DANIEL
DENIS16-06-93 Le Sunset, Paris 17-06-93 Le Sunset, Paris 18-06-93 Le Sunset, Paris 19-06-93 Le Sunset, Paris
09-07-93 Théâtre Municipal, Lons-le-Saunier ??-11-93 Paris
I have not had a chance to update the monster A0 size family tree lately. The last time I revised it, turned into a disaster when the main disc on the mainframe computer that it is drawn on crashed later that day. There was no time to backup the data, so the current version is still the 21-12-91 issue which Klaus Blasquiz refers to as a "work of art". This giant flow diagram / schematic still does not use accented French or Kobaïan characters as yet, but I am reasonably happy that it lists every important recording of every musician who played with Magma from 1969 to 1991. It is probably going to be impossible to track down every one of Jannick Top's sessions unless one of you already has a list with recording dates and full album personnel details.
Carl Orff: 'Carmina Burana - The Piano Version' - (Wergo 6217-2) is a totally new arrangement of the fascinating origins of Zeuhl Music. It is a recording by the young Swiss pianist Eric Chumachenco of a transcription he made himself. Performed on a Yamaha 7C Grand piano in Salzburg in 1992. The piano was for Orff a percussion instrument, consisting of strings, hammers and keys. Here he went far beyond Bartok's 'Allegro barbaro', beyond Prokofiev and Stravinsky's 'Les Noces'. The hammered sound makes the rhythm clear, as it does in the case of timpani, glockenspiel, xylophone etc. The piano version of 'Carmina Burana' is not a piano score; what the vocal soloists and the choir sing is integrated into the sound just as the piano part is. Carl Orff thought of himself as a melodic composer. His melody swings away on the keyboard here. There is also a seven CD box set of Carl Orff's work (1970's analogue recordings) that is available for around £50 in major music stores (PILZ ACANTA 44 2086 to 44 2099). And Michael Draine insists that you investigate 'Veni Creator Spiritus' by Orff, he will tell you why it is so important in our next issue, perhaps.
Most of the Richard Pinhas / Heldon albums are now available on CD, here's what Steve Feigenbaum has to say about them: "Richard Pinhas, aka. the leader of HELDON, is a mythic name in the prog/electronic world. During the 7OEs, he released a dozen albums coupling his famed guitar playing with unique, stormy electronics. The second Heldon album 'Allez Teia' is a spacey / progressive must! 'Chronolyse' was his second solo: half live Moog electronics and half featuring Heldon in a thirty minute, King Crimson-ish stormy epic of mellotrons, electronics, guitar, bass and drums. 'Interface' features the classic Heldon line-up of Auger, Gauthier and Pinhas. This is one of Heldon's heaviest discs, featuring their most intense and relentless electronic fusillades. 'Iceland' conjures up impressions of icy, pristine landscapes. Includes a previously unreleased twenty-five minute track. 'L'Ethique' has members of Magma and Heldon, and includes a bonus track. 'DWW' is his first new release in a decade! Despite the long lay-off, this is not a radical departure from his past work, but expands upon his past solo works." And the Laser's Edge says: "Quite simply the greatest group from France, Heldon/Pinhas made a legacy that few bands could match. Richard Pinhas made progressive music in the truest sense of the word."
Magma's live CD from the 1980 celebrations 'RetrospektïW I et II' will be released in September. So too will the second album by the Christian Vander Trio, this was recorded during the week ending 12-06- 93.
DANIEL
DENISDaniel DENIS has finished his second solo album 'Les Eaux troubles' and it is now available from Musea Distribution. Featured musicians include Andy Kirk, Guy Segers, Dirk Descheemaeker and Wurd ^ëmgalaï himself; Bernard Paganotti, on two tracks. Essentially Daniel has concentrated on the drums to achieve a live feel.
Xaal have re-released their 'En Chemin' CD in France with a different (blue/black) cover and alternative photographs on the MSI label.
IL BERLIONE are an intriguing Japanese Zeuhl/Avant-rock band with a major bias towards horns. But our readers in Tokyo tell me that there are several other Zeuhl bands of great interest in Japan, where that style of music is becoming evermore popular. These include HAPPY FAMILY (who are the top Zeuhl group in Japan at the moment) and of course TATSUYA YOSHIDA. Yoshida is probably most well known as the excellent drummer with his Japanese avant-rock band RUINS, but he has another Zeuhl group called KOUENJI HYAKKEI and has now formed a third group to play cover versions of MAGMA material, including 'MDK', 'De Futura' and 'Weidorje'. The new Magma cover group has two bassists, two keyboards, drums, and a choir. One of the bassists is Tatsuya Miyaho who also plays bass with HAPPY FAMILY. They will play their first gig at the Housei University Concert Hall on August 22nd 1993 with KOUENJI HYAKKEI as support. - Thanks for the info Naotsugu, Shuichi and Hitoshi, see you all next year. Features on these interesting developments in Japan in a future issue hopefully.
Paga Group will release their next album in September 93 on the Bleu Citron label. Meanwhile work is progressing on the Patrick Gauthier album, mentioned in Ork Alarm! #11, his group features Aïna Kobaïa and Antoine Paganotti.
