Kohntarkosz - The Blog for Magma and Zeuhl Music

A New Eskaton Group on Facebook

2012-01-26T10:06:00.002-05:00

Here

I decided to create this page to celebrate the reformation of Eskaton.

Feel free to join and converse with other Eskaton fanatics.

Eskaton 2.0 at the Gibus in Paris - Nov 25, 2011

2012-01-22T19:22:00.003-05:00

I did not know that Eskaton had reformed, and I did not know that Eskaton played a gig last November in Paris. But, this video popped up on a search that I was doing on YouTube. It looks like Marc Rozenberg and Andre Bernardi have reformed Eskaton sans the female vocalists.

The new lineup is:

Marc Rozenberg: bass and vocals
André Bernardi: guitar
Jean-Philippe Gallet: vocals
Denis Levasseur:keyboards
Philippe Zarka: drums

The new band is being referred to as Eskaton 2.0, and their new website is here.

Here is one of the three videos that they posted on YouTube.

Rest In Peace, Alain Juliac

2012-01-22T06:50:00.001-05:00

It's with great sadness that I have to report the death of our friend, Alain Juliac, after a battle with cancer. Alain died peacefully, with no pain.

I first met Alain in the early 1980s. He was good friends with Bernard Gueffier, and Alain worked with Musea Records from the start, and was also a writer for Notes magazine. I met Alain again in Nancy in October 2007 when I went to see a series of Magma shows.

Alain loved Zeuhl music, and was good friends with the folks from Weidorje, Zao, and the Forgas Band. Alain also produced the "Hur" tribute CD, which features various groups playing arrangements of Magma tunes.

As my friend Francis says .... Alain is now producing albums for Hugh Hopper, Alan Gowen, and Elton Dean.

Steve and Kavus Talk About Magma and Life

2012-01-16T06:44:00.006-05:00

Here is an interview with Steve Davis and Kavus Torabi. Of course, Magma is mentioned very prominently.

Magma - 1970 - Olympia and Golf Drouot

2011-12-30T08:52:00.002-05:00

Just before the new year comes a surprise from new friend Denis Rougeoreille. Here are photos from 1970 from the Olympia and Golf Drouot in Paris that I have never seen before. Denis is an old-time Magma fan who saw Magma at the very beginning.

It's always fantastic when people who were there at the beginning find these little treasures in their archives. I hope that there will be more surprises in 2012, as more old Magma fans join social networks like Facebook, and find their way over to the various Magma fan pages.

A Nice Xmas Gift from Mr. Issehn

2011-12-24T19:05:00.001-05:00

Listen to the Samples from this (Thanks Fanny)

2011-12-21T12:36:00.001-05:00

A Review of the Magma and Metalik Orkestra Concert by Tim

2011-12-19T15:06:00.001-05:00

Our good friend Tim (from the blog A Cup Of Tim) has contributed a review of the recent Magma concert that took place in Paris on December 16, 2011. Tim has provided photos and a video, and I expect that he will eventually compliment these goodies with a new comic episode of his blog.

Thanks very much Tim !!! And now .... here's Tim .....

It was on a rainy night that I went to see the Mëtalïk Orchestra, which consisted of Magma and 18 classical musicians. Upon arriving and having a seat, I was pleased to notice several cameras, four or five, maybe six. I chatted with a girl holding one of them and she told me the concert was professionally filmed, with a DVD in project. Great ! I think the team who filmed the concert was the same as the one who filmed the concerts at the Triton. More proof for that is that Jean-Pierre Vivante, director of the Triton, gave a speech before the concert, and the Triton is located not far from the Theatre du Garde-Chasse.

The mood was very nice, and I had a wonderful surprise when I realized that the guy sitting left to me (with whom I was talking for ten minutes) was actually Jad Ayache, from the late ad Vitam group, who sang at the Trianon concerts of 2000 ! A really cool guy. On my right was an old lady who’ve never heard anything from Magma. At all. She jocked about the fact that she didn’t need to wear ear protections as she was a bit deaf. She also said “People told me it swings. I hope it’ll swing!”

It sure did when the band started with Félicité Thosz (without the orchestra). There were some really bad sound problems and the singers seemed *really* pissed off. Stella pointing fingers down, waving her hands at the sound desk in the back of the Theater, hoping Francis would fix it etc. Music was fine as always, thanks to Christian Vander’s “infinite energy” cheat code. Bruno Ruder’s solo was not bad at all. I’ve grown to appreciate his music since 2008, but still, this solo looks a bit out of place in the piece itself - even if it were another pianist.

After F-T, the 18 musicians came on stage, in a shy way, maybe a bit frightened. And E-Rê started with full energy. Maybe too much energy, and too much instruments. At the Conservatoire in January, the instruments filled the role of the singers, giving the music a different style, a different approach (much better than the album, in my opinion). At the Garde-Chasse, it was instruments AND singers, and to be honest I felt there was too much things going on, in a small place. But HEY ! After all, the concert was taped, so on the DVD the sound will be crystal clear, and I’ll be able to distinguish the flutes, the strings, the brass, the horns etc.

In the end, apart from this small problems, it was a great experience. The musicians seemed to like what they played, Christian Vander’s part on Hhaï was roaring awesome, lights were fine, and the applause for Benoit Alziary at the end was great. I had a great chance to see this live, and I’m really looking forward to see that again on DVD. I asked the old lady sitting next to me what she’d thought of the concert, to wich she replied : “It was great ! Brillant and modern, it really rocked me !”

