UNIVERS ZERO / CUNEIFORM RECORDS




Official Univers Zero webpage

UNIVERS ZERO
Michel Berckmans • Serge Bertocchi • Aurelia Boven • Kurt Budé • Michel Delory • Daniel Denis • Dirk Descheemaeker • Marcel Dufrane • Christian Genet • Patrick Hanappier • Andy Kirk • M<artin Lauwers • Bart Maris • Andre Mergenthaler • Emmanuel Nicaise • Eric Plantain • Jean-Luc Plouvier • Christophe Pons • Bart Quartier • Guy Segers • Igor Semenoff • Reginald Trigaux • Roger Trigaux • Peter Van Den Berghe • Alan Ward
	UNIVERS ZERO RUNE 1313	Over 30 years ago, after 3 years of work and rehearsals, a group of seven unknown Belgian musicians gathered in a small basement studio to record their first album, which they released themselves in a tiny edition of 500 copies. The album was untitled, but the catalog number was “1313”, which the album later became known by. The power and originality of their creation turned heads and all these years later, this album is rightly considered the beginning of the ‘chamber-rock’ movement as well as a classic of the genre. With the release of their first album, Univers Zero went on to co-found the hugely influential “Rock in Opposition” movement with four similarly-minded bands. Active until 1987 and then reactivated in the late 1990s, Univers Zero are considered to be one of the greatest avant-garde rock bands of all time. Working in a world-class studio, this album has been re-mixed from the original multi-track tapes and remastered. It has never sounded better. The front cover is restored to be a facsimile of the original issue, and included is a never-released live bonus track in surprisingly excellent sound, a 16 page booklet with many never-before seen photos, as well as a very complete history of the band up to the recording of this album. "This is the album that built the reputation of the group...it still sounds as crisply smart and outta-time as ever.” – Byron Coley “...a remarkably subtle weaving of rock, classical and avant-garde tactics….” – Alternative Press “It’s stunning how well Univers Zero's 1977 debut holds, musically and sonically, compared to...anything else happening in so-called new music…like storm clouds rolling out of the horizon or mad shadows cast in the night, there's a dusky ecstasy present here.... On top of that, there are hints of Bartok, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane and King Crimson.” – CD Review -
	LIVE RUNE 220	Univers Zero occupy a special place in the new music pantheon. They practically invented the 'chamber-rock" style and their albums are classics of their kind, with an instantly recognizable sound. Group leader Daniel Denis had long insisted that he wasn't interested in having a performing band, so it was a thrill and a shock when he put together a stable band version of UZ for the 00's. This edition of the band is the most perfectly realized version of Univers Zero for live performance, which is something that Daniel obviously agrees with, as he had resisted a live album until now. Consisting of six tremendous players: Daniel Denis-drums, Michael Berckmans-bassoon, English horn and oboe, Martin Lauwers-violin, Peter Van Den Berghe-piano and keyboards, Kurt Budé-clarinet and saxophone and Eric Plantain-bass, the band has finally managed to fufil Daniel's vision of marrying a rock band with the majesty and power of classical instrumentation. This is an utterly fantastic sounding recording which includes some significant re-arrangements of a number of great works, which bring out new aspects of these pieces! "I must say the live UZ is freakin' great. Congrats. For me, it's their best album since Ceux. Truly an excellent recording too."-Dave Kerman "...one of the best sounding live documents I know of."-Udi Koomran "Since the late ‘70s, Univers Zero composer and drummer Daniel Denis has been pursuing his vision of a chamber music that borrows the energy and production of rock, especially working with stereo extremes, but with a classical ambiance. Univers Zero weds the pluck of harpsichords and honk of bassoons, bass clarinets and oboes to compositions that seem to speak from another time, yet the whiplash rhythm shifts and explosive melodic declarations mark this as a postmodern work of the first order.”-John Diliberto/Pulse! -
	IMPLOSION RUNE 190	Implosion features Univers Zero's trademark chamber rock style - a style that they are one of the originators of - subtly modernized, infused with greater classicism and given a sharper, more electric and electronic edge. Besides leader/composer Daniel Denis Denis (drums, percussion, keyboard, samplers, accordion, guitar), musicians on Implosion include 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), and Igor Semenoff (violin).Implosion shows that, three decades after it was first formed, Univers Zero continues to evolve, expanding and experimenting with the boundaries of New Music, and, to quote Exposé, ceaselessly "proving themselves to be one of the best and most important groups on the planet." -
	RHYTHMIX RUNE 165	This is UZ's 2nd release since reforming in the late 1990's. and leader/composer/drummer/keyboardist Daniel Denis builds upon the rich legacy of Univers Zero's work, using both the acoustic colorations of their earliest releases (bassoon, oboe, harmoniums) as well as the interest in electronic keyboards and synthesis that marked their later releases. While working with this legacy, Denis is not afraid to experiment, and the music on Rhythmix includes a total of 10 musicians, including some performing on instruments like flute, trumpet, acoustic guitar, marimba and accordion, all of which are instruments that are not normally thought of in the context of Univers Zero, in addition to the violin, bassoon/oboe, piano/harmonium, bass, drums, etc. that we all knew would be there! -




	CRAWLING WIND RUNE 155	Originally released as a limited edition, Japanese-only 12'' EP, Crawling Wind has long been the unavailable crown jewel of the band's oeuvre. Now available for the first time on CD, it has been remastered and expanded, with the addition of rare and never before released studio and live material, to a full length album. It additionally includes a short history of the group written by noted writer Dean Suzuki, a long time fan of the band. Univers Zero's distinctive sound is a combination of their unique instrumentation (piano and keyboards, violin, clarinets, oboe/bassoon, bass, and drums) blended with Gothic imagery and an intensely strong, classically influenced writing style. In the hands of some of the best musicians of Europe, these factors lead to a group on the cutting edge of creating a new, vital and different approach to rock music. -
	THE HARD QUEST RUNE 120	This is their 1st in 13 years! ''The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental occurence of a new slab of Univers Zero?''-Mike Ezzo/Exposé #18. ''Univers Zero's vision (is) pretty much unique & for those touched by it, nothing else will quite do...a sound that really couldn't be any other band in the world.''-The Rough Guide To Rock. ''Daring & delightful...their music has mystery and power...''-Focus -
	CEUX DU DEHORS RUNE 39	Incomparable! For many people, this album is considered their highest achievement.
	HERESIE RUNE 29	Scored for bassoon/oboe, harmonium/guitar, violin, bass & drum, this is absolutely one of the darkest lps ever made.
	1313 RUNE 20	Their first, this is a unique disc of dark, mostly acoustic chamber rock.
	UZED RUNE 15	From 1984, UZED is more overtly electric, & uses clarinet/bass clarinet, cello, keyboards, bass, & drums., "...a must for lovers of adventurous music"-Keyboard. "Daring & delightful...their music has mystery and power..."-Focus.
	HEATWAVE RUNE 9	Univers Zero play fascinating, modern, chamber music-influenced rock. Simultaneously gothic & futuristic, they are somewhat like the very best of Magma or Crimson, but infinitely darker, with helpings of Eastern European folk melodies added. This band are completely deserving of the mystique & legendary status that have grown up around them. Incomparable!