The Japanese new-music magazine MARQUEE published in June 1993 was for me, and probably every Ork Alarm! reader, the finest tribute / overview of MAGMA I have ever seen. Of course it was all in Japanese and I cannot read a word of it. The main reasons why I feel it is still worth tracking down are the extensive collection of rare colour photographs used and the new family tree, and in particular the section with photographs of all the single releases by Magma which is also in colour. I do not have spare copies to sell but the issue you will want to track down is MARQUEE #048. Those of you who swap live tapes will probably already have contacts in Japan that can get it for you easily.
AD
PERPETUAM MEMORIAMA new Swedish CD label called AD PERPETUAM MEMORIAM, "dedicated to timeless sounds" has announced a limited edition release of 'Barndomens Sugar' by KULTIVATOR. "This band offers heavy progressive rock in the Canterbury vein, but with a typically French attitude. Elements of Swedish Folk are added and then melted in a pot to create a substance hot as Magma." The original LP release on BAUTA records has long been deleted.
On the 17th and 18th of June, ART ZOYD played two live concerts at the Passage du Nord-Ouest in Paris. The musicians were: Patricia Daub (keyboards), Armand Filafero (trumpets), Gérard Hourbette (Viola, keyboards, percussion, tapes and samples), André Mergenthaler (Cello, alto sax, keyboards), Thierry Zaboitzeff (Cello, electric bass, keyboards, voice, percussion, tapes and samples). They played mostly Hourbette's and Zaboitzeff's compositions.
Then on the 19th June at 7pm ART ZOYD returned for the first of two shows that night, with the backdrop of Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's classic film 'Nosferatu'. "In working more and more closely on 'Nosferatu', we found that a natural complicity sprang up between the images and our music. Thus we came to realize that the instinct which compelled us to invade Murnau's universe (in particular his film 'Nosferatu'), rather than that of another film-maker, was well founded." (AZ) Work is now in progress to interpret Murnau's 'Faust'.
The ART ZOYD CD's 'Marathonnerre volumes I et II' are now available Meanwhile the Wayside music maestro Steve Feigenbaum has this to say about the Art Zoyd albums: Art Zoyd are a drummer less, very rhythmically strong, French band using unique instrumentation, symphonic influences and electronics. 'Symphonie/Musique/Generation Sans Futur/Archives 1' (Mantra 065) has their first three (and absolute BEST) works in one double CD package. 'Phase IV / Les Espaces Inquiets / Archives 2' also combines two older, classic discs. Both these double CD's contain rare additional material, are the releases that made A.Z.'s reputation, and are as good as avant/progressive music gets! 'Le Mariage du Ciel et de L'Enfer' is similar, but is more minimal and stark, a trend that accelerates pace on 'Berlin' and 'Nosferatu'. (These last three are all single CD's by the way). Wayside also have the hard to find compilation CD by ART ZOYD /J.A. DEANE /J. GREINKE and Patricia Dallio's superb solo album 'Procession' too.
It was not clear whether René was referring to Live or studio recordings, and in particular I wish I had been able to get confirmation whether or not he was talking about new recordings or old tapes from the vaults. Obviously if René meant unreleased versions of these pieces, then they would be of great interest, no matter when they were recorded, let's hope that will be the case, and not just reissues of existing albums...
Seventh Records announced in mid-June that they will soon release a musical score of 'Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh' which will be solely for voice and piano. And recently told us that there are plans for a studio album by LES VOIX DE MAGMA.Since we have still got some space to fill, and Mr Feigenbaum is so wonderfully
succinct in summarising some of my favourite groups - let's hear what he has
to say about those cheerful Belgian folks, UNVERS ZERO:
Univers Zero play fascinating, modern chamber music-influenced rock. Simultaneously
gothic and futuristic, they are somewhat like the very best of Magma or Crimson,
but infinitely darker, with a touch of Eastern European folk melodies added.
'1313' is a unique disc of dark, mostly acoustic chamber rock. 'Heresie' is
absolutely one of the darkest albums ever made. 'Ceux du Dehors' and 'UZED'
are more overtly electric discs, and use reeds, strings, keyboards, bass and
drums. 'Heatwave' showcases a more high-tech sound, while leaving their distinctive
edge intact and sharper than ever. "... a must for lovers of adventurous music".
- Keyboard. "A remarkably subtle weaving of rock, classical and avantgarde tactics..."
- Alternative Press. "Univers Zero's first three albums are quite categorically
amongst the finest examples of Zeuhl music ever recorded, sometimes I can think
of only one album ('To Love') that I would rather listen to." - Ork Alarm!
One of our readers is proposing to start a new Magma/Vander fanzine, to be written en Français. He has asked Christian Vander for permission for this venture. SUNDÏA, as it is likely to be known, should cost 15 Francs and the plan is for an issue every two months. This is all subject to approval by Christian, and therefore I cannot pass on further details as yet. We will let you know if the venture does reach fruition, and of course Ork Alarm! supports this new proposal entirely. I hope this will lead to a spirit of co-operation between us and perhaps the exchange of interviews and news - with both Sündïa and Ork Alarm! providing information in whichever language you prefer.