Thank you Mëtalïk Orchestra !

Below, two crappy pictures I took, and a montage of the few videos I made. The videos are a bit shaky, with bad sound etc, but what the hell, a DVD is in the works !

FRENCH:

Il pleuvait lorsque le Mëtalïk Orchestra se produisit au Théâtre du Garde-Chasse des Lilas. Magma et 18 musiciens (cordes, cuivres, percussions) dans un splendide lieu musical, dans lequel j’eu la surprise de voir quatre ou cinq cameras préparées à filmer le concert. Une technicienne sur place me confirma qu’un projet de dvd était prévu. Il me semble que cette technicienne était également présente au Triton l’été dernier, pour Epok V. La présence de Jean-Pierre Vivante, directeur du Triton, confirma le fait que tout ceci était organisé par le Triton, situé non loin de là.

L’atmosphère était très cordiale. Le public venu ce soir savait qu’il verrait et entendrait quelque chose de différent, et ça se sentait. J’eut la surprise de voir que la personne assise à ma gauche, avec qui je discutais depuis une dizaine de minutes était tout simplement Jad Ayache, de feu Ad Vitam, et qui avait participé aux concerts du Trianon en 2000. A ma droite, une vieille dame venue sur les conseils de ses amis, ne connaissant absolument pas Magma. «On m’a dit que ça swinguait, j’espère que ça swinguera !»

Et pour swinguer, ça swingua lorsque le groupe (sans les 18 musiciens) démarra par Félicité Thosz. De réels problèmes sons au niveau des voix se firent sentir. Stella avait l’air *vraiment* énervée, pointant le pouce vers le bas, faisant des gestes en direction de la console son au fond du Théatre. Rien n’y fait, mais la musique, elle, était bonne. Comme d’habitude, Christian Vander était en mode «Energie Infinie» et le solo de Bruno Ruder (dont ce serait le dernier concert) était très sympa, même si le solo en lui-même (quelque soit le pianiste) me parait plombant, cassant le rythme de la pièce.

Après cette pièce, les 18 musiciens, timides, furent appelés et montèrent sur scène. Un E-Rê toutes griffes dehors s’imposa alors pendant une bonne heure. Un E-Rê plein d’énergie. Trop plein d’énergie, en fait. Au Conservatoire de Paris en janvier dernier, il n’y avait pas les chanteurs. Les instruments se chargeaient donc de «chanter» à leur place, et c’était assez original, inattendu, la sauce avait bien pris. Ici, les instruments s’ajoutaient aux voix, et c’était, à mon sens, trop. Soit on entendait les voix et pas l’orchestre, soit c’était l’inverse. Il fallait attendre les passages un peu calmes, sans voix, pour découvrir une nouvelle lecture de l’œuvre, pour grappiller ici ou là un violon, un saxophone. Ceci dit, pendant le concert je me disais aussi que tout cela n’était peut-être qu’un problème de sonorisation, et que sur le DVD, le son serait cristallin, donc pas bien grave, patience, le DVD sera surement une tuerie…

Mis à part ce problème de sonorisation (surement une salle trop petite pour un orchestre trop grand) tout était merveilleux. Les musiciens avaient l’air d’aimer ce qu’ils jouaient, la partie de chant de Vander sur Hhaï fut dantesque (où trouve-t-il toute cette énergie ?) et le travail de Benoit Alziary (longuement applaudi à la fin), titanesque. A la fin, je demandai à la vielle dame assise à mes cotés ce qu’elle en avait pensé, ce à quoi elle me répondit «C’était magnifique, moderne, ça a bien swingué !» Merci le Mëtalïk Orchestra !

Ci-dessous, deux photos de mauvaise qualité, ainsi qu’un montage fait à partir des videos faites ce soir-là. Désolé pour la qualité, et désolé de ne pas avoir beaucoup filmé, mais bon, eh, y’aura bientôt un DVD !

Magma au Théâtre du Garde-Chasse (16/12/11) par Tubulamarok

Bruno Ruder is out of Magma

2011-12-17T18:36:00.000-05:00

According to various sources, last night was Bruno Ruder's last concert with Magma.

The new keyboard player in Magma is Jeremie Ternoy.

I don't know anything about Jeremie. Anybody have any more info about him? Helene?

Rehearsal Footage for the Metalik Orkestra

2011-12-16T13:31:00.002-05:00

Our wonderful and beautiful friend, Zsa Zsa, recorded three videos of Magma's rehearsal last night of the "Metalik Orkestra". The concert is tonight, December 16.

I wonder if Benoit ever found his trombone player ....

Sing Along with the SЮR BAND

2011-12-13T06:18:00.002-05:00

«Zür sün dїhhёl»

Mёm dün mёnnh ündёm lёmwörїtstёm
Mёm sёtnaїt zühn hїwёüsz Ïtah
Wortz Zanka Bradia wi lїdёntё
Löїle zaїn amtak lїns
Zür sün dїhhёl
Zür sün dїhhёl
Zür sün dїhhёl
Zür sün dїhhёl

Düsz Döndaї hёlölёsz üz ümёnnh
Löff Kobaїa üz glaö zür ürfakt
Mёt Blüm Kalaїn Sїrї ünsaї Tёndïwa
Slїbёnlї sürra Lїhns röwnah lah

Löїv sürra Glaö
Saaht Meührdem mёm lёmwörїtstёm
Bradїa «AMTAJ» tsöjl zanka
Fürwölt reügh staühї
Zür sün dїhhёl
Zür sün dїhhёl
Zür sün dїhhёl
Zür sün dїhhёl

RIP Ascension

2011-12-11T13:06:00.001-05:00

It looks like the French Zeuhl magazine, Ascension, has finally bitten the dust. An announcement was made today on the Zeuhl and Beyond forum by the editor of Ascension. Below is a reprint of the announcement. It seems that the editor was tired of being insulted and tired of the indifference of certain people.

