03-10-95 Centre Jean Vilar, Champigny 04-10-95 Centre Jean Vilar, Champigny 05-10-95 Centre Jean Vilar, Champigny (Five shows)
14-10-95 Espace Lumière, Epinay sur Seine (20h00)
The German innovators FAUST will soon have two new CD's released on the Table of the Elements label, one is a new studio album and the other 'Faust Concerts vol. 3' is their concert from San Francisco 1993. Their recent London concert with Tony Conrad was astounding and brutal in its sonic and physical violence. Jean Hervé Peron broke a string on his bass almost immediately, and once again Zappi's drum kit was soon failing apart with a half of it flung across the stage at one point and his drum sticks sent flying in all directions. 'Faust Concerts volumes 1 & 2' are almost sold out and will not be re-pressed. Recommended Megacorp mention a release of Faust's 1973 BBC session as an imminent possibility.
Tatsuya Yoshida's new group, KOENJI HYAKKEI have released their first CD on the God Mountain label, entitled 'Hundred Lights of Koenji' (GMCD 012). Koenji is a district of Tokyo.
Bernard Paganotti and his wife Naoko were on the skyjacked flight from Tokyo to Hokkaido on 22-6-95. After 16 hours imprisonment at Hokkaido airport, a special commando force overwhelmed the ice-pick wielding skyjacker and the three hundred passengers were released. Bernard was on a concert tour of Japan with the female singer, Tokiko Kato; Paganotti plays on her recently recorded album.
Thierry Moreau recently quizzed Christian Vander about the origins of the graphic symbol used on the AKT releases. Apparently Christian thought of this symbol in the old Magma days, long before the birth of Seventh Records and AKT. Christian also said that there would definitely be another FUSION concert in 1996.
On May 24th, King Records released three classic Magma CD's in Japan. They were 'Hhaï / Live', 'Üdü Wüdü' and 'Attahk'. The discs and booklets are imported directly from Seventh Records to which King Records have added Japanese inserts. There is a possibility that King Records may release 'Retrospektïw vols 1 & 2' with a Japanese booklet containing photos by Thierry Moreau and J-P Boffo'.
Future plans for AKT records were (in February 95) as follows: 'Les Inedits' (AKT VII), 'Ptäh - chorus batterie' (AKT VIII) and one that Christian was keen to release 'Magma - Concert 1974 - Douai' (AKT IX). The concert on 16-1-74 at the Hippodrome in Douai (north-eastern France) was over two hours long and they played 'Theusz Hamtaahk', 'Köhntarkösz', 'Soï-Soï', 'Ptäh' and 'MDK'. However, by the third of March, Christian had begun to change his mind about the 'Douai 1974' album and this has been delayed or even shelved completely. In April, Christian eventually decided to release an album from the Magma concerts at the Bobino, Paris recorded in 1981. This was released in July 1995 as a 2CD (AKT V), and as a video (AKT VI). The 2CD contains extracts from the concerts on the 27th and 30th of May 1981, but the video is the full TV performance of 16-05-81. The video is available from Seventh Records in both PAL and SECAM formats.
The Christian Vander Trio concert scheduled for 4-2-95 at the Centre de Beaulieu, Poitiers was cancelled due to illness.
Klaus Blasquiz had a concert at L'Utopia (Paris) with Le Grand Blues Band on 21-12-94. His book is currently 'on hold', we are not sure if it will be available in 1995.
Francis Moze was playing bass with Olivier Hutman in Paris in February.
The English modern music magazine 'THE WIRE' published an excellent interview (by Paul Stump) with Christian Vander in their July 1995 issue (#137). The article entitled 'Magma - Apocalypse Now' was one of the best pieces of English journalism about Magma.
Art Zoyd are in the middle of a world tour (of sorts). Over the winter of 94 / 95 they were presenting their version of 'Faust' in Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Italy, Holland and Switzerland. They popped over to the Union Chapel, Islington on the 31st of May to perform the London premiere of 'Nosferatu' which was truly awesome.
APM records have announced their intention to release a live album by SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA, another disc by ENSEMBLE NIMBUS and of course the two CDs by ESKATON when finances permit.
The concert by WELCOME (Vander's jazz Septet) at the New Morning club
in Paris on 8-12-94 was taped by Seventh Records who might be releasing a live
album from this show, of which Christian was justly proud.
"WELCOME redynamise jazz through two rhythmic sections from hell (Vander, Goubert,
Persiani, Dardelle), uniting the best soloists of the moment".
"The spirit and the inheritance of John Coltrane in Welcome, the incendiary formation. Side by side, the drums of Christian Vander and Simon Goubert, and the double basses Michel Zenino and
Philippe Dardelle leave no respite for the soloists (the Belmondo brothers and
Emmanuel Borghi)".
