TOURING LINEUP 2009:
Daniel Denis  [drums, keyboard], Michel Berckmans [bassoon, english horn, oboe], Martin Lauwers [violin], Dimitri Evers [bass], Pierre Chevalier [keyboards], Andy Kirk [keyboards, guitar, percussion, sax], Curt Budé [clarinet, sax]

TOUR DATES: EUROPE

GERMANY / Wurzburg
March 17th, 2009 - 20:30 @ CAFE CAIRO [site in German]

AUSTRIA / Linz
March 19th, 2009 – 20:00 @ POSTHOF [site in German]

CZECH REPUBLIC / Praha
March 20th, 2009 – 19:30 @ PALAC AKROPOLIS [site in Czech, but has link to English site at bottom] Get Tickets  [site in Czech]

GERMANY / Dresden
March 21st, 2009 @ 2009 JAZZWELTEN FESTIVAL
BEATPOL [ex-StarClub] [site in German]

POLAND / Wroclaw
March 22th, 2009 @ 4^th ENERGY AND SOUND FESTIVAL
GOTHIC HALL [in Polish] - 1 Purkyniego Street

FRANCE / Les Lilas (Paris)
June 12th-13th, 2009, 21:00 @ LES TRITONALES FESTIVAL
[UZ performance date & time TBA] LE TRITON: 11 bis, rue du Coq Français - 93260 Les Lilias (Métro Mairie des Lilas)
tél : 01 49 72 83 13 - fax : 01 49 72 83 11 - email : contact@letriton.com

TOUR DATES: MEXICO:

MEXICO / Puebla, Mexico
April 18th, 2009, @ Puebla Baroque Fringe Festival - Puebla, Mexico

MEXICO / Mexico City
April 19th, 2009, 20:00 @ ESPERANZA IRIS - Teatro de la Ciudad de México 36 Calle Donceles. Mexico City D.F., Mexico

MEXICO / San Cristobal Ecatepec. Centro
April 24th, 2009, 20:00 @ ECATEPEC FESTIVAL - EXPLANADA MUNICIPAL DE ECATEPEC, Mexico

FALL 2009 EUROPE TOUR:

FRANCE / Carmaux
SEPTEMBER 18th-20th, 2009 @ ROCK IN OPPOSITION FESTIVAL
UNIVERS ZERO HEADLINING, followed by the GRANDE FINALE of UNIVERS ZERO & PRESENT @ MAIN HALL on Sept. 20^th at 10PM
Cap'Découverte - 81450 Le Garric

Don't miss these rare opportunities to see Univers Zero perform LIVE!!!! And don't miss the extremely rare opportunity to interview this legendary New Music ensemble in-person.

If you would like to request an in-person, phone or email INTERVIEW with the band while on tour, please contact Joyce @ Cuneiform: joyce@cuneiformrecords.com.
The band may also be available on tour for RADIO INTERVIEWS.

The Belgian group Univers Zero is legendary for its ominous, unsettling and uncompromising musical vision – a sound and stance that Keyboard describes as "Chamber music for the Apocalypse." Simultaneously medieval and modern, its distinctive, dark, and elegantly beautiful instrumental music fused classical and rock musics to give birth to an unprecedented and remarkably prescient new musical genre called "chamber rock". UZ's singular sound derives from its unque instrumentation (classical acoustic and electric rock instruments, and electronics), combined with brooding gothic imagery, elements of European folk and other world musics, the iconoclasm and intensity of rock, the relentless sonic experimentation of the avant-garde, and leader/ chief composer/ drummer Daniel Denis' classically inspired writing style, influenced by early 20th Century avant-garde classical composers. The band has remained on the cutting edge of New Music throughout the course of a career that began in the '70s – it was one of the 5 founding bands of the “Rock In Opposition” movement [a European coalition for alternative music] – and continues today, stretching and disintegrating the boundaries of classical and rock music alike to create a new, vital and unique fusion.Today, several decades afer Univers Zero first forged its unique "chamber rock", critics cite its oeuvre as the precursor to the best avant-garde rock and classical music of the present day, from 'post-rock', associated with Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Kayo Dot and other instrumental rock bands – to the numerous late 20th/early 21st century classical chamber ensembles who are integrating rock into their repetoire, such as Bang on a Can, Kronos Quartet and others.

