-──────────────── ▄██▄ ──────── ▀█████▄ -── ███ ███ ─ ▄██▄ ▀█████▄ ──── ▐███ ███▌ ▀██▀ ▄██████▄ -─ ████ ████ ▄▄▄ ▄██████████▄ ▐█████████▌ ███▌▐████▀ ▀████▀ ███████████ ████ ██▀ ─── ▀▀ ▐█████ █████▌▐███ ▀ ██████ ██████ ▀██ ────────── ███████ ███████▄ █ -.2ooo.- ─────── ▄▄▄ ──────────────── ▀ -/\- Progressive Rock, World Music, Jazz, Avant-G, Alternative -/\- -/\- Classical, Experimental Music, Folk Rock & Folk -/\- └────│───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│───┘ x──-·· · "HiGH iNTELLiGeNCE tRoLLS" Presents: · ··--──x ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Artist:....Univers Zero ║ ║ Title:.....Rhythmix ║ ┌║ Label:.....Cuneiform Records ║┐ ┌┤╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝├┐ │└─────┬───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬────┘│ │ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Style:..........[ Avantgarde ] Catalog Nr[ Rune 165 ] ║ │ │ ╚╗ Original Date:..[ 2002 ] Playtime:.[ 53:00 min ] ╔╝ │ │ ┌──║ Supplier:.......[ HiT ] Bit.Rate:.[ 192kbps ] ║──┐ │ │ │ ╔╝ Ripper:.........[ HiT ] Size:.....[ 72,9 Megs ] ╚╗ │ │ ├─┤ ║ Release Date:...[ Oct/2002 ] Tracks:...[ 13 ] ║ ├─┤ │ │ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ └────│───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│───┘ │ │ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Release Notes: ║ │ │ ║ ║ │ │ ║ Hey prog rock fans, here's another album by Univers Zero, which means ║ │ │ ║ it's time to get down! Not "down" in a good-time rock & roll sense, ║ │ │ ║ but rather really down: moody, dark, and with intimations of evil ║ │ │ ║ creeping in around the edges. In its 2002 incarnation, Univers Zero is ║ │ │ ║ mainly a vehicle for composer/drummer/keyboardist Daniel Denis, who ║ │ │ ║ continues his trend of toning down the hellish stuff heard to scariest ║ │ │ ║ effect on Heresie over two decades previously. Heresie was Univers ║ │ │ ║ Zero at its darkest, featuring low demonic chanting, wheezing ║ │ │ ║ harmonium drones, and a track called "Jack the Ripper." On 2002's ║ │ │ ║ Rhythmix, the doom and gloom are more subtle, Denis preferring the ║ │ │ ║ drama of multi-layered percussion and orchestral textures with a ║ │ │ ║ foundation of deep, sometimes mechanistic beats. This approach is ║ │ │ ║ hazardous for a prog rock band, particularly if keyboard synthesizers ║ │ │ ║ are responsible for generating a good deal of the "orchestral" sounds; ║ │ │ ║ catcalls from the peanut gallery about pretentiousness are almost ║ │ │ ║ inevitable. In the case of Univers Zero's prior release, 1999's The ║ │ │ ║ Hard Quest (much anticipated after a ten-year band hiatus), the ║ │ │ ║ problem was less bombast than an air of predictability and somewhat ║ │ │ ║ lackluster feel ù Denis and friends occasionally sounded like Univers ║ │ │ ║ Zero-lite, or even a new age group in a decidedly bad mood. Rhythmix ║ │ │ ║ is punchier, more varied in its instrumental palette, and ║ │ │ ║ comparatively "Dense" (to borrow a track title from Ceux du Dehors, ║ │ │ ║ still the band's pinnacle). The sympathetic production is by Didier ║ │ │ ║ DeRoos (Uzed, Heatwave), and the core band is now a quartet, in ║ │ │ ║ addition to Denis featuring original Univers Zero member Michel ║ │ │ ║ Berckmans on oboe, English horn, and bassoon as well as Eric Plantain ║ │ │ ║ on electric bass and Bart Quartier on marimba and glockenspiel. Former ║ │ │ ║ bandmember Dirk Descheemaeker appears