Christian and Welcome were featured on the 'Le Cercle du Minuit' TV programme (Antenne 2) on 5-12-94 with an interview about 'A tous les enfants'. Welcome played two pieces; 'Day after day' and 'Lonnie's lament'.
Groupe Ktône, the consortium of artists influenced by Vander (and love in the darkness, I expect) who we told you about last year, staged an exhibition on 28-1-95 in Angoulême. This was accompanied by an improvised concert by a new group from Angoulême called ZOOL. This was their first live appearance and was interesting but not really Zeuhl music. The music was experimental hardcore or jazz-core, with some cool pieces. At times they were reminiscent of PRESENT. The three young musicians (bass, drums, pianos) all played excellently, perhaps they have to work a bit more on their compositions.
Musea are working on the re-release of the first two albums by Benoît Widemann; 'Stress' and 'Tsunami'. Both of these CDs will feature additional photographs (by Thierry Moreau) in their booklets. They have at last re-released ZAO's 'Osiris' album.
Daniel Denis has reformed UNIVERS ZERO as a quintet featuring Andy Kirk and Dirk Descheemaeker.
'A tous les enfants' has been reviewed in the February issues of French magazines 'Batteur' and 'Keyboards'.
There is a band touring the UK this summer called MAGMA.... but they are actually a Wishbone Ash tribute band! You have been warned....
Didier Lockwood and the Ochestre de Lille are playing a concert on 26-2-96. A mini-bus trip from the UK is being arranged. The 'premiere partie' will be Peter Hammill & Orchestra.
Christian Vander, Emmanuel Borghi and Philippe Dardelle took part in a master class at a school of music in Epernay from the 13th to the 17th of March. They demonstrated the theory and practise of their instruments and different approaches to harmony, melody and rhythm. They also explored various forms of tonal, modal and free improvisation that are used in contemporary jazz. Jean-Michel Couchet (sax) and Jérome Barde (guitar) accompanied them.
We have never been very good on the technical information in Ork Alarm! So one of our American readers, Lane Bayliss has sent us the following information - based on studying the photographs on the sleeves of 'Hhaï / Live' and 'Retrospektïw III'. The Gretsch wood stained drums are as follows: Bass Drum 14" x 18" diameter, 8" x 12" and 9" x 13" tom toms, 16" x 16" and 16" x 18" floor toms. These are the same sizes as Elvin Jones uses. The snare drum is of special interest, as it appears to be a drum known as the Hinger drum using black cast iron rims on top and bottom and has cable snares as opposed to wire. This drum was designed by Fred and Bill Hinger and used mostly by symphonic players. The first fifty drums made around 1970 were of sewer pipe type heavy metal and somewhat ugly but sounded great. The second version were the same except they used a lighter composite material. The heads are plenty tight on all drums.
Michel Ettori, the ex-Weidorje guitarist has recorded an album called 'Higher Life' for Musea, with Patrick Gauthier on keyboards.
The RHESUS O album which Musea plan to reissue shortly features Jean-Pol Asseline, Francis Moze, Bernard Paganotti, Alain Hatot and Richard Raux playing music reminiscent of Magma's 'Kobaïa'.
A new label called '1305 Unterharz' is being set up in the States, it will be devoted to Zeuhl music and the record company are currently talking to Seventh Records about a compilation album of rare Magma tracks.
The Univerïa Zekt studio was flooded at the beginning of the year when torrential storms swept through northern Europe. One morning Christian walked down the steps and found he was wading through a pool of water amongst the amplifiers and other electrical equipment. Therefore all new recording activities have had to be delayed whilst the studio is repaired.
Sadly, Seventh Records have told Marquee Magazine not to translate and reprint the interview with Klaus Blasquiz first published in Ork Alarm! #22. Furthermore, Seventh said that if it had already been reprinted they wanted to send refutation for the next issue. Presumably someone at Seventh took exception to certain remarks about the past organisation of concerts...
The preview edition (# 0) of the new French language Zeuhl fanzine SÜNDÏA was
on sale at the Fusion concert at Talence. Issue #1 of Sündïa is now on sale.
The editors of THE KOBAÏAN TIMES and TRANSE never got in touch with us here
at ORK ALARM!, so we have no idea whether back numbers of TRANSE are still available
(probably not) and can only guess that TKT never materialised. We would like
to take this opportunity to wish SÜNDÏA all time very best of luck.
It is extremely
likely that Ork Alarm! will expire shortly after this issue. Subscriptions will
of course be refunded if we are forced to stop. So farewell fellow travellers,
perhaps we will meet again in the winter...
Ehn Deïss