BAND BIOGRAPHY:

Univers Zero was founded in 1974. It evolved out of Necromicon, a group founded by legendary drummer/ percussionist Daniel Denis and trumpet player Claude Deron and named after a locale in H. P. Lovecraft’s work. By May 1974, desiring to celebrate its European roots, the band had renamed itself Univers Zero, after a novel by Belgian writer Jacques Sternberg. During its first five years, under the co-leadership of composers Daniel Denis and Roger Trigaux (also the group’s guitarist), Univers Zero utilized a mixture of primarily acoustic classical and rock instrumentation to record 2 albums.  In 1979, Trigaux left the band to found Present, and Univers Zero continued on with Denis at the helm. During the 1980s, Univers Zero was without question one of the most adventurous bands on the international rock scene. Distinctive but never stagnant, Univers Zero’s sound evolved and progressed with each of several new lineups during this decade. Their releases during this time show new experimentation with electronic elements such as samples, and integration of more electric instruments (keyboards and a more prominent electric guitar) into its sonic mix, producing a bolder and more ‘contemporary’ sound that was as sophisticated as it was emotive. In 1987 UZ released Heatwave, its first record on Cuneiform Records, beginning a long-term relationship with the label.

Shortly after the Heatwave release, Denis disbanded Univers Zero for a decade. During the 1990s and very early 2000s, Cuneiform reissued Univers Zero’s entire back catalogue on CD. The music proved timeless; the reissues received an astounding amount of critical acclaim and helped expand the band’s fan base worldwide. With UZ dormant, Denis released two solo albums – Les  Eaux  Troubles (1991) and  Sirius  and   the  Ghost  (1993) – in the US (Cuneiform) and Europe (Musea). As the decade drew to a close, he reformed Univers Zero for a single, sold out appearance at 1997’s FIMAV (Festival International Musique Actuelle Victoriaville) in Canada.

Denis revived UZ at the close of the 20^th Century, and proceeded to release a series of recordings that thrilled rock and New Music/classical audiences alike. UZ expanded their acoustic palette with electronics, experimental and jazz elements, and more spacious, melodic compositions for its next, 9^th CD, Implosion, released in 2004. AMG noted that “UZ has been producing dark-side chamber music for thirty years, and ‘Implosion’ shows that they’ve not lost their focus or fire.” Implosion’s cover was designed by Belgian filmmaker Philippe Seynaeve, who had begun working on various multimedia projects with the band, one of which was featured at the 2003 Belgian Film Festival at Paris’ Forum des Images.

Univers Zero returned to live performance in 2004 when it celebrated its 30^th anniversary. Accompanied by videos/films designed by Seynaeve, Univers Zero has since performed (often headlining) at many of the world’s most prestigious festivals of New Music, world music, progressive music, and jazz. In recent years, Univers Zero has played in the Czech Republic (Alternativa Festival 2006) France (MIMI Festival 2004;  Les Tritonales 2004, 2005, 2007; Winter Festival Le Garric 2005),  Germany (Art Rock/ Freakshow Festival, 2004), Mexico (Baja Prog Festival 2007  Portugal (Gouevia Artrock Festival 2005), and the USA (NEARfest 2004, The Netherlands (Music Meeting Festival-2004). It has also played numerous recent shows in Belgium, and at Brussells’ Les  Halles  De  Schaerbeek, Hasselt’ Belgie Kunstcentrum, Mouscron’s Centre  Culturel  M.  Staquet, La Louvière’s Théatre Communal De La Louvière, Verviers’ Spirit of 66, Courcelles’ Centre Culturel “La Posterie” 2008, Saint-Gilles’ Centre Culturel Jacques Francq, and festivals at Bruxelles Chapelle Station, Audi Jazz Festival, Prog Festival, and Le Festival des Musiques Progressives de Montreal, in Canada.

Three decades after it was first formed, Univers Zero continues to evolve, continually 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.”

