You cannot dance, drive or do anything mundane to UZ music. But you can listen and let it take you to (most likely fairly nightmarish places.) The music can be quite intimate, it is very listenable, it can be quite symphonic too, less so than Rhythmix though. It is not really that predictable, mood changes in pieces happen. However with Andy Kirk's magnificent Warrior the oppressive terror that makes UZ's reputation is there. Complex, (they're all complex of course) and even more intense and longer than (all but Straight Edge by Karl Bude) Warrior is another Andy Kirk masterpiece.
Much is mentioned about weird music. Exactly what is weird? I find the idea of "listening" to dumbed down chart oriented pop to be weird, or society defining itself by fashion and soundtracks to this somehow allowing people a mandate to negatively judge others to be an odd thing to do.. I like freedom of choice and musical expression.
There are some melodies here that are rather nice. Apeasanteur by Michel Berkmans has some fascinating and intriguing melodies.
As a group of composers (as Clivages represents) they neverthelss manage a cohesive and unified album of some of the most beautiful, atmospheric, intense varied orchestral music to ever grace any genre. It ventures from the virtually medieval / modern (Three Days) to the depths of hell - Warrior. Elements of jazz (sax on Straight Edge and even near funk guitar, again on the colourful Straight Edge.)
Everything is original, no rock egos, no featured musician trips, none of that here - all serves this fabulous music. The recording and production match the playing, faultless. As an album it is one of those rare things, perfect. So how do I find fault to knock it the five stars? Have UZ repeated themselves? Have they found a formula since Rhythmix to mine plow and furrow? All is good. If Denis runs out of UZ inspiration (it happens too) then he calls it quits and does something else. Univers Zero exist to make music of this complex and dark beauty. And they do their music so well they make most in prog. rock sound like hamfisted incompetents. Sorry guys but the bar is raised.
Univers Zero record chamber rock and develop music of their origin. This does not sound like Rhythmix but both albums do sound like Univers Zero. It is not safe music, frankly I doubt if UZ when creating an album could play safe music. They undergo too much stress and need for artistic fulfillment to bow to the mundane values of commercial music. They have a reputation and Clivages enhances that reputation.
This is one of the more fascinating albums I've heard in a while and recommend it. It is subtle, dark, uncompromising. Oh yes and in places, like Straight Edge it rocks. It is a masterpiece of an album featuring some great talent. Cerebral and spiritual, melodic and aggressive, drenched in atmosphere and unpredictability; the menace in UZ's music is there and waiting around any corner.
When someone makes music of this quality I consider it an honour to part with a few miserable dollars for a copy of this. Considering what went into its creation buying a copy is hardly much effort. The rewards of this music last a lot longer than what popular music usually indicates as well.A must for a progressive rock collection. A must for a classical collection.
1, 2 and 3 - Recorded in March 31, 1984 at The Pavillon, Hannover, Germany
4 - Recorded in February 25, 1984 at Dottignies, Belgium
5 - Recorded in February 17, 1986 at Frankfurt Jazz Festival, Frankfurt, Germany
6, 7 and 8 - Recorded in October 9, 1985 at Centre Culturel de Seraing, Seraing, Belgium
Although presented as an archives compilation, this album could also be a live album since all the tracks were recorded live in a bunch of concert ranging from Feb 1984 until Feb 86, but somehow it also echoes the “Crawling Winds” EP that focused between 1981 and 83.
With its superb red-tainted fossil rock artwork, Relaps rehashes mostly material of “Uzed” and its successor “Heatwave”, in spite of a lengthy lapse of time where the band lay dormant, while Denis and Mergenthaler where active with Art Zoyd. Relaps is an essential piece of work showing that the band’s most exceptional moments were indeed live.
Roughly the disc is made of two main chunks of three tracks (In Hannover, Feb 84) opening and closing the album, with two selections making up the centre. The first chunk includes mostly tracks from Uzed and most notably the always-amazing “Présage”, which is still the cornerstone on which the second phase of Univers Zero sits upon. Equally interesting, “Parade” is a stunning piece that gains from its studio version. After excerpts of “Ligne Claire” watering the mouth, we are thrown into a brilliant rendition of “Emanations” in what became Univers Zero’s last concert for over a decade, the Frankfurt Jazz Festival.
