Univers Zero - Heresie (1979)

 Having thought the debut album was unsurpassable the boy's go one better on this one. Denis's 'La Faulx' is a slow builder, the textures at the beginning are rich with wheezing bass Harmonium and Michel Berckmans Bassoon whilst Bassist Guy Segers incants in the background. Tracks 2 & 3 are the work of Roger Trigaux, later to produce a solo album called 'Triskadecaphobie' under the band name of Present. Entitled 'Jack the Ripper' & 'Vous le Saurez en Temps Voulu' once again Roger and the band excel themselves. Play it in the dark if you dare!

The music is incredible dark,sombre,as depressive as can be.Pessimism to the max!If someone informated me well than I believe that the texts are spoken in the languages of druids.Together with the slow creeping cello's and bassoon it createds an incredible anguished atmosphere.

Some people overemphasize the scary boogeyman nature of Univers Zero (usually to promote their virtues), I think, but certainly their music is quite moody and dark, and this is likely their darkest sounding record. All the pieces are slow and ponderous, with sustained, repetitive lines and harmonies that are often "dissonant" to traditionalist ears. Certainly you can hear the influence of interesting European composers like Bartok and Messiaen, as well as, if not Zeuhl, the same sort of avant-jazz sources as Magma was tapping. Reeds and strings are the lead instruments, making this more of a jazz/chamber fusion than anything to do with rock music in the usual sense. The kind of music that would be good scoring a old silent horror movie, this is definitely a classic of its genre- I have to be in the mood for it, but it fits that mood perfectly.Reviews from Progarchives.com

Songs / Tracks Listing

 1. La Faulx (25:18)
2. Jack the Ripper (13:29)
3. Vous le Saurez en Temps Voulu (12:56)
4. Chaos Hermetique (11:51) *


Line-up / Musicians Lineup on the original album:

- Michel Berckmans / bassoon, oboe
- Daniel Denis / drums, percussion
- Patrick Hanappier / viola, violin
- Roger Trigaux / guitar, piano, organ, harmonium
- Guy Segers / bass, voice

Lineup on the bonus track on the 2010 remaster:
- Daniel Denis / drums
- Patrick Hanappier / violin
- Guy Segers / bass
- Roger Trigaux / guitar
- Vincent Motoulle / keyboards

Univers Zero - Phosphorescent Dreams (2014)

Wow, this could be disputably the band's longest album title to date after their Ceux Du Dehors. Does this spell a change of attitude? Well DD certainly changed a few things in his lifelong project and maybe the most shocking one is the change of label. I'm still at odds at guessing why Daniel thought that he would get a better support than Feigelbaum's Cuneiform label, but the resulting album is not only a very expensive album, but it is not well distributed and not available widely on the web? and not at all in brick & mortar record store. Past that first consideration, the band's line- up has been revamped, with ex-PaNoPTiCoN and present day Wrong Object keyboardist Antoine Guenet and on guitar Nicolas Duchêne. Elsewhere, Dimitri Evers (bass, and Budé (winds) are alongside Daniel, but we're also seeing a few guests, such as sonny Nicola on drums for a track, and a horn section comprising of Hugues Tahon (trumpet) and Adrien Lambinet (trombone) on three tracks. Recorded and mixed at Didier De Roos's installations in Braine and Soignies throughout the second part of 2013, PD was released in January of the following year, with a post- atomic (or stormy) artwork, courtesy of Thierry Moreau.

Well, the corridor noises were that UZ's sound was (finally?) going to change a fair bit with the line- up changes and an electric guitar in the fold. The leastr we can say is that the sonic changes are not immediately audible, and maybe the prime culprit is the unchanged songwriting. Indeed seven tracks, ranging from almost-5 to almost-13-minutes, composed by Daniel (4 of them) and Kurt Dubé (the remaining three) are not much of a change in the light of UZ's overall discography. Are we looking at Clivages' obvious successor or at an Implosion-like venture? Little doubt that from the first notes of the 10-mins Shaking Hats, you're looking more at the first option than a divergence from the Universal (and absolute) Zero. Despite DD's French and Japanese liner notes as to turn the band to a more "electric sound" to remedy to what he was seeing the band's stagnation (my words, not his).