FEATURED NEW RELEASE:

LISTEN TO SOUND CLIPS:
L'Etrange Mixture du Docteur Schwartz
Presage (excerpt)
Heatwave (excerpt)

This album features:
Michel Delory  [guitar]. Daniel Denis [drums], Dirck Descheemaeker [soprano sax, clarinet, bass clarinet], Christian Genet [bass], Patrick Hanappier [violin, viola], Andy Kirk [keyboards], André Mergen [cello, alto sax, voice], and Jean-Luc Plouvier [keyboards]

This new CD is an archival project that documents the band in live performance during the mid-late 1980s. The band’s 11^th CD, it is the only release of live material from the period during which Univers Zero recorded the two studio releases UZED [1984-Cryonic, 1988-Cuneiform], and Heatwave [1987-Cuneiform]. During that time, with Denis working with some of best musicians of Europe’s avant-garde scene, Univers Zero created what was perhaps the boldest, most sonically powerful and above all, most overtly ROCK-oriented music of its lengthy career. The stellar performances and astounding music on Relaps are proof positive that Univers Zero was one of – and perhaps the – most adventurous rock band then playing on the international rock stage.   Relaps captures the live band that caught Cuneiform’s ear more than 20 years ago, leading it to sign Univers Zero and release its 6^th  album, Heatwave, thus beginning a fruitful relationship that continues to the present day.

******************************************************

PAST WORKS:

Univers Zero (1313)



(1977 UZ, 1977 Atem, numerous intervening reissues, 1990 Cuneiform Records)

LISTEN:
La Faulx
Carabosse

More than 30 years ago, after several years of work and rehearsals, a group of seven unknown, mostly Belgian musicians gathered in a small basement studio to record their first album. This album was untitled, the cover bearing only the band’s name, but the catalogue number on the first, limited pressing – 1313 – would in later years be used as its name. The power and originality of this album – the first recording by the band - stunned listeners at the time; on first hearing it in 1977, Gérard Nguyn, publisher of Atem, France’s leading magazine of avant-garde music at the time, reissued it as the inaugural release on his newly-launched record label.

This reissue by Cuneiform restores Univers Zero’s debut album to its original look – the cover reproduces that of the original pressing while enhancing the album’s original sound. Remixed and remastered from the original 1977 multi-track tapes, the nuances of Univers Zero’s unique, primarily acoustic and classical instrumentation come to the fore. The album remains a seminal album in the history of rock, as well as a lodestar for the future of classical music. By the close of the 20th century, chamber rock’s influence on avant-garde rock would extend from the French-speaking world to the rest of Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Japan, and beyond. Today, Univers Zero's music continues to inject new vigor and life into classical music and avant-garde rock scenes alike.

This album features:
Michel Berckmans [bassoon], Daniel Denis [percussion], Marcel Dufrane [violin], Christian Genet [bass], Patrick Hanappier [violin, viola, pocket cello], Emmanuel Nicaise [harmonium, spinet], Roger Trigaux [guitar], and Guy Segers [bass, vocal and noise effects]

“Despite occasional stylistic links, Univers Zero always spoke (and continues to speak) with its own voice. This welcome reissue confirms, once again, that in 1977 a nearly unheard-of group was creating a new kind of chamber music that, in its inclusion of rock instrumentation and the occasional rock stance, would be a blueprint for classical music of the 21st century.” [FULL REVIEW]
– John Kelman, All About Jazz

“ALBUM OF THE WEEK...Released in 1977, it was astonishing then: today, it sounds like the hidden source for every one of today's avant-garde rock bands. …Each piece magnificently refuses to deviate from its mood, its tense, thrilling, growling, restrained focus...Univers Zero are a revelation …”
– Sean O., Organ, #274, September 18^th, 2008                            

LISTEN:
Bonjour chez vous
Toujours plus a l'Est

For this stunning recording of live performances, Denis assembled a sextet lineup of top-notch musicians that included himself (drums, percussion), Michel Berckmans (oboe, English horn, bassoon, melodica), Kurt Budé (clarinets, tenor saxophone), Martin Lauwers (violin), Eric Plantain (electric bass), and Peter Van Den Berghe (keyboards).

“… this new live disc is simply the most revitalizing rejuvenating UZ experience I’ve had in years.
…I had certainly never associated raw unadulterated improv with the fastidious compositions for which UZ is deservedly respected… The live disc, recorded in June of last year, captures a band whose ability to stretch out meshes perfectly with astonishing precision. …
Apart from monster playing and arrangements, the recorded sound could not be better. It’s immediate and lush, detailed and unified, giving free reign to timbre without sacrificing the clarity of any formal or structural concerns. Cuneiform deserves thanks and congratulations, both for this document and for its long championing of a band that I was afraid had lost its relevance.” [Full Review]
– Marc Medwin, Dusted, February 13, 2006

"This is arguably the most high-octane release ever for Univers Zero, a band that now has ten CDs to its credit and a history stretching back to the mid-'70s. …
Live is an indispensable release for anyone who believes that "Bartók" and "rock" can fit comfortably in the same sentence. [Rating: 4 & 1/2 out of 5 stars!]” [Full Review]
– Dave Lynch, All Music Guide

“…This is as good as it gets folks, a live album from six superb musicians, playing music that is so far removed from mainstream culture, yet so accessible and enjoyable to anyone willing to give their complex yet rich style a chance. Highly, highly recommended! … [5 stars]”
– Pete Pardo, Sea of Tranquility, February 17th 2006

“[4 stars] …Univers Zero…play all original music which partakes of Pink Floyd-type spacey rock, avant new music techniques, soundtrack scores and fusion jazz, among other things… How come I hadn't heard of them before this?”
– John Henry, Audiophile Audition, February 13, 2006

“… At the time punk rock conquered the world, a bunch of Belgian musicians invented their very own musical universe that after all those years still is far from outdated…Univers Zero speaks first of all with a very original voice… for those who cannot visit their concerts let this new CD be a proof that Univers Zero still is a very hot band.”
– Dolf Mulder, Vital Weekly, No. 518, Week 12

“... Univers Zero's importance in the history of modern chamber music is once again confirmed by this, one of their overall best albums…”
– Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes, April 2006

“It is amazing to be able to hear a band like this in our times...Absolutely recommendable for fans of instrumental progressive, avant garde and experimental rock and fusion.”
– Koldo Barroso, Intuitive Music, March 1st, 2006

“Belgian Rock-In-Opposition acolytes Univers Zero…encapsulate its sound and climactically centered tactics on this wondrously recorded live set. … Spanning three decades, the sextet’s horns-strings-keys-rhythms makeup is largely about melodic overtones coupled with driving pulses and complex time signatures. The sextet blends a radical approach to familiar progressive-rock musings with horns and strings that occasionally drive the rhythmic pulses with booming unison lines. There are gentle moments…delicate chamber passages with ethereal treatments. No doubt, this newly issued disc will stand as one of the ensemble’s finest recorded documents to date.” [Full Review]
– Glenn Astarita, “March 2006,” All About Jazz

LISTEN:
Out of Space 4'

This album features: Michael Berckmans [oboe, english horn, bassoon], Serge Bertocchi [alto, soprano, sopranissimo saxes, tubax], Ariane De Bievre [flute, piccolo], Aurelia Boven [cello], Daniel Denis [drums, percussion, all keyboards and samplers], Dirk Descheemaeker [clarinet, bass clarinet], Bart Maris [trumpet, flugelhorn], Eric Platain [bass], Christophe Pons [acoustic guitar], Bart Quartier [marimba, glockenspiel], and Igor Semenoff [violin]

 “... Implosion is a highly enjoyable and mature work from these master musicians, and a true progression of sorts for the band. … Highly recommended!  Score: 4/1/2 stars”
– Pete Pardo, Sea Of Tranquility, June 21st 2004

“…Univers Zero returns almost entirely to their acoustic roots …with a refined and tempered equivalent of the relentless, prolonged gloom of early releases such as 1313 and Heresie. … Univers Zero's excellence lies in its continuing ability to synthesize medieval forms, instrumental prog rock and modern classical dissonance with a splash of jazz and a taste for the suggestively macabre. The group continues to produce creative, highly inventive music, and plays it with precision and panache. Highly recommended for the adventurous listener. [Rating: 4/5 stars]”
– Bill Tilland, All Music Guide

“The ongoing musical adventures of Daniel Denis continue forward into new territory with Implosion… It’s easily one of the top ten recordings and performances for this year.” 
– Jeff Melton, Roundtable Review, Exposé, #30, September 2004

“This CD…features 49 minutes of dark-side electrified chamber music. …Univers Zero exists as a celebration of all that’s unsettling and unnerving… a reaffirmation that everything is just an inch away from collapse (or implosion). … Belgian band Univers Zero has been producing dark-side chamber music for thirty years, and “Implosion” shows that they’ve not lost their focus or fire.”
– Matt Howarth, Sonic Curiosity

“Lots of new directions here: Univers Zero have opened the doors to a more linear, almost elegiac juxtapositions of influences, yet they still hold on to their basic personality. “Implosion” optimizes the cohesion of the scores into an utmost gratification for the hearing… theirs is a path no other group will be able to walk on with the same intensity.”
– Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes, Aug. 8, 2004