Finally the last chunk comes from Seraing where the tracks are mostly from the future “Heatwave” album with the returning Andy Kirk in the fold and indeed both the 9-mins Heatwave and the 18-mins Funeral Plain are both outstanding versions (especially the latter) and to cap it all off, a short improv of Etrange Mixture.
- Michel Berckmans / oboe, English horn, bassoon, melodica
- Kurt Budé / clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
- Daniel Denis / drums, percussion
- Martin Lauwers / violin
- Eric Plantain / bass
- Peter Van Den Berghe / keyboards
Recorded 24th June 2005 at "Les Halles de Schaerbeek" Brussels, Belgique and * 18th June 2005 at "Le Triton" Les Lilas, France.
If Univers Zero has reunited by the late 90s, they were mostly not a touring group. But for their recent studio album Implosion, Daniel Denis not only wrote one of his most groundbreaking and spellbinding albums, but also decided to take the group on the road.
With a fairly different line-up of musicians compared to the Implosion album (most notably the absence of long-time member Descheemaeker), Univers Zero is simply brilliant and the musicians are clearly on the best level.
Univers Zero has never been a group of histrionics and shredding solos, but rather an incredibly tight group where improvisation is not absent, but tightly controlled still, keeping things concise and the listener awake.
The set list presented here is of course partly re-presenting the full show, but the selection is widespread throughout their discography, having chosen to feature only two tracks from their latest album, although not the shortest ones. Of interest is Electronica Mambo Musette, which sounds anything but mambo, but rather borrows on improv some of Ravel’s bolero.
There are very few bands active today doing the neoclassical/chamber rock thing anywhere near as well as these guys. For fans of the new incarnation of Univers Zero, Live is a no-brainer. For those who still prefer the earlier material, this album presents the new stuff in the most favorite possible light.
- Daniel Denis / drums, percussion, keyboard, samplers, accordion, guitar
- Michel Berckmans / oboe, English horn, bassoon
- Serge Bertocchi / saxes & tubax
- Aurelia Boven / cello
- Ariane De Bievre / flute, piccolo
- Dirk Descheemaeker / bass clarinet, clarinet
- Bart Maris / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Eric Plantain / electric bass
- Christophe Pons / acoustic guitar
- Bart Quartier / marimba, glockenspiel
- Igor Semenoff / violin
The thing that strikes most when looking at the track listing of “Implosion” is the sheer number of them (an unprecedented 16) and the average length. Once your album is inside your deck and spinning the shock comes right away: never had you heard such (and so much) synthesised/sampled music before on a Univers Zero album.
While the music may have evolved, the typical Univers Zero ambiances are still there and very much in the same spirit as before with the sombre but haunting atmospheres evoking the mysterious mid-east (somewhere between the Egyptian empires and the Sumerian era), but so much more. As one of the highlights, “Temps Neuf” or the lengthy finale “Meandres” are representing the classic Univers Zero.
Implosion is easily a 21st-century Univers Zero favorite. Most proghead should lend an attentive ear to the two Mellotronic themes but this album is must-hear for everyone enjoying challenging music.
“Rhythmix” shows the band in fine form, repeating the formula that had been successfully invented in “Uzed”. The musics still seems to come out of the entrails of Earth with its dark and gloomy athmospheres full of near classical music but with a demonic/devilish drummer cadencing as you row your life away onto your king’s galley whipped if you start to weaken.
he first striking thing is the addition of so much extra instrumentation. The return of cello was nice, and te and accordion were presented with a subtle enough touch as to be virtually transparent. The kickers, ough, are trumpet and acoustic guitar. Christophe Pons’ guitar work on “Rouages: Second Rotation” is simply great.