Technically, the electric guitar and keyboards (Pierre Chevalier was playing on digital synths anyway), but it's not like it brings a major contribution or change the band's soundscapes a great deal. My guess is that DD's near-pathological perfectionism saw that the band's impetus was waning and thought a revamp was needed. For the audible results on the album, I find the changes so un-remarkable that the risk he took angering the "sacked" long-standing Chevalier and Berckmans not worth it. I'm sure the former got over it (he's a busy man), but not nearly as sure for the later. As with the preceding Clivages and the anterior Implosion, UZ's general mood is relatively lighter than it was in the 80's and 90's, and though I wouldn't qualify PD of light-hearted danceable music, there are moments where a certain warmth reaches your vicinity. Of course, this doesn't apply for the sinister title track.

The big debate around RIO-heads is whether the very-high price of the album (and its shipping from Japan) is worth the investment. Obviously, if you're an unconditional UZ fan, it will be worth the important hassle and costs, but if you're a little more objective, you'll think twice or thrice before doing so, especially if you know that, outside the slight line-up change, Phosphorescent Dream is yet another "normal" UZ album. As such, I don't find it essential per se (the last to date was Implosion, IMHO), but it's a very worthy album nevertheless.Review from progarchives.com

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Shaking Hats

2. Rêve Mécanique

3. Très Affables

4. Vocation

5. Les Voleurs d'Ombre

6. L'Espoir Perdu

7. Phosphorescent Dream

Line-up / Musicians

- 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

Guest musicians:

- Nicolas Denis / drums and percussion (3)

- Hugues Tahon / trumpet (2, 6 & 7)

- Adrien Lambinet / trombone (2 & 6)

Univers Zero - 1313 (1977)

Back in the days when a prog fan had to seek out their fare, struggling to find those little prizes, the endless quest, personal and financial sacrifice and constant scorn from a Steve Miller and Carpenters-loving world, Univers Zero was no joke. Startling, brave and years ahead of their time, percussionist Daniel Denis led a chamber septet that rocked, or a rock band that liked to play parlour music... or both, and its history is crucial to the development of European progressive and avant garde music. Their roots began in 1970 with Arkham, the black and brooding Brussels group who traced their inspirations to the Canterbury school in England, particularly Soft Machine and its minimal jazz-rock adventures. Arkham's final concert took place in 1972 and its members went on to play with such legendary acts as Magma, Aksak Maboul, and Pazop. Daniel Denis formed Necronomicon (not the German band) with Claude Deron, finally emerging as Univers Zero in 1974. By 1977 he had some very good help from guitarist Roger Trigaux, bassoon player Michel Berckmans, violinists Marcel Dufrane and Patrick Hanappier, bassist Christian Genet and harmonium player Emmanuel Nicaise. This line-up would produce a music so new and disturbing that it would set the tone for much of the Rock In Opposition that came after, an influence that is deeply felt even today.

On their debut '1313', an unnerving violin and its bassoon counterpart sputter to life, followed by a twisted lot of various strings and trashed drums sounding like a makeshift set of kitchen utensils for the 14-minute 'Ronde', off-putting, squeaky and fantastically progressive. Daniel Denis and friends clearly wanted something more-- to split music apart, bring it back together and revel in the pain of that process. And though the pieces are entirely acoustic chamber music played with precision, the Zeroes did it with a rock spirit no less bare-knuckled than any of their contemporaries. 'Carabosse' murmurs with psychotic tendencies, and 'Docteur Petiot' has the band letting go with inspired darkness, nightmarish delirium, broken toys, and shades of Bartok and fellow Belgian composer Albert Huybrechts. 'Malaise' plays out like a drug withdrawl and 'Complainte' rusts its way out of this troubled record, and us with it.

Progressive Rock in the truest sense, doom music for grown-ups, every fan should have some Univers Zero around... you have to. It's the law UNIVERS ZERO Univers Zero (1313) music reviews and MP3 Review from progarchives.com

Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Ronde (15:08)
2. Carabosse (3:40)
3. Docteur Petiot (7:32)
4. Malaise (7:32)
5. Complainte (3:18)

Total Time: 36:50

Line-up / Musicians

- Michel Berckmans / bassoon
- Daniel Denis / percussion
- Marcel Dufrane / violin
- Christian Genet / bass
- Patrick Hanappier / violin, viola, pocket cello
- Emmanuel Nicaise / harmonium, spinet
- Roger Trigaux / guitaLine-up / Musicians

Listen or download Univers Zero Carabosse for free on Pleer

Univers Zero - Rhythmix (2002)

By the time this thing came out, I was completely primed for it. I'd become immersed in Univers Zero, and finally come to appreciate the nuances of The Hard Quest as compared to their earlier work. I knew it would take a few listens to grasp the work as a whole, and sat patiently through my first listen, waiting for the defining moment.

The first thing that struck me was the addition of so much extra instrumentation. The return of cello was nice, and flute and accordion were presented with a subtle enough touch as to be virtually transparent. The kickers, though, are trumpet (!) and acoustic guitar. Christophe Pons' guitar work on "Rouages: Second Rotation" saved the sequel from tedium. After several listens, I can no longer decide if I like the original better, and the guitar has everything to do with that.

The defining moment comes with the opening of "The Fly-Toxmen's Land". As soon as it started I thought "This is it!", and was blown away by every note of it. 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 (I 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. I must admit that I only listened to this one song for months after buying the CD. Five minutes was just not long enough.

All in all, Rhythmix holds up to modern Univers Zero standards. Berckmans' style is very present, and the structure throughout the CD never falters. I suppose one could credit the somewhat more subdued pieces to 'maturity', but I'd say they hold up to moments on Heresie and 1313, which aren't exactly infantile works. While there may be more to appreciate with the early works, this CD is perhaps more accessible to new listeners, and not a disappointment to old fans. Ground and Sky review - Univers Zero - Rhythmix

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Terres Noires (6:06)
2. Rêve Cyclique (5:53)
3. Rouages: Second Rotation (3:38)
4. The Invisible Light (3:09)
5. Phobia (5:31)
6. Zorgh March (3:23)
7. Zébulon (2:19)
8. Forêt Inviolée (2:19)
9. Shangaï's Digital Talks (4:48)
10. Emotions Galactiques (5:47)
11. Waiting for the Sun (3:16)
12. The Fly-Toxmen's Land (4:50)
13. Rêve Cyclique (0:50)

Total Time: 51:59

Line-up / Musicians - Daniel Denis / drums, percussion, keyboards
- Michel Berckmans horns and wind instruments
- Eric Plantain / bass
- Bart Quartier / marimba, other percussion

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Univers Zero - Heatwave (1986)

Following on from there "Uzed" album Univers Zero continue in a similar vein here - at least on side one with the shorter tracks in dark experimental RIO territory. These pieces are all really excellent.

Side 2 is a different matter , at least in my books. "The Funeral Plain" is in my opinion there best piece ever, a side long epic treat which builds to such intensity ( much like "Magma's "De Futura") with furious drums , winds, piano etc marching in an utterly out of this world intensity, that it's quite literally earthshaking. This has to be heard to be believed - in my opinion "Univers Zero's" masterpiece.


Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Heatwave (8:34)
2. Chinavox (4:49)
3. Bruit dans les murs (8:25)
4. The Funeral Plain (20:24)

Total Time: 42:12

Line-up / Musicians

- Michel Delory / guitar
- Daniel Denis / drums, percussion, voice
- Dirk Descheemaeker / clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax
- Christian Genet / bass, nailskake
- Patrick Hanappier / violin, viola
- Andy Kirk / piano, synthesizer, voice
- Jean-Luc Plouvier / piano, synthesizer, voice

Univers Zero - The funeral plain (pt.1)

Univers Zero - The funeral plain (pt.2)

Univers Zero - The funeral plain (pt.3)

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