“The band is…known for their monolithic, extraordinarily dark and moody brand of instrumental rock; but more and more they have been ditching the creepy horror-movie atmospheres in favor of more dynamic electrified chamber music sound. The evolution is most clearly evident in Implosion… easily my favorite of 21^st-century Univers Zero. Compared to previous efforts, it’s practically cheerful’ while some of the interludes are ominous noise experiments…the compositions proper are surprisingly – and addictively – melodic. …Denis’ compositions have never been tighter…and the expanded instrumental palette already evident in Rhythmix is used to even better effect here. … this is the most accessible UZ yet, and not at the expense of depth. … Univers Zero is still a juggernaut of a band. Implosion is their best effort since those good old days.”
– Brandon Wu, Ground and Sky

 “…Today three decades later Denis continues to push the boundaries of music, crafting challenging and yet ultimately satisfying musical compositions. …Implosion…in many respects continues their relentless quest in creating dark and moody atmospheric pieces that on one hand summon images of gothic horror…and on the other play off spacious, almost funky rhythm… Univers Zero never cease to challenge the listener one moment, startle the next and still exude  a satisfying smile at the musicianship. …They’re magicians at utilizing musical space …. Listening to The Hard Quest and the new Implosion have broadened my musical appreciation skills in ways I could never have imagined.”
– Jerry Lucky, Ghostland.com, Oct. 12, 2004

LISTEN:
Terres Noires

This album features:
Michael Berckmans [oboe, english horn, basson, voice, glass, gong, belltree], Aurelia Boven [cello], Ariane De Bievre [flute and piccolo], Daniel Denis [drums, percussion, keyboards and harmonium], Dirk Descheemaeker [bass clarinet]. Bart Maris [trumpet], Eric Platain [bass], Christophe Pons [acoustic guitar], Bart Quartier [marimba, glockenspiel], and Louison Renault [accordion]

 “Univers Zero may be the best band you have never heard...Their musical vision is unremittingly ironic, full of deliberately sour passages, black humor, industrial evocations, and surrealistic fantasies…listening to Univers Zero is a glimpse of something very special, out beyond our familiar shores.”
– Hannah M.G. Shapiro, Eclectic Earwig Reviews

“This sublime CD’s one of the primest exemplars of the fact that… progressive music’s long held hidden some of the finest neoclassical works available…With this work, UZ indisputable pushes effortlessly into the front ranks. ….Denis was superb before, he’s unbelievable now. One of the decade’s masterworks, in any genre.”
– Marc Tucker, Exposé, #25, August 2002

“Earlier this year I wrote about ‘Crawling Wind’  ..their latest release…[is] in the same unique dark style and with the same imaginative mix of instruments. …The album begins with a bright, loud, rock-type number called Terres Noires with Celtic and French influences.  …A timpani solo with percussive effects turns into a troubadour number – a track that could almost be early music, and this is followed by The Invisible Light… with a beautiful oboe solo from Michel Berckmans … The CD… finishes with a tiny repeat of Reve Cyclique, fading back in for just a few seconds, and then out again – presumably to send us away with the sound of that cyclic dream, tumbling on through the cosmos…”
– Keith Bramich, Music & Vision: The world’s first daily classical music magazine,

“…daring, contemporary, strangely melodious and attractive. To be explored, undoubtedly, by all who fear not the challenges of the art.”
– Luis Loureiro, Progressive Rock Portugal

“…the feel of a conceptual opus is achieved. …The results are…an excellent rewarding album, full of variety and invention, in fact a veritable feast for the “twist and turn” fanatic, and one that is both familiar and fresh. There are old themes, and also unheard diversions, sounding like classic Between at one point, almost Henry Cow at another. It’s not so dark as some, yet I’d almost guarantee that fans of this Zeuhl/RIO hybrid form should not be disappointed.”
– Alan Freeman, Audion, #46, Summer 2002

 “…Denis surges onward with an extended ensemble. …the chamber and goth feel presides but the added instrumentation offers a polytonal outlook, comprised of a multi-layered slant. They pursue darkly hued textures amid weaving chamber-like passages and melodically-tinged themes. …There’s a whole lot of goodness going on… The musicians instill a sense of urgency and motion throughout, whereas the album title effectively suggests a rhythmic matrix! Either way, this recording marks a significant milestone for this time-honored aggregation! (Zealously recommended.)
 – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz, Aug 2002

“To get a picture of UZ’s sound, imagine if in the middle of their Red or Starless and Bible Black phase, King Crimson was transported back to medieval times and had to play their music with period instruments. … The music is so complex, so tightly played, that it is obvious each note from the ensemble was meticulously crafted and placed by Denis, yet it rounds a compositional turn, paradoxically carrying the feel of avant-garde freeform improvisation. With this musical strategy, Univers Zero offers a continuous stream of delightful listening surprises from each of the CD’s 13 compositions through many, many plays.”
– Michael Hopkins, The Scene Online

LISTEN:
Civic Circus

This album features:
Michel Berckmans [bassoon, oboe, english horn, melodica, piano], Daniel Denis [drums, keyboards, percussion, melodica, voice],  Igor Semenoff [violin], Dirk Descheemaeker [clarinet, bass clarinet], and Reginald Trigaux [electric bass, voice and acoustic guitar]

“The Hard Quest…is an important event… Those stumbling into their gothiky universe for the first time may find their compositions… involve a studious unraveling of classical rock themes, where not a chink of improvised light is allowed into the group’s creative chamber. Once your ears become accustomed to the gloom, though, Univers Zero’s music can be blindingly illuminating.”
– Edwin Pouncey, The Wire, #190-91, Jan. 2000

“The fall of Rome? The parting of the Red Sea? What else can compare with the monumental occurrence (after 12 years!) of a new slab of Univers Zero?… The Hard Quest is a masterwork!…this CD will take top position on my Best-of-’99 list at year’s end.”
– Mike Ezzo (roundtable review), Exposé Nov. 1999

“Dark, complex, and full of compositional fury, the latest release from the legendary “chamber rock” band will surely be remembered as one of the best albums this year…are filled with all the dark splendor and rich arrangements that this venerable outfit is known for. If Stravinsky were alive today, he’d be in a band like this one.”
– James Bickers, Leo Magazine, v.9, #45, Oct. 13, 1999

“Brilliant comeback album by an important avant garde band.
– Louis Behiels, Crohinga Well, Oct. 2000

“’The Hard Quest’ is as much classical music as rock… The overall sound is quite dark and ominous, the imagery gothic. Always atmospheric, the feeling is of a relaxed Enid meeting American minimalist John Adams… In the broad spectrum of what progressive music should be, this is cutting edge… Excellent.”
– Bernard Law, Wondrous Stories, #94, Nov. 1999

“…my admiration for Univers Zero was total because they seemed to be able to conjure that awful sense of existential dread we enjoyed from King Crimson…but…did not require electric instruments and Marshall speaker cabinets to do it. …The secret was musical architecture and selection of weapons…After 5 records that never let a fan down…here’s a new CD, once again a solid, brilliantly ugly addition to the band’s C.V. …turn it up! … the Univers Zero franchise is alive and well in Denis’ capable hands…Welcome back, messieurs, we did miss you.”
– Frank Wertheim, Tone Clusters, #74, 12/1999                 

“With vice-grip concentration and unnerving audacity, this Belgian quintet offers the forbidden fruit of classical music by performing diabolic dervishes, sabre dances, and tantalizing tangos… And while ensembles like the Kronos and Brodsky quartets have filtered into the rock world by way of guest appearances or loosely adapting rock music, Univers Zero have been single-handedly  bridging the two disparate worlds by integrating a frontline rhythm section into their dark scores. And what a powerhouse pulse machine it is... The theme music for horror films from the likes of Dario Argento may be the closest links, yet Univers Zero are wise to the ways and minimalist means of Reich, Riley and Glass (and most the of the 20^th century’s finest composers.) …their music has a mystery and a power that’s yet to be discovered by the outer stretches of goth and gloom lovers. Daring and delightful.”
– Virginia Reed, Focus, Oct 14-27

LISTEN:
Chinavox

This album features:
Daniel Denis [drums, percussion, voice], Michel Delory [guitar]. 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]

“Heatwave … is an intricate and monumental piece of work…Univers Zero play the most complex, rehearsal-intensive music since the heyday of progressive rock…The band remains as morbid as ever…. Univers Zero, without any overt politics, stick to an extreme program: mulling over the choice between survival (for whatever it’s worth) or destruction (that’s all, folks) as close as music can capture it."
– Michael Bloom, Boston Phoenix, 8/21/1987

“…the band sounds much like a mating of Stravinsky, Bartok, the Art Bears, mid-period King Crimson, and Anthony Davis’ Episteme. Throughout their existence, Zero has played this highly uplifting material with an ear for stunning orchestration.”
– Russ Summers, Option, Nov/Dec 1987

“I’ve been salivating over the very thought of this record ever since I received word of its imminent release. When it arrived, it proved to be every bit as good and then some…For fans, Heatwave is a must; for the uninitiated, it is a superb introduction to the music of Univers Zero.”
– Dean Suzuki, Ear Magazine, 2/88

“Univers Zero take the rock/chamber music foundation laid by Henry Cow in the early ‘70s and build upon it…the instrumentalists’ adherence to classical technique composition precludes categorization as fusion.…Challenging, but never difficult, aggressive, but never abrasive, Heatwave is a complex, densely textured, and electrifying work of art.”
– Michael Draine, Sound Choice, #10

“Hard to say exactly what tradition the extraordinary LP arises out of. Some of the odd-meter riffs on electric guitar and trap set are reminiscent of mid-‘70s British progressive work by Gentle Giant and others, but the kaleidoscopic development of the phrases through meticulous orchestration is almost Stravinskian, the willingness to repeat simple material is a tip of the hat to minimalism, and some of the sounds throughout might have been borrowed from the Residents. The mood is dark and intense throughout..a tightly controlled developmental logic is always at work… A must for lovers of adventurous music.”
– J.A., Keyboard Magazine, Oct. 1987

LISTEN:
Parade

This album features:
Daniel Denis [drums, percussion, synthesizer], Dirck Descheemaeker [soprano sax, clarinet, bass clarinet], Christian Genet [bass, balafon, bowed Guitar, tapes, whistle], André Mergen [cello, alto sax, voice], Jean-Luc Plouvier [electric and acoustic pianos, synthesizer, piano strings, percussion], Michel Delory [guitar] and Marc Verbist [violin] on "Célesta"

 “…one of the most important groups of the 1980s ...dense, desperate and dark; nevertheless, the music of UZ is above all beautiful and dramatic, strongly marked by the cultural traditions of Europe…UZED is a rare, intense, and magnanimous piece of work, and it is absolutely compulsory for everyone who’s had enough of the monotony of Laibach, who’s played their Magma records to shreds, and/or who would have wanted there to be a bit more electric bass and drums on Bartok’s string quartets.”
– Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Puls (Norway), Feb 1989

“Univers Zero is a showcase for the compositions of percussionist Daniel Denis. …One thing that separates these artists’ work from the work of more conventional composers is the absence of filler….we’re not sure where Cuneiform Records is finding this stuff, but we hope they reach some sort of audience with it.”
– J.A., Keyboard, May 1989

“This is not polite chamber music… but an intense, often violent sound that writhes with a sinister energy…The opening “Presage” may remind listeners of King Crimson’s “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic” series, but…Univers Zero’s musical vision is truly dark, lacking the romanticism that hides withing Robert Fripp’s compositions…Not music for the faint of heart, which is probably as a good a definition of rock ‘n’ roll as any.”
– Michael Dawson, Goldmine, 1/13/89

“an inventive quintet who never fail to impress with their jagged time lapsed piano, dramatic time signatures, bass, reeds, deep cello and busy drums. The music drives along moonless avenues, soundtracks to a world beyond tomorrow.”
– Outlet (UK), #36

LISTEN:
Toujours plus a L’est

This album features:
Daniel Denis [drums, percussion, voice, harmonium, violin, piano], Michel Berckmans [oboe, bassoon], Dirk Descheemacker [clarinet, bass clarinet, casio], Andy Kirk [harmonium, organ, voice, piano, synth, viola, music box, pecussion, radio], Guy Segers [bass, voice, violin, insible talk, flies talk], Alan Ward [violin], Christian Genet [bass], Patrick Hanappier [viola], André Mergenthaler [cello], Jean-Luc Plouvier [keyboards], Guy Segers [percussion], Roger Trigaux [guitar]

“… Univers Zero are beside Magma and Faust [as] one of the most influential European continental groups of so called intellectual rock. Their influence can be heard from the numbers of newer European groups like Maximalist, Pako Alto and Cro Magnon to American Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic and Miriodor.”
– Stanlislav Kovac, Muska Magazine, #5, Nov. 2001

“… Cerebral, complex and rewarding, this is a welcome reminder of the no-boundaries approach that informed the very best of the genuinely experimental bands that sprang up under the early-70s progressive rock banner.”
– John Sturdy, Record Collector, #269, January 2002.

“The path of innovation and brilliance. It is a treacherous trail upon which precious few dare to tread…
Crawling Wind is testimony to the courage of this Belgian unit, and to the many reasons why its music is one of the most important luminaries of sheer artistic creativity in modern times.
– Marcelo Silveyra, ProgFreaks

LISTEN:
Triomphe

Originally released by Recommended Records (RR ten point five) and distributed with the 1st 500 copies of Ceux Du Dehors, this single is now included on Cuneiform's Ceux du Dehor CD. It features Daniel Denis [drums, percussion, voice, harmonium], Andy Kirk [harmonium, organ, voice, piano, Yamaha CP70] and Guy Segers [bass, clarinet, voice]

This album features:
Jean Luc Aime [viola, violin], Michel Berckmans [bassoon, oboe, english horn], Daniel Denis [drums, percussion, voice, harmonium], Patrick Hanappier [viola, violin], Andy Kirk [harmonium, organ, voice, piano, Yamaha CP70], Guy Segers [bass, clarinet, voice], and Guests Jean Debefve [hurdy-gurdy], Ilona Chale [voice], Thierry Zaboitzeff [cello]

“If Stravinsky had a rock band, it would sound like this. Blazing, white hot, medieval.”
– C.W. Vrtacek, Advocate Newspapers, 1/28/93

“…a dark record, utilizing the triple-fusion approach of the Rock-in-Opposition sound (jazz, rock and classical avant-garde), with the classical influence being the most dominant. The tense and brooding influence of the baroque school is felt on every track….The erratic rhythms created by the bass and percussion, as well as the complex arrangement provided by the exceptional composition, give this otherwise medieval sound its twentieth century flavor.”
– Michael C. Mahan, Alternative Press, #54, Dec. 1992

 “…this is probably their most comprehensive catalog of horrors, from the ominous minimalist pedal points in “Combat” to the ghostly improvised droning of “La Musique d’Erich Zann”…to the grotesque bassoon/viola tradeoffs in “Bonjour Chez Vous.”
– Michael Bloom, Boston Rock, #133, July/Aug. 1993

LISTEN:
Jack the Ripper

This album features:
Michel Berckmans [oboe, bassoon], Daniel Denis [drums, percussion], Patrick Hanappier [violin, viola], Guy Segers [bass, vocals], Roger Trigaux [guitar, piano, organ, harmonium]

“..as exemplified by Side One’s “La Faulx,” this is “Gothic Chamber music” at its best…by any standard, I hold this band in the highest esteem…”
– Glenn Hammett, Sounds Like, #8

“Chamber music for the Apocalypse. This talented quintet finds the right balance between post-Schoenberg and postmodernism…a group of admirable, though dark, vision.”
– Keyboard, 5/92

“UNIVERS ZERO’s music is sometimes defined as “gothic Chamber rock”, and indeed its ominously dark atmospheres with growling voices and creeping drones will hurl you way back in the dark ages when the inquisition reached its most terrifying status. Intense fear licks from loud speakers, you hear kneecaps splinter, you feel pain screaming…absolutely not fit for children, young adults and musical lightweights…” 
– Ernst van Dinter, Background, 8/92

“Widely regarded as the darkest, most sinister album ever recorded, “Heresie” has earned a reputation which is somewhat exaggerated and misunderstood …Not really as dark as it is usually perceived, “Heresie” is a passionate, expressive, purposeful, and important album.”
– Dan Casey, Gibraltar, v.4, #17

“…a dark and menacing listening experience… the closest comparison I could come up with is “The Devil’s Triangle’ on King Crimson’s second album. Univers Zero are unsettling and uncompromising in their approach…the Gothic Governors. The instrumentation is used effectively in a sort of Armageddon chamber-music style, all topped off with some strange growled vocal effects. An intriguing and absorbing band...”
– Mike Dillingham, Ptolemaic Terrascope, v. 3, #1

• UZ’s Official Website
  
• UZ’s Myspace:
  
• Full discography at UZ website
  

• UZ 2007 'Falling Rain Dance'
  
• UZ @ Baja Prog Festival 2007
  
• UZ Trio Performance
  
• Official Video downloads
  

Rock In Opposition:

• RIO Festival (Official Site)
  
• RIO on Wikipedia
  

UZ's Albums are on Cuneiform

They Include:

Above Photos Courtesy of Jaak Geebelens, 2009. [see more]

CUNEIFORM RECORDS:
Official Website
MySpace
Waysidemusic.com (our web store)