The defining moment comes with the opening of “The Fly-Toxmen’s Land”. The trumpet’s arrival is absolutely jarring, which is fitting for such a brutal composition. New bassist Eric Plantain holds his own with spidery bass fingering against Denis’ rampant thumping, while the winds and percussion swirl around like dreams of angry lactating bats. Before long (making you wish it were longer), the whole thing shifts into a melancholic coda, with the trumpet resurfacing in a much less piercing fashion. Denis’ drums take on a more direct approach, with bass and keys repeating a daunting riff. Five minutes is just not long enough for this masterpiece.
Michel Berckmans / bassoon, oboe, English horn, melodica, piano
Daniel Denis / drums, keyboards, percussion, melodica, voice
Dirk Descheemaeker / clarinet, bass clarinet
Igor Semenoff / violin
Reginald Trigaux / electric bass, voice, acoustic guitar
After a 13 year rest Univers Zero rises again from its ashes. For the reunion, Michel Berckmans (an original member) came back and the son of another original player Roger Trigaux, Reginald (both father and son are in Present, another seminal and influential Belgian band that had made its triumphant return a few years before) joined on guitars.
The music on this album pretty much picks up where the group had stopped some thirteen years back adding up some ever somber drama to a very descriptive chamber rock . Again Bartok and Ives are the most audible influences here. The violin does not make a great impact on the music. Whatever vocals are on this album are strictly voices and recitations – no actual singing.
The compositions are tighter and more accessible than previous albums, almost as if Denis had written the album keeping in mind with the prospect of luring a new generation of potential fans. Texturally and compositionally, this is a very diverse album. The keyboard sounds generated include the now-reinstated harmonium, as well as organ (“Affintite”) and even harpsichord (“Civic Circus”). On “Vieux-Manants”, sparse bass drum and tambourine create a medieval feel, while other tracks feature tuned percussion (“Civic Circus”) and Denis’ traditional drum kit. Denis even loosens up to play a straight 4/4 on the middle-Eastern “Xenantaya”; always wondered if he could do that!
The fifth Univers Zero studio album was to be the last for 13 years.
The album gets off to a strong start with the title track, composed by Andy Kirk. This is on a par with the best of early Univers Zero, and there is some excellent soprano sax from Dirk Descheemacker. Two shoter pieces follow, both composed by Daniel Denis. Chinavox is an effective piece of chamber rock which has the atmosphere of Univers Zero’s earlier work but which isn’t particularly memorable, while Bruit Dans Les Murs is a piece dominated by electric keyboards that actually sounds closer to Present or even Henry Cow on Western Culture. Denis’ drumming is outstanding on this track, and it points the way forward to his solo album Sirius and the Ghosts.
The second half of the album is taken up with the 20 minutes long The Funeral Plain, another Andy Kirk composition. There are some highly effective passages, and the use of synthesisers and electronic effects is an early foretaste of the kind of music that Univers Zero would create when they reconvened in the late 90s.
Christian Genet / bass, balafon, bowed guitar, tapes, whistle
Andre Mergen / cello, alto sax, voice
Jean-Luc Plouvier / synthesizer, piano strings, percussion
Uzed’s the cornerstone of Univers Zero’s career. Up to now, Univers Zero’s music had been mostly acoustic RIO, developing sinister moods and searching for human’s darker instincts. But with this album, Denis was to change considerably Univers Zero’s direction and this was due in no small part to the friendly competition he maintained with ex-Univers Zero Roger Trigaux, who had formed Present (with Denis holding the drum stool), and pushing each other to explore new musical territories. By now, Daniel Denis was the last remaining original member, Berckmans devoting his effort to Von Zamla. In comes future long time collab Dirk Descheemaeker on winds, Genet on bass and assorted string instruments, Plouvier (another future central figure) on keyboards and Mergen on cello and sax.
This album, as I said above, is the start of a new direction and can be easily seen as a blueprint for all their future album until Implosion. The music had now shifted from the sinister and macabre to the sombre and mysterious ambiances, the eastern influences being much more present (pardon the pun ;-), than previously. One of the most striking results is that the album is generally more melodious than the previous three, which often flirted with dissonance and atonal music. Here, the music as mystic and grandiose aspects not previously developed. The opener Présage is probably my favourite track as the mystery of the mid-eastern dawns (with the cello strongly inducing Arab ambiances) in a yet-asleep harem (see why I think this is their best track? ;-) and the first smell of Green tea as you are heading for the hamam with three beautiful creatures, and the clarinet providing the drama: this almost 10-min track is flawless. The manic Doctor Schwartz is a 100 mph nightmare with Plouvier’s piano providing the base for a haunting cello and clarinet. Wrapping up the first side of this wax slice, is Celeste (with two guest-musicians), a slow-developing almost 7-min track where the piano has the dominant role until the monstrous entrance of the “beast and Delory’s electric guitar (sometimes reminding you of Pinhas or Fripp) is clearly its angry scream. The only flaw I can think of is that the track ends in a fade-out.
Parade is probably where Miriodor took a good deal of their inspiration and the mad breaking noise are extremely disturbing, but the insane beat is not letting you off the hook. Centrepiece Emmanations is one stunning and most convincing track, where Univers Zero is simply taking on the role of a progressive giant group, but if it is not known widely among the progheads, it is mostly because this album was recorded in 1984. Had it been recorded a decade earlier, no doubt that this album would be standing with Magma’s 1001° Centigrade or Henry Cow’s Legend. Denis’s composing powers are simply impressive and his percussions are awesomely inventive, and the oppressive but enthralling ambiances make the almost 16-min track seem too short. In the closing section, the track diverges into electronic delirium, which some twenty years later, Denis will come back to and base his Implosion album around similar themes.
Clearly the album separating the two phases of Univers Zero, this album will serve as a template for Univers Zero albums for two decades to come (including Denis’s two solo albums).
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.
If their debut album was a slap in the face, this second album can be assimilated to a kick in the arse coupled with an uppercut in the stomach. Univers Zero’s music was never designed for easy thrills and charming melodies to get cosy with a partner, but with this album, the music sinks to the lower instincts of the human mind, uncovering some rather macabre moods. By now, the group is down to a sextet, with Nicaise gone, Trigaux will take on the keyboard duties, while still working his guitars. Another change is the arrival of Guy Segers on bass, and some thirty years later, he is still around the scene,.
As with the debut, the artwork is just as dark and sinister (do not be fooled by the heavy gothic feel, though), fitting the music marvellously well, but certainly not making it more accessible. The side-long “epic”, the 25-min Denis-penned La Faulx is a slow starter and newcomer Segers sings out chants that could easily be written by Vander. Quite a grandiose but doomed and gloomed moment, the track slowly picks up and peaks around the 11 to 13 minutes mark, and resumes a calmer (and repetitive) pace not far from Stravinsky’s most sombre works.
The second side starts off with a collaboration between Denis and Trigaux, the 15 min+ Jack The Ripper, with the harmonium dictating the slow and lugubrious ambiance, with Denis’s percussions providing most of the interest in the early part, before the violin first and the bassoon next bring the track to the next level of intensity. The albums wraps up on the Trigaux-penned En Temps Voulu track which brings many shivers of angst, which pretty well repeats what has been said before.
Hérésie is one of those albums that must be played only when the listener’s moods are suitably ready for it. Compared to the rather short 1313, this 50-minute monster is quite a step upwards and forward in their musical search, but can be a bit long at times. Not recommended for the faint-hearted.
With a musical vision that is at the same time dark and ominous, yet stylish and sophisticated, UNIVERS ZERO are one of the most unique and influential bands ever to be associated with progressive rock, and the undisputed creators of the genre known as 'chamber rock'. Getting their inspiration from such diverse sources as rock, jazz, European folk and classical music (both ancient and modern), they have forged a distinctive sound that has received widespread critical acclaim, as well as influencing a vast number of contemporary avant-garde bands and ensembles.
Hailing from Belgium, the band was formed in 1973 by drummer Daniel DENIS and trumpeter Claude Deron, with the original name of Necronomicon - though this was changed to UNIVERS ZERO (after a book by Belgian novelist Jacques Sternberg) in 1974. At the time, their music was strongly influenced by electric jazz, though this changed when Michel Berckmans (reeds) joined the band. Their self-titled debut album (also known as "1313"), composed by DENIS and guitarist Roger Trigaux, was released in 1977 as a limited edition, and soon afterwards reissued by Atem, a label specialized in avant-garde music. The following year, UNIVERS ZERO joined four other groups from different countries (HENRY COW, STORMY SIX, ETRON FOU LELOUBLAN and SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA) to set up the movement known as "Rock in Opposition" (RIO).
Shortly after the release of their second album, "Heresie" (1979), Trigaux left UNIVERS ZERO to form his own band, PRESENT. Then keyboardist Andy Kirk joined the band, and began to contribute his own compositions. The new line-up soon embarked on a tour of France, Yugoslavia, Switzerland and the Netherlands. After the recording of their third album, "Ceux du Dehors" (1981), which featured only a portion of the material the band had composed in that period of time, UNIVERS ZERO ground to a temporary halt because of financial problems, and only resumed their touring activity after several months, with a revamped line-up (including Dirk Descheemaeker on clarinet, and Alan Ward on violin). Their heavy touring schedule in 1981-82, as well as other stresses, led to Kirk's leaving the band in 1983, and yet another line-up change, with Jean-Luc Plouvier (keyboards) and André Mergenthaler (cello) joining, as well as the return of bassist Christian Genet. This version of UNIVERS ZERO played concerts in France, Germany and Belgium, prior to the release of their fifth studio album, "UZED" (1984), considered by many as their masterpiece.
After that, more line-up changes occurred, with Mergenthaler leaving to join French outfit ART ZOYD, and former members Andy Kirk and Patrick Hanappier (violin) returning to the fold, together with a new guitarist, Michel Delory. UNIVERS ZERO; now a seven-piece, participated in a number of prestigious events in 1985 and 1986 (notably the Frankfurt Jazz Festival), performing DENIS' newest compositions, as well as several unrecorded material written by Kirk in 1981-83. In the summer of 1986, this line-up went into the studio to record the band's sixth album, "Heatwave", released in the early months of the following year by US-based label Cuneiform Records. However, in spite of the positive feedback received by the disc, DENIS had already decided to dissolve the band, frustrated by the minimal sales and the lack of opportunities for live performances. The two final line-ups of UNIVERS ZERO's early years are documented by the live album "Relaps", released by Cuneiform in 2009.
After the band's demise, Daniel DENIS worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums of new compositions, "Sirius and the Ghost" (1991) and "Les Eaux Troubles" (1993) on the Cuneiform label, which also began to reissue UNIVERS ZERO's entire back catalogue. He also joined ART ZOYD for a period of seven years. However, the worldwide success of those reissues convinced DENIS to resurrect the band, both as a live and a recording project, at the end of the 1990s. At first UNIVERS ZERO got back together to play a one-off concert at the Festival des Musiques Actuelles at Victoriaville (Canada) in 1997 - with a line-up that included Andy Kirk and Guy Segers. Then, the following year, DENIS and Michel Berckmans reunited, and, with the help of a number of guest musicians (including some former band members), produced four studio albums: "The Hard Quest" (1999), "Rhythmix" (2002), "Implosion" (2004), and "Clivages" (2009), all released on Cuneiform - as well as a live album, "Live!" (2006), and the above-mentioned "Relaps", featuring previously-unreleased archival material.
What a slap in the face Univers Zero gives you in terms of an introduction to their music. I cannot think of one group that dared so much at once in their debut album as Univers Zero did at the time, bar some other RIO outfits. Mostly an acoustic band (bar the bass and some of Trigaux’s guitars), the music coming out here is a cross of Zappa (Uncle Meat), meeting Henry Cow, Bela Bartok or Charles Ives, yet it has a distinct rock flavour, but maybe not in a widely-accepted manner. Thev music is anything but light hearted, rather sombre and oppressive always flirting with dissonances, but never going over the top with them (as was frequently the case with Henry Cow). If I can be so nadve as to remind you that Univers Zero is one of the six signataires of the Rock In Opposition chart, you might just understand that Univers Zero is as much about their music as they are about aesthetics of their music. For this debut album, Univers Zero is a septet and the huge majority of instrument used are of the classical persuasion.
It is of course never easy to describe such difficult music, with either words or images, but the acoustic world that Univers Zero is presenting us is a dark, nightly, rather solemn and sinister underworld made of ambiances and angst of finding sheer horror round the street corner in London’s smog late nineteenth century. The 14-min+ Ronde is a wild opener, with the violin taking first role, while the much shorter Carabosse (after the fairy-witch) is more in the space of Berckmans’ bassoon while Daniel Denis’ amazing and inventive drumming and percussions rules the backtracks.
If the first side of the vinyl was mostly Daniel Denis’ works, the second side will be Roger Trigaux’s oeuvre. Not that good old Roger’s “songwriting” is any lighter than Daniel’s, far from it, but his music is clearly more rhythmic and repetitive. As on the previous side, the music hovers between Stravinsky and Balkan oriented “folk-classical” music with some strong Magma influencers (Denis did play for the group and remains nowadays a friend of the Vander tribe) and represents one of the best example of chamber rock. In some ways their music can be likened to early Gryphon (the acoustic and instrumental nature of the music), but UZ is nothing medieval.
Please note that Univers Zero’s music is not easily accessible to the average Joe and therefore cannot be easily recommended to everyone. But in their genre, this group represents peak of what can be done in that kind of music. And this is only their first album of a lengthy career. Certainly a more influential band than a popular one, Univers Zero is one of the guardians of the progressive music’s integrity.
For his second solo album in a two year gap, Daniel Denis invited more “friends” and this guest list reads a bit like a who’s who of experimental rock in Belgium. Catoul is now defunct but was a good violinist, Segers of course an ancient UZ and Present alumni, Vervloesem is the guitarist leader of those crazy X-Legged Sally, and more…. Without forgetting future-UZ members Kuiken and Descheemaeker.
Unlike the previous album, the tracks are shorter and some suggest a bit of humour something almost inconcievable with such somber music still very much in Univers Zero mould. This is the most musically diverse and probably the most personally revealing work of this remarkable composer and performer.
The two lengthy tracks that open and (almost) close the album are closest in style to Univers Zero, and in between them he lets his muse run free and pays homage to some of his influences. ‘Coeur de Boeuf’ – literally translated ‘Heart of Beef’ is a deftly executed tip of the hat to another great individual stylist, Captain Beefheart, and features some nimble marimba playing from future Univers Zero member Bart Quartier. ‘Bulgarian Flying Spirit Dances’ draws heavily on the East European composers who are an obvious influence on his work, particularly Bartok. ‘Opus Rictus’, despite the sombre title, is almost playful, propelled along by bass tuba and some agreeably daft massed voices. Denis’ drumming is impeccable throughout, and he coaxes superb performances from all his guests. Jan Kuijken on cello and Dirk Descheemaeker on clarinet make particularly fine contributions.
Whilst it’s not exactly easy listening, this is probably the most accessible of Denis’ work to date.
Daniel Denis’ solo albums provide a kind of continuity after the break up of Univers Zero in 1986. “Sirius and the Ghosts” picks up where “Heatwave” left off, and sees Denis further exploring the possibilities of electric keyboards. The compositional style is very much in keeping with “Uzed” and “Heatwave”, featuring just six comparatively long tracks with the trademark time changes and doom laden atmosphere.
The strongest pieces on the album are those which come closest to being a full band performance – “Beyond the Mountains” and “A L’Ombre Du Zed” are extremely strong, with the brilliant reeds player Dirk Descheemaeker adding some real colour and the low end of the sonic palette being complemented by cellist Jan Kuijken and bassist Michel Hatzigeorgiou.
For Univers Zero fans there is plenty to enjoy on this album. It’s a solid, well crafted piece of work that is unmistakably in the same style. Denis’ drumming is as powerful as ever, and he acquits himself respectably on keyboards.