This is a sad announcement. First Muzik Zeuhl died, then the Zeuhl and Beyond blog (even though it was appropriated from its creator, Tom-Erik Loe), and now Ascension. Supporting Zeuhl music is often a thankless task.

This blog will try to continue as long as there is enough interesting news about Magma and about the bands and musicians who are influenced by Magma.

27 janvier 2005 - 11 décembre 2011
Après concertation avec mon équipe et mûre réflexion, je ne veux plus être le moteur (à explosions) d'une machine qu'il faut constamment alimenter sans rien en retour. Face à l'indifférence de certains, au mépris et parfois même à l'insulte, j'ai décidé d'arrêter de me battre en vain et de consacrer mon énergie et mon travail (trop souvent mésestimés) à des projets plus personnels et plus constructifs.

ASCENSION, C'EST TERMINÉ, sans reprise possible.

SЮR Band - Official Studio Release

2011-12-01T11:32:00.001-05:00

The Sior Band (or Sor Band ... I don't know how to type that strange character on my USA keyboard) just released their official studio version of their hommage to Magma. The tune brings to mind the classic Magma years of the mid 1970s, especially the MDK period.

A great new tune that all Magma fans should enjoy. And, it definitely should be on any upcoming Magma compilation albums. Congratulations to all of the members of the Sor Band, as especially, to The Pig.

Brazil - December 4 to December 15

2011-11-26T16:37:00.000-05:00

Looks like I will be in Sao Paolo from December 4 to December 15 for my business. I am planning to get together with old friend Renato, who is the webmaster for the Univers Zero website. If any Kobaians want to join us for a drink, let me know.

Maybe I can find some good locations for Magma to play if and when they do their first South American tour.

(Nao falo Portugues)

Magma in Germany, November 17, 1975

2011-11-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

It looks like this is a concert that Ork Alarm missed.

Thanks to Hanwaker, Ace Detective, for the image.

Go and See Magma Rehearse for $25

2011-11-17T16:21:00.005-05:00

Magma has decided to open up the rehearsal for the December 16th concert at Le Triton to the general public. So, you can pay 17 Euros (about $25), and go see them rehearse on December 15th.

I wonder if the members of the Metalik Orchestra (the group of students and amateurs who will playing the music of Magma at this concert) will be sharing in the proceeds. Given the current economic state of the world, I certainly hope so.

Magma is looking for a Trombonist for the December 16 Gig

2011-11-03T08:08:00.000-04:00

From Benoît Alziary

Salut les gens :), si vous connaissez un tromboniste amateur (ou pas) prêt à jouer avec MAGMA le 16 décembre 2011, si il peut répéter les dimanches de novembre + 3,4,10 et 11 décembre, générale le 15 décembre, j'ai des partitions pour lui ou elle ! c'est donc urgent... merci bien

This basically is a request for an amateur (or not) trombone player, ready to play with Magma onthe 16th of December at Le Triton.

Benoit has the sheet music, if you are ready.

Transcription - Jannick Top - Speed It Up

2011-10-28T09:03:00.000-04:00

Our good friend, Bruno Maignan, transcribed Jannick Top's bass part of the song "Speed It Up" from the Ceccarelli album. There is a video of this song on YouTube.

Download the sheet music here.

Thank you, Bruno.

Sior Band in the Studio

2011-10-21T06:38:00.000-04:00

Part 2 of today's focus of Russian Zeuhl.My friend Sergey from the crazy Sior Band sent me a link to a new video that they put up on YouTube. His band is in the studio, recording their new album. They are putting down tracks for that Zeuhl and Shostakovich inspired masterpiece that was featured on an older YouTube video.Let us know when the album is done, Sergey, and let us know how to purchase it. Hopefully, it will find its way to iTunes or to BandCamp.

Russian Zeuhl - Синкопированная Тишина - Протобаян

2011-10-21T06:31:00.002-04:00

These guys call themselves Russian Zeuhl. I have no idea how to pronounce the name of the band nor do I know the title of the song. But the Magma influences are pretty evident.

Magma Community in Brazil

2011-10-08T07:04:00.001-04:00

I may have to spend a few weeks in Sao Paolo, Brazil for some business. I am wondering if there is a Magma community in Sao Paolo. Most of the South American Magma fans that I have encountered are from Chile.

Any suggestions on what an American gringo can do in Sao Paolo?

Unaranisent - RIO 2011

2011-09-29T16:54:00.001-04:00

Robert Issehn has once again captured the great moments of the music we all love. Here is his video of the Unaranisent concert at the RIO 2011 Festival.

Some Clips of the Recent Ptah Gig

2011-09-11T06:58:00.001-04:00

Mr. Issehn tooks some videos of the recent Ptah concert in St Paul de Dax on September 7, 2011, and posted them on YT. Thanks Robert!

KA1/Kohntarkosz/De Futura by the Ptah Tentet

2011-09-05T08:02:00.001-04:00

The guys from Ptah just put some tracks from their September 1st concert up on Soundcloud. Great to have an infusion of classic Zeuhl from some devotees of Magma.If there are any Zeuhl players around the NYC/NJ area, let me know! I can do a poor man's imitation of CV and Benoit! K.A. 1 by MC Rookie De Futura by MC Rookie Köhntarkosz (Part 1) by MC Rookie

Some Music from Kohntarkosz Readers

2011-09-04T10:15:00.000-04:00

Reader Stelios Romaliadis sent me a link to his band Lüüp. The piece below sounds like a calmer Univers Zero to me. Good stuff. Have a listen.

Christian Vander Records a Hommage To Coltrane

2011-08-29T19:06:00.000-04:00

From a friend comes the following information:

A Coltrane homage was recorded between July 17 and July 23. This is the second album recorded in Stella and Francis Linon's new studio in Nice, the first one being the album by "Marcus and the Music".

The first track of this Tribute to Coltrane is "La Ballade". The musicians are PM Sivadier, Simon Goubert, Frédéric D'Oelsnitz (piano) and his girlfriend (chorus), Philippe Dardelle, Stella, a friend of Stella who is singing teacher, Isabelle and many others. The release date is September 27th.

There are also some non-Coltrane compositions on the album. These compositions were composed by Christian Vander, Philippe Dardelle, PM Sivadier, and others.

Magma's Upcoming Plans

2011-08-28T07:56:00.000-04:00

Mr.Calyx, who I have always found to be the most knowledgeable person about progressive music out there, has posted some updates about Magma on the Progressive Ears website. I will try to summarize.

1) Magma is going into the studio in early September to lay down the tracks for their new album. So far, only Felicite Thosz will be on the new album. Slag Tanz will NOT be on the album, as Vander says that the two pieces would not go very well together. Something that I find odd, since they have been playing Slag Tanz and FT back-to-back since early 2009.

2) Christian Vander is going into the hospital in September for an operation on a herniated disk. So, CV had to cancel his appearance at this year's RIO festival.

3) Zess will NOT be recorded for the new album.

Christian Vander

2011-08-27T07:44:00.002-04:00

This is from the blog at http://patibulaire.blogspot.com/.

Magma with a Student Orchestra - December 16, 2011, Paris

2011-08-24T06:01:00.000-04:00

This promises to be a good concert. Benoit has a nice arrangement of E-R that was played by a student jazz ensemble last January. Maybe there will be some other pieces that will be arranged? Maybe a nice version of Mekanik Machine? :-)

The Ptah Tentet is Playing Some Magma Tunes

2011-08-24T05:14:00.000-04:00

I wish I was in France to see this concert. Michael also does a great job with the Magma tunes.

Rare Magma Video from 72, 75 and 76 Released on YouTube

2011-07-30T06:02:00.000-04:00

From the vaults of INA come these amazing, fantastic archives from Magma from the early and mid 1970s. The video from 1972 is from the Dixie Club in Montpellier. Two of the snippets are from the Theater de Taur concert in Toulouse in late September 1975. Another snippet is allegedly from early 1976.

INA is the gift that keeps on giving. An incredible amount of amazing live footage has been made available since they decided to open up their vaults a few years ago.

There is one other 5 minute clip from 1972 that might be floating around. Also, there are rumors that a Russian collector has some clips from 1976 featuring the VanderTop incarnation of the group.

Every year, we manage to get new surprises. Last year was the KA Rehearsals. This year is the release of the INA videos.

Stella ... make us happy in 2012 !!!

Magma Family - Le Triton, July 2, 2011

2011-07-27T06:09:00.000-04:00

Once again, Mr. Issehn has shared a nice video of the people (band and fans) who were present at the recent series of concerts at Le Triton. I will give you one nickel for each fan that you recognize.

It's Always Nice When Others Play Magma

2011-07-24T07:31:00.001-04:00

Rare Video - Art Zoyd and Univers Zero - Nancy Jazz Pulsations, 1980

2011-07-23T05:09:00.000-04:00

I do not know where my friend Rafael found this ... but here is an amazing video of Univers Zero and Art Zoyd playing at the Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival in 1980.

This video must have just been uncovered, because both Guy Segers (ex UZ bass) and Gerard Hourbette (Art Zoyd) said that they had never seen this video before.

Are there any more videos of UZ and AZ out there?

I have said it once and I will say it again .... when rare videos like this are uncovered, it gives me hope that more videos of old Magma will surface.

A Few of the Recent Le Triton Shows are on DIME

2011-07-16T07:56:00.000-04:00

User "shadow" from Italy posted a number of the concerts from the recent Retrospective series at Le Triton. He has posted concerts 5 through 8.

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=364995

Here is his generic description of all of the shows:

Magma
'Mythes et légendes-Le retour'
Le Triton, Les Lilas (France)
July 2, 2011

Eight hours of music, four separate two-hour concerts. This was the challenge Christian Vander laid down to his musicians in January 2005. They picked up the gauntlet and ran with it. Full houses for three weeks representing the essential repertoire of the mythical Magma: 'Mythes et légendes'. The concerts were filmed and 4 dvds, Epok 1-2-3-4, were released between 2006 et 2007.

A few days ago The Triton at Les Lilas (near Paris) had Magma back for a 'résidence' during which they assembled more than an hour's worth of material composed between 1971 and 1979 which did not appear on the 4 Epok disks. The result has been heard over the series of 8 concerts, some of which have been filmed to complete the dvd collection.

This is Day 8 - July 2, 2011.

Christian Vander : drums, voice on 'Félicité Thosz'
Stella Vander : voice, percussion
Isabelle Feuillebois : voice, percussion
Hervé Aknin : voice, percussion
Bruno Ruder : Fender Rhodes
Benoit Alziary : vibraphone, theremin
James Mac Gaw : guitar, Fender Rhodes on 'MDK singalong'
Philippe Bussonnet : bass guitar

set 1 [50.55]

1-01. special intro (Merci d'être venu ce soir)
1-02. Attahk (a.k.a. Retrovision)
1-03. applause, talk
1-04. Riah Sahiltaahk
1-05. applause, talk (intermission)

set 2 [89.00]

2-01. Dondai
2-02. applause, talk
2-03. Felicite Thosz
2-04. Slag Tanz
2-05. applause, band introduction
2-06. (encore) Maahnt
2-07. applause, talk
2-08. special conclusion (MDK singalong)

master, audience recording
Edirol R09 (internal mics) > SoundForge 9.0 (tracking) > Trader's Little Helper (FLACs and checksum file)
this torrent * July 13, 2011 * shadow 2011

RIP Francois "Faton" Cahen

2011-07-13T14:48:00.001-04:00

Francois "Faton" Cahen, the first piano player of Magma, and a contributor to their first two albums, passed away today of a heart attack. He was also a long-time collaborator with Yochko Seffer.

RIP Faton.

Reflections on Le Triton from Tim

2011-07-06T05:49:00.001-04:00

A Cup of Tim has posted a series of images, each image summing up his reflection of each piece that Magma played at Le Triton.

Click on each image to reveal the song.

Can you guess which song is depicted below?

Sheet Music - The Bass Part to Dondai (Thanks to Bruno Maignan)

2011-07-05T19:23:00.000-04:00

Transcriptions reprinted with the kind permission of Bruno "Kaiser" Maignan

Magma Retrospective at Le Triton - June 30, July 1 and 2, 2011 - My Review

2011-07-04T09:53:00.006-04:00

After spending two days in Athens (right before the Parliamentary vote), and another ten days in assorted Greek Islands (Crete, Milos, Mykonos, and Santorini), I found myself once again aboard a flight to that strange country known as France, a country so strange that they don’t have Perp Walks. I took a slight detour from Greece to the USA so that I could see the latest series of Retrospective concerts from Magma.

I am at the point now where I have seen Magma enough times (for an American) that I use the Magma shows as an excuse to go and see my French Zeuhl friends, the ones that I have made over the years of seeing Magma shows, trading tapes, and being friends on FB. We always try to have one big Zeuhl Lunch during the concerts, and this time was no exception. Lunch was at Louchebem, in the Les Halles section of Paris. This restaurant is a tribute to meat, and I seem to have impressed my French friends by ordering Terrine de Tete de Veau with Sauce Gribbish as an appetizer.

(left to right .. Jeannie, Snukehr, Zess, Barfix, Eugen, Rapideye, Muriel, Magmasystems, Issehn, Alain)

It was good also to catch up with my friend, Marco Tchamp, who used to do a lot of photography for Magma. Marco has two ventures that he is working on now. He is cooking made-to-order macaroons in all sort of flavors, and he also just published a beautiful book of photos of the concentration camps of Poland. I visited some of the camps a few years ago, and the book really does bring back memories.

Magma is going to be coming out with another DVD in their Retrospective series, and the next DVD will feature this current show. They also are going to have some filmed interviews with Magma fans from around the world. If I don’t piss off Francis and Stella in the next few months, you might even get to see yours truly.

As always, there were the odd international fans that managed to find their way to Paris for the show. There was someone from Holland, three fans from Norway (including one from upper Norway, close to the Arctic Circle), and I heard that the previous week, one intrepid fan from Japan. I think I was the only Yank there, and there were definitely two Brits in attendance.

All were crammed into Le Triton for two weeks. For the three nights that I was there, there was standing-room only. Lots of people packed at the bar. It was extremely hot at Le Triton, and from Maxence told me, there was a flu that was going around. I caught a bit of it after Saturday night’s show. Suggestion to the owners of Le Triton … invest in an air conditioner.

The setlist was exactly the same each night. No variations at all.

Retrovision
Riah Sahiltaahk

(intermission)

Dondai
Felicite Thosz
Slag Tanz

(encore)

Maahnt

In my opinion, the setlist reflected the current tendency in Magma to move back to the more vocal, Offering-like period. Pieces like Retrovision and Dondai tend to emphasize the vocal aspect a lot more, and Vander seemed to be more subdued behind the drum kit than I ever remembered.

Retrovision came from my least favorite period in Magma history, the era in which they sprouted strange costumes and fashioned themselves as a soul band. The male singer (Herve, in this case) goes into some sort of Master-of-Ceremonies rap, from what I could tell, while a funky beat backs him up. There are some moments of Zeuhl that come through for about 5 minutes in the middle, but to me, this song does not represent the Zeuhl aspect of Magma, and the lyrics are a bit confusing ("On a dit Magma n'est pas la?")

This was followed by Riah, a monumental work that was the cornerstone of the 1001 album. The band was on fire on this piece. Very tight. The guitar took most of the horn parts, which was a bit of a shame, since I saw both Guillame Perret (of Electric Epic) and Mederic Collignon hanging around Le Triton, and I was hoping that Christian drafted them to do the horns. Nevertheless, a big kudo to James for handling these parts. I put a few video clips up on YouTube of some of Riah, so let me know what you think.

Thank the Lord for the intermission, because by that time, everyone was about to pass out from the heat. Grabbed a Pelforth (a French beer), and went outside for air. Good vibes, Magma fans milling around, discussing how great Riah was. Seeing Riah performed made the trip worthwhile.

After intermission, a short Dondai. Again, continuing along the lines of soulful vocals. Not much to report here.

Then came Felicite Thosz. Readers of this blog know that I am not a big fan of this piece, and Francis Linon was teasing me after one of the shows by saying that they were going to play FT for me three times the next night. I detected a slight increase in the power level during the opening bits, but that increase was neutralized by the length of Bruno’s piano solo each of the three nights. The piano solo seemed to be extended for some reason, and because of the steamy conditions at Le Triton, it was a bit tortuous to listen to streams of arpeggios for ten minutes. Sorry, Bruno … you’re a really good keyboardist, and the solo had some good ideas in it, but it was a bit too much, especially with the celeste-like tone of the piano.

Next up was Slag Tanz. I have noticed that this piece has continually improved since I first saw Magma perform it at Le Casino in February 2009. Now, the piece is total madness. The three vocalists were shaking maracas and screaming during the entire piece, which gave the piece an “Evil Steve Reich” kind a feeling … which is a good thing! The vocal lines are more composed, and you can detect more counterpoint in the vocal lines. Magma will be going into the studio soon to record their next album (which will contain ST and FT), and it will be a challenge for Francis to reproduce the excitement that you get when you witness Slag Tanz in a live setting.

The encore for each of the nights was Maahnt. The first night clocked in at only 3 minutes, but the next two nights saw the band jamming out a bit on the Maahnt theme. Great playing by Bussonnet on this piece, and Herve tried to implement as many of the sound effects as possible. Benoit Alziary had a Theremin set up behind him, so he was able to reproduce that important effect from the album.

One thing that I have to say about Benoit is that he seems to have stepped up and is playing an important part in the new era of Magma. He was the arranger for the student-led jazz band that performed E-R back in January 2011, and he will be arranging additional Magma pieces for another student-led orchestra concert that will take place at Le Triton on December 16th.

My biggest disappointment was that Magma did not play Mekanik Machine as the second encore on Saturday night. My fantasy was that Jannick Top was going to appear on stage and rip into the bass line of MM. Bussonnet would have been a very capable second choice. It was leaked through the grapevine that Magma was going to perform MM, and I was disheartened when the lights went on after the encore on Saturday night.

I asked Memo about this, and if I understood his French correctly (which is always a big challenge for me), he said that Magma did not have enough time to practice because the new pieces were difficult.

I noticed was that some of the musicians and vocalists were reading from sheet music. This tended to lead me to think that these pieces were put together a bit quickly, too quickly for the musicians to completely memorize everything and for the vocalists to memorize all of the Kobaian lyrics. This would lead me to believe that Memo was correct. Vander, the perfectionist that he is, would not have wanted Mekanik Machine to be played if it was anything less than perfect.

Three nights of the same setlist was a bit much, but seeing Riah and Maahnt performed live made it worthwhile. The band was in top form, they seemed to have a good time, the audience seemed to enjoy themselves, it was a good atmosphere despite the stifling heat, and overall, it was worth the trip to Paris.

Short Update from Paris

2011-07-02T02:37:00.000-04:00

This is my final day in Paris, and tonight, Magma ends their recent two-week Retrospective series of concerts at Le Triton. So far, the setlist has remained exactly the same, but tonight, I hope that Magma will surprise the audience.

I will be posting my impressions of the concerts when I return home and I am not forced to type on my iPad. Meanwhile, I have uploaded a few videos to YouTube. Search for the user id Vandertop2.

The Setlist for the First Week of The Retrospective Concerts

2011-06-25T01:50:00.000-04:00

Attahk
Riah Sahiltaahk
Dondaï
Félicité Thosz
Slag Tanz
Maahnt (encore)

I hope that this setlist changes in the second week. Riah is a great addition to their repertoire, as is Attahk. But I am disappointed that they are still featuring Slag Tanz and FT after playing them constantly for the past two and a half years.

Maahnt is my favorite tune off of Attahk, and I can't wait to see how they pull off the dueling bass lines, as well as the keyboard intro.

See you in Paris next week.

Consider Yourself ... Part of the Furniture

2011-06-13T07:52:00.000-04:00

Our intrepid Kobaian, Steve A, was in a pub the other night enjoying a cold one (or a warm one, as they tend to enjoy in England). Of course, as any mad Kobaian does, Steve starts examining the floral patterns on the chairs. And look at what he discovered:

Here is the place, in case any of you die-hard Magma fanatics want to pay hommage to the furniture.

See You at Le Triton on June 30, July 1, and July 2

2011-06-08T05:42:00.000-04:00

Are any other Kohntarkosz Blog readers going to be there?

Come and say hello. I will be the big, loud American that will be next to the big, loud Englishman.

I have been sworn to secrecy .... but at these gigs, Magma will be playing one of my favorite Magma tunes ... one that they have never played live before. And, when they start the first notes of this piece, I will be the guy that they have to pick off the floor.

See you then.

Mr. Issehn's World - All Magma, All the Time

2011-05-29T07:31:00.000-04:00

I thought that I was fanatical about Magma. Mr. Issehn has all of us beat! A view inside the house of Issehn....

Magma on the BBC - May 28, 2011

2011-05-29T06:56:00.000-04:00

Jeremy pointed me to a radio show on the BBC called The Freakier Zone. Last night, May 28 2011, they had an hour devoted to Magma. You can listen to the show here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011g8zy/Stuart_Maconies_Freakier_Zone_28_05_2011/

A whole hour of nonconformist radio, hosted by King of Freaks, Stuart Maconie. This week Stuart musically pugleises with founder of 808 State and Manchester techno house legend Graham Massey, talking about French progressive noiseniks Magma. It sounds big, ballsy and mind-blowing. If The Rapture had actually happened, Magma should have provided the apocalyptic soundtrack. Thankfully, Magma live to melt your face another day.

A Tribute to Magma from Sergio Sanchez Ravelo

2011-05-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

My Facebook friend, Sergio, wrote a beautiful tribute to the music of Magma. Reprinted here, with Sergio's permission.

MAGMA!

How could such a wonder of music like yours came into existence?
How could a miracle so great that your music represents came to be?
Your music is the ultimate expression of the divine and spiritual nature of man and the universe.
Your music represents the cosmic transformation of consciousness.
In your music I feel love.
In your music I feel faith.
In your music I feel compassion.
In your music I feel humility.
In your music I feel unity.
In your music I feel selflessness
In your music I feel immortality.
Your music has existed since the beginning of times and will last until the end of times.
Your music destroys selfishness.
Your music destroys anger.
Your music destroys hatred.
Your music destroys greed.
Your music destroys all sorrows and grief.
Suffering disappears with your music.
Your music represents life.
Your music represents death.
You have said that you don’t create the music, that the music comes to you.
I think I understand.
Your music comes from a supreme power.
Your music comes from the divine, unchangeable, and unconceivable being.
Your music, of divine nature, has the power to heal all the hearts of the world.
Your music is joy.
Your music is bliss.
Your music is enlightment.
It is written that the music of Magma is like a mirror where everyone can see a reflection of who he is.
Deep souls with loving hearts feel a strong and deep connection with your music.
Your music destroys our fake masks that we’ve been wearing and we get to know our true self.
Your music is self-realization.
Your music is the supreme state.
Your music is the real mystical experience.
Your music is infite wisdom.
You have said “to life, to death, and to everything after.”
And I add “to love, to consciousness, to God.”
Therefore your music is love, your music is consciousness, your music is God.
Magma! I call upon you with great love and devotion and I say with all my heart and soul: May the power of your music be the healing force of the universe for all eternity!

A New Interview with Giorgio Gomelsky

2011-04-10T11:29:00.001-04:00

http://www.rocksbackpagesblogs.com/2011/04/giorgio-gomelsky-interview/

Thanks to Snookehr for the link.

Some Folks Just Don't Know What To Do With Their Day

2011-04-01T17:21:00.002-04:00

For the obsessive graphics designer ... (thanks to Zwen for the link)

The New Vocalist for Magma is .... Davros

2011-03-30T07:57:00.001-04:00

Our friend Andy Bole created this little mashup of Dr. Davros (from Dr. Who) and Magma. He makes a pretty good vocalist, don't you think? Watch out, Herve. The good Davros may be after your job!

King Vander

2011-03-28T19:56:00.002-04:00

On DIME - TROC - Unreleased Track from 1973

2011-03-26T10:35:00.001-04:00

The Kohntarkosz Blog (http://kohntarkosz.blogspot.com) is happy to bring you, for the first time ever :

The French Gentleman Tapes - Volume 9

Troc
1973

01 Trick

aud > reel-to-reel (1st gen, mono) > wav > flac

Magmasystems Notes:

Troc was a French band that was active around 1972/3. it is notable for being the band that Jannick Top was in before he joined Magma.

The lineup for this unreleased track is unknown. But, the standard lineup for Troc during this time was the following :
André Ceccarelli (d)
Alex Ligertwood (v)
Jannick Top (b)
Henri Giordano (k)
Jacky Giraudo (g)

Update from user dukecobham on DIME:

This song is "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" that Alex also sang with Brian Auger's Oblivion Express on the "Live Oblivion" LP from 1975. The song was originally on the "Closer To It" LP from 1973 (which Alex did not sing on) and was also on the The Main Ingredient LP "Euphrates River" from 1974.

On DIME - Magma - October 13, 1976 - Grenoble

2011-03-23T06:18:00.000-04:00

The Kohntarkosz Blog (http://kohntarkosz.blogspot.com) is happy to bring you, for the first time ever :

The French Gentleman Tapes - Volume 7

MAGMA (VanderTop)

GRENOBLE, France
Eglise du Sacré Coeur
13 oct 1976

01 crowd (2:46)
02 Hhai (13:16)
03 De Futura (27:28)
04 Ptah (24:21)
05 La musique des sphères (24:13)
06 Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh (39:25)

Total : 2h11

Christian Vander : dr, voc
Jannick Top : b, voc
Klaus Blasquiz : voc, perc
Gabriel Federow : g
Didier Lockwood : vl
Michel Graillier : k

aud > reel-to-reel (mono, 1st gen) > wav > flac

The sound quality is not that good, and to me, it sounds a little "reverbish". This is probably because Magma was playing in a large church that night.

More Artwork for Chateauvallon 1972

2011-03-20T16:02:00.000-04:00

On DIME - Magma - Grenoble - May 17, 1975

2011-03-20T05:52:00.001-04:00

The Kohntarkosz Blog (http://kohntarkosz.blogspot.com) is happy to bring you, for the first time ever :

The French Gentleman Tapes - Volume 6

MAGMA

GRENOBLE, France
Palais des Sports
17 may 1975
Festival (with Mahjun, Mama Béa Tekielski, Henry Cow)

01 Intro (1:44)
02 Köhntarkösz (34:52)
03 Emëhntëht-Rê (announcement) (7:20) >
04 Ptah (22:35)
05 Hhai (14:32)
06 Intro (1:29)
07 Mëkanïk Dëstruktïw Kömmandöh (43:33)

Total : 2h06

Christian Vander (dr, voc)
Klaus Blasquiz (voc)
Stella Vander (voc)
Gabriel Federow (g)
Didier Lockwood (v)
Jean-Pol Asseline (k)
Benoît Widemann (k)
Bernard Paganotti (b)

AUD > reel-to-reel (mono, 1st gen.) > wav > flac

Jannick Top - July 27, 1974, La Rochelle, France

2011-03-19T17:48:00.000-04:00

Thanks very much to Jacky Pillac for sending me this photo.

For more photos, you can visit visit his blog at http://jacky-pillac-photographies.over-blog.com.

On DIME - Utopic Sporadic Orchestra - Nancy - 1975-10-17 (FM - Unreleased Piece)

2011-03-19T07:05:00.000-04:00

The Kohntarkosz Blog (http://kohntarkosz.blogspot.com) is happy to bring you, for the first time ever :

The French Gentleman Tapes - Volume 4

UTOPIC SPORADIC ORCHESTRA

NANCY, France
17 Oct 1975
Festival Nancy Jazz Pulsations

1) Andranomadio (22:24) (Unreleased)

FM > reel-to-reel (1st gen mono) > wav > flac

Magmasystems Notes:

This is a piece from the famous USO concert that WAS NOT released on CD anywhere. The only CD of USO that has been released is this one:

http://www.discogs.com/Utopic-Sporadic-Orchestra-Nancy-75/release/1956301

and the tune on this torrent, "Andranomadio", was not included on this CD.

This is the first time that these recordings have been released. The original reels came from "A French Gentleman" who stumbled upon the various Magma blogs and who, as it turned out, had seen Magma several times in the 1970's. The gentleman not only had some assorted photographs, but had recorded various concerts. These tapes made their way to a well known DIME contributor who wishes to remain anonymous at this time. This person spent quite a bit of time digitizing the music and trying to clean up the sound. Some of these efforts were successful, some were not so ... as will be apparent in some later releases. I have dubbed these recordings "The French Gentlemen Tapes", and after about two years, I have been given permission to share these through time. Much thanks go to the Gentleman, as well as Trahnsferheur.

If you want to find out more about Utopic Sporadic Orchestra:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0BjmQvN9xk

On DIME - The French Gentleman Tapes - Vol 3 - Zao - Paris - 1975-03-15 (FM - Excellent)

2011-03-15T20:49:00.000-04:00

The Kohntarkosz Blog (http://kohntarkosz.blogspot.com) is happy to bring you, for the first time ever :

The French Gentleman Tapes - Volume 3

ZAO

PARIS (?), France
Festival International du Son
15 mar 1975

01 Boogie à Toto (8:32)
02 Yog (9:27)
03 Isis (9:56)
04 Satanyia (17:30)
05 Attila (6:56)

Total : 52' 21

Francois "Faton" Cahen (k)
Jeff "Yoch'ko" Seffer (sax, fl, k)
Joël Dugrenot (b, voc)
Mark Barschmidt (dr)

FM (France Musique, 1975) > reel-to-reel (mono, 1st gen) > wav > flac

On DIME - Magma - Sanary, France - 1973-07-27

2011-03-14T22:26:00.000-04:00

The Kohntarkosz Blog (http://kohntarkosz.blogspot.com) is happy to bring you, for the first time ever :

The French Gentleman Tapes - Volume 2

MAGMA

SANARY, France
Cité de la Jeunesse
27 jul 1973

01 Kohntarkosz (Gamma Anteria) (30:15)
02 Sowiloi (Soi Soi) (14:33)
03 KMX BXII (8:53)
04 Stundehr Korusz (7:18)
05 Ptah (19:02)
06 Intro (3:00)
07 Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh (34:25)

Total : 1h57

Christian Vander : dr, v
Klaus Blasquiz : v
Jannick Top : b
Claude Olmos : g
René Garber : cl. contrebasse, v
Michel Graillier : k
Gérard Bikialo : k

aud > reel-to-reel (1st gen, mono) > wav > flac

Magmasystems Notes:

This is the first time that these recordings have been released. The original reels came from "A French Gentleman" who stumbled upon the various Magma blogs and who, as it turned out, had seen Magma several times in the 1970's. The gentleman not only had some assorted photographs, but had recorded various concerts. These tapes made their way to a well known DIME contributor who wishes to remain anonymous at this time. This person spent quite a bit of time digitizing the music and trying to clean up the sound. Some of these efforts were successful, some were not so ... as will be apparent in some later releases. I have dubbed these recordings "The French Gentlemen Tapes", and after about two years, I have been given permission to share these through time. Much thanks go to the Gentleman, as well as Trahnsferheur.

About this recording:

This recording is for die-hard collectors only. There are many, many drop-outs, bleed-throughs, and overall poor sound. However, if you are a fan and a follower of Magma's most formative years, the period from 1973-1974, then this recording is necessary. Collectors of Magma will realize that they played three days before in Marseilles, and that concert was released on DIME several years ago. This was a period of the group where they were trying to make sense of a melange of tunes that included Kohntarkosz, KA, