Univers Zéro
Encyclopedia
Univers Zero are an instrumental Belgian
band known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th century chamber music
. The group's name has had three variant spellings, the others being Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero.
The band was formed in 1974 by drummer Daniel Denis. For a time they were part of a musical movement called Rock in Opposition
(RIO) which strove to create dense challenging music, a direct contrast to the disco
and punk music being produced in the late 1970s. Obvious early influences were Bartók
and Stravinsky
, however the band also cited less well known composers such as Albert Huybrechts
, who was also Belgian.
Their early albums were almost entirely acoustic, but with later releases their sound became more electric. In 1977 they released their first album 1313 on which the members played with a heavy rock and roll
approach despite the fact that the instrumentation was largely acoustic. This is mostly due to the use of drums. Two years later the album Heresie proved to be even darker.
Subsequent albums lightened the sound only slightly, but became ever more electric. Whereas early albums featured oboe
s, spinet
s, harmonium
s and mellotron
s, their 1980s albums tended to rely more on synthesizer
and electric guitar
. Despite these changes, their overall sound remained fairly consistent.
The group disbanded in 1987, but reformed in 1999. In the interim, drummer Daniel Denis released two solo albums and joined Art Zoyd
, a similar band from France
. Since 1999, Univers Zéro have released four studio albums.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
band known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th century chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
. The group's name has had three variant spellings, the others being Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero.
The band was formed in 1974 by drummer Daniel Denis. For a time they were part of a musical movement called Rock in Opposition
Rock in Opposition
Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music...
(RIO) which strove to create dense challenging music, a direct contrast to the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and punk music being produced in the late 1970s. Obvious early influences were Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
and Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, however the band also cited less well known composers such as Albert Huybrechts
Albert Huybrechts
Albert Huybrechts was a Belgian composer.-Life:Huybrechts studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and was a pupil of Joseph Jongen...
, who was also Belgian.
Their early albums were almost entirely acoustic, but with later releases their sound became more electric. In 1977 they released their first album 1313 on which the members played with a heavy rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
approach despite the fact that the instrumentation was largely acoustic. This is mostly due to the use of drums. Two years later the album Heresie proved to be even darker.
Subsequent albums lightened the sound only slightly, but became ever more electric. Whereas early albums featured oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, spinet
Spinet
A spinet is a smaller type of harpsichord or other keyboard instrument, such as a piano or organ.-Spinets as harpsichords:While the term spinet is used to designate a harpsichord, typically what is meant is the bentside spinet, described in this section...
s, harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
s and mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
s, their 1980s albums tended to rely more on synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. Despite these changes, their overall sound remained fairly consistent.
The group disbanded in 1987, but reformed in 1999. In the interim, drummer Daniel Denis released two solo albums and joined Art Zoyd
Art Zoyd
Art Zoyd is a French band formed in 1968, mixing free jazz, progressive rock and avant-garde electronica.Like other members of the Rock in Opposition movement, Art Zoyd fuses progressive rock and jazz with contemporary classical music. Like fellow RIO member Univers Zéro, they are also influenced...
, a similar band from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Since 1999, Univers Zéro have released four studio albums.
Discography
- 13131313 (album)-Personnel:* Michel Berckmans: bassoon* Daniel Denis: percussion* Patrick Hanappier: violin, viola, pocket cello* Roger Trigaux: guitar* Emmanuel Nicaise: harmonium, spinet* Christian Genet: bass* Marcel Dufrane: violin-External links:...
(1977) - HeresieHeresieHeresie is the second album by Belgian RIO band Univers Zero released in 1979. It features heavy use of dissonance and dark, brooding and extremely complex melodies.-Track listing:...
(1979) - Triomphe des mouches One-Sided 7" (1981)
- Ceux du dehorsCeux du dehorsCeux du dehors is the third album by the Belgian RIO band Univers Zero. The title translates as "Those from the Outside."The original LP consisted of six tracks...
(1981) - Crawling WindCrawling WindCrawling Wind is an album by Univers Zero. It was a 3-song EP when originally released in 1983, but a 2001 reissue of the album included an extra studio track, "Influences", as well as two live tracks....
EP (1983) - UzedUzedUzed is the fourth album by Belgian RIO band Univers Zero. Due to a packed touring schedule, the band released this work three years after their previous album proper, Ceux du Dehors ....
(1984) - HeatwaveHeatwave (album)Heatwave is the fifth album by Belgian RIO band Univers Zero. Released in 1986, the album is a continued exploration of the Middle Eastern influences, which first appeared on Uzed. The instrumentation here is more electronic than in their previous works....
(1986) - The Hard Quest (1999)
- Rhythmix (2002)
- Implosion (2004)
- Live (2006)
- Relaps Archives 1984-1986 (2008)
- Clivages (2010)