on only one track (with ║ │ │ ║ uncharacteristically skronky and squawking bass clarinet) and various ║ │ │ ║ guest musicians on trumpet, cello, flute, and accordion are featured ║ │ │ ║ elsewhere. Denis seems to prefer drums the size of water tanks and ║ │ │ ║ cymbals as big as flying saucers, so one might expect a percussive ║ │ │ ║ onslaught or two to rattle the windowpanes. Denis complies on ║ │ │ ║ "Rouages: Second Rotation," revisiting the "Rouages" theme from The ║ │ │ ║ Hard Quest, but here the medieval sounds of oboe, acoustic guitar, ║ │ │ ║ harpsichord, and church organ are overwhelmed by pummeling percussives ║ │ │ ║ and hissing synths, giving the impression that a cavalcade of knights ║ │ │ ║ and fair damsels is about to be crushed by a panzer division. Working ║ │ │ ║ in the album's favor is the comparative brevity of tracks (six minutes ║ │ │ ║ at the longest with a number of pieces in the three-minute range); ║ │ │ ║ compositions are therefore over before they become too repetitive and ║ │ │ ║ start wearing thin. Yet Denis' signature composing style, the moody ║ │ │ ║ and atmospheric interludes offering moments of respite amidst the ║ │ │ ║ driving full-ensemble pieces, and the consistent production across the ║ │ │ ║ 13 tracks provide the overall arc of a lengthy suite. There are ║ │ │ ║ touchstones to previous Univers Zero outings too; for example, the ║ │ │ ║ initial maddening minimalist rush of "The Fly-Toxmen's Land" gives way ║ │ │ ║ to a dramatic keyboard and trumpet flourish (featuring Belgian ║ │ │ ║ avant-prog trumpet mainstay Bart Maris) recalling "Bruit Dans les ║ │ │ ║ Murs" from Heatwave. Quartier's tuned percussion is noteworthy ║ │ │ ║ throughout Rhythmix, crisp and lively yet somehow not working against ║ │ │ ║ the ominous and unsettling undercurrents of Denis' music. Rhythmix ║ │ │ ║ might not conjure up the demons of Heresie-era Univers Zero, but the ║ │ │ ║ album would still work far better as a Nosferatu soundtrack than ║ │ │ ║ boombox accompaniment at a beach volleyball party. Get down! ║ │ │ ║ ║ │ │ ║ Michel Berckmans - Arranger, Bassoon, Horn (English), Oboe, Vocals ║ │ │ ║ Didier DeRoos - Producer, Engineer, Mastering, Mixing ║ │ │ ║ Daniel Denis - Percussion, Arranger, Drums, Harmonium, Keyboards, ║ │ │ ║ Producer ║ │ │ ║ Dirk Descheemaeker - Clarinet (Bass) ║ │ │ ║ Bart Quartier - Glockenspiel, Marimba ║ │ │ ║ Ariane de BiΦvre - Flute, Piccolo ║ │ │ ║ Aurelia Boven - Cello ║ │ │ ║ Bill Ellsworth - Artwork, Design ║ │ │ ║ Bart Maris - Trumpet ║ │ │ ║ Eric Plantain - Bass (Electric) ║ │ ├┬║ ║┬┤ ││╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝││ │└─────│───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│────┘│ │ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Track List: ║ │ │ ╚╗ ╔╝ │ │ ║ 01. Terres Noires (Blacklands) 06:08 ║ │ │ ║ 02. Reve Cyclique 05:57 ║ │ │ ║ 03. Rouages: Second Rotation (Cogwheels: Second Rota 03:38 ║ │ │ ║ 04. The Invisible Light 03:11 ║ │ │ ║ 05. Phobia 05:33 ║ │ │ ║ 06. Zorgh March 03:24 ║ │ │ ║ 07. Zebulon 03:13 ║ │ │ ║ 08. Foret Inviolee (Secret Forest) 02:20 ║ │ │ ║ 09. Shanghai's Digital Talks 04:50 ║ │ │ ║ 10. Emotions Galactiques (Galactic Emotions) 05:47 ║ │ │ ║ 11. Waiting For The Sun 03:16 ║ │ │ ║ 12. The Fly-Toxmen's Land 04:51 ║ │ │ ║ 13. Reve Cyclique (Reprise) 00:52 ║ │ ├─┬──║ ───────── ║──┬─┤ │ │ ╔╝ Total Time: 53:00 min ╚╗ │ │ │ │ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │