Zeuhl (pronounced ['zœl]; meaning "Celestial") is a subgenre of progressive rock, established in 1969 by the French band Magma.[1] The term comes from Kobaïan,[2] the fictional language created by Magma's Christian Vander and Klaus Blasquiz for Magma, in which Zeuhl Ẁortz means approximately "Celestial Force".[3][2]

Characteristics

The musical roots of zeuhl go back to pioneers of the free jazz movement such as John Coltrane, on the other hand, folkloristic echoes and influences from Carl Orff's work can be found.

Zeuhl is determined by several characteristic elements. Especially important are dominant rhythm fractions, usually in the form of a pumping bass guitar and sometimes sluggish or flexibly playing drum kits. Slow repetitive structures that serve to build a hypnotic atmosphere are just as prominent as solo passages of high technical finesse. Vocals are often widely present and can consist of polyphonic choral movements, such as Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, or soloistically performed passages with shrill intonation. Zeuhl bands also often have solo guitarists or pianist that usually have a more than accompanying function, especially to emphasize the repetitive patterns.

Dominique Leone, writing for Pitchfork, says the style is: "about what you'd expect an alien rock opera to sound like: massed, chanted choral motifs, martial, repetitive percussion, sudden bursts of explosive improv and just as unexpected lapses into eerie, minimalist trance-rock." He has said that it means celestial[2] and that "Zeuhl music means vibratory music"[4] and that zeuhl is "L'esprit au travers de la matière" (The spirit through matter). That is Zeuhl. Zeuhl is also the sound which you can feel vibrating in your belly. Pronounce the word Zeuhl very slowly, and stress the letter z at the beginning, and you will feel your body vibrating."[5]

Reception

Originally applied solely to the music of Magma, the term "zeuhl" was eventually used to describe the similar music produced by French bands beginning in the 1970s.[6] In addition to Magma, bands who are associated with the term include: Happy Family,[7] Kōenji Hyakkei,[8] and Ruins[9] from Japan, and French band Zao.[10]

Some major representatives

French bands:

Japanese bands:

Other bands: (partly only distantly stylistically related to the Zeuhl)

  • Guapo (United Kingdom)
  • Univers Zero (Belgium)
  • Present (Belgium)
  • Universal Totem Orchestra (Italy)
  • Corima (United States)

Literature

  • Holm-Hudson, Kevin (2003). "Apocalyptic Otherness: Black Music and Extraterrestrial Identity in the Music of Magma". Popular Music and Society. Abingdon: Routledge. 26 (4): 481–495. doi:10.1080/0300776032000144931. ISSN 0300-7766. S2CID 194078761. Retrieved 11 July 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Jeff Wagner (2010). Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal. Bazillion Points Books. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-9796163-3-4.
  2. 1 2 3 Paul Stump (July 1995). "Different Drummer: Magma – interview with Christian Vander, page 3". The Wire. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  3. ↑ Culshaw, Peter (1 October 2009). "Magma interview for Celestial Mass". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  4. ↑ Allan MacInnis (30 March 2015). "Immersing oneself in Magma: a Christian Vander interview". Big Takeover. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  5. ↑ John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg (Winter–Spring 2000). "Marching to the beat of a very different drummer". Progression, issue 34. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  6. ↑ Anderston, Chris (2010). "A many-headed beast: progressive rock as European meta-genre". Popular Music. Cambridge University Press. 29 (10): 417–435. doi:10.1017/S0261143010000450. JSTOR 40926943. S2CID 145065519.
  7. ↑ "Ye Gods: The Twenty Greatest Prog Rock Record Sleeves". The Quietus. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  8. ↑ Dominique Leone (11 March 2002). "Koenji-Hyakkei: NIVRAYM Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  9. ↑ Leonard Pirce (14 January 2010). "Japanese noise-rock". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  10. ↑ Laurent Berger (14 April 2015). "Los Imprescindibles del Progresivo, Parte III: Cos - Viva Boma" (in Spanish). Rock the Best Music. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
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