Some of the very best musicians in Japan, veterans of such bands as Bondage Fruit, the Boredoms, Bazooka Joe, Demi Semi Quaver...have come together in Rovo, a virtuosic trance-rock group based in Tokyo. This dynamic set collects the best of their legendary two-night run at New York City's premier new music club, Tonic. Beautifully recorded and impeccably mixed by Rovo mastermind, violinist Katsui Yuji in Japan, Tonic 2001 captures the firey brilliance of this dazzling band like no studio recording ever...

This is something like their 16th CD, I think (!) & represents a strong return to form, as the duo of Yoshida Tatsuya (drums, percussion, vocal) and Sasaki Hisashi (6 string bass, MIDI controller, vocal) just TEAR through it all, mixing thrash, Zeuhl, ...

Francois Thollot-bass
Antony Pontet-electric piano, organ, synths
Grégoire Plancher-electric piano, mellotron
Clement Curaudeau-drums

This is the fifth release by Scherzoo, the excellent band helmed by multi-instrumentalist and composer Francois Thollot.
This continues in the same vein as the last one but goes further towards the Canterbury sound; you can still hear the group’s zeuhl roots, but a lot of this reminds me a bit of “Mainstream” by Quiet Sun (minus Manzanera) with a

James MacGaw, the great guitarist of Magma and One Shot, has been struggling with illness for some time. And due to the illness, he is struggling financially. This is a release that he worked on and finished in 2010, but hadn't done a final mix of, but when he got ill, his friends all pitched in and finished for him and that his friends all pitched in to release, with all proceeds going to James.

"Seven independent souls - a septet of mercenaries without a map or compass, let loose in the studios..

I have long enjoyed the work of Simon Steensland, a Swede who is a multi-instrumentalist and releases heavy, Zeuhl/Univers Zero-flavored heavy and dark progressive albums.

“Simon Steensland is an outstanding musician and composer. He delivers yet another sonic gem!!!”-Quentin Nussbaumer

“Simon Steensland is one of my favorite current artists, his last few albums have been outstanding. He must have the worst public relations department in the world as he pretty unknown even in circles...

"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."-John Diliberto/...

Founding members of the Rock In Opposition movement, Univers Zero have continued to change and grow and develop over their entire career, while still keeping a ensemble sound and spirit that is easily recognizable. Relaps presents something that Univers Zero's fans have been hoping for for decades; a peek into the recorded archives of one of the greatest avant-rock ensembles since mid 1970s! This CD documents the final 1980s line-ups of Univers Zéro before the band's long sabbatical from recording and...

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 and these discs are completely deserving of the mystique & legendary status that have grown up around them. Incomparable! This is their 1st in 13 years!

''The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental...

"...a must for lovers of adventurous music" – Keyboard

"A remarkably subtle weaving of rock, classical, & avant garde tactics..." – Alternative Press

"If Stravinsky had a rock band, it would sound like this. Blazing, white hot, medieval" – Advocate Newspapers

"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." ...

Well, first off, you need to know that this isn't a Zeuhl album. Stella sings beautifully a number of French-style chansons, with backing by a number of the Magma & related musicians (James Mac Gaw, Frederic D'Oelsnitz, Didier Lockwood, Simon Goubert, ...

“Faithfully remastered from the original mastertapes.”
This is a rather important and also rather unexpected release! Vortex are an under-known and underappreciated band who combined jazz rock with zeuhl and avant-progressive tendencies and recorded two rather rare albums in their lifetime (Vortex and Les Cycles De Thanatos). The first album featured Fender piano, saxes, flute, bass and drums, while the second album eliminated the flute, added more reeds, as well as oboe, English horn, mallet...

“Faithfully remastered from the original mastertape. High quality gatefold cover. 4 page insert with rare photos and liner notes.”

This is a rather important and also rather unexpected reissue! Vortex are an under-known and underappreciated band who combined jazz rock with zeuhl and avant-progressive tendencies and recorded two rather rare albums in their lifetime (Vortex and Les Cycles De Thanatos). This, their first album featured Fender piano, saxes, flute, bass and drums.

“Vortex...

Benoit was the keyboardist for Magma from 1975 to 1978. Additionally, he released a few solo albums in the mid/late 70's, of which this was the first. A keyboard/Moog-dominated record that at times gets amazingly heavy in a wild screaming synthi fusion way and at other times is very wonderfully atmospheric. It is perhaps comparable in timbre and tone to Jan Hammer's best work post Mahavishnu. Some of the material is solo and some features some unbelievably great guests.
If you are a fan of 70s music..

Xalph are a semi-legendary Zeuhl band who never released anything during their lifetime (1974-1980 or so) but who recorded demos which were met with some positive acclaim, even though they did not ever lead to an actual signing and which is what this lp is, finally given life beyond the cassette demo world.
In the mid 80s, they had one track from their demos (included here) released on the Magma-themed Enneade compilation by Musea.
For the truly zeuhl amongst us, this is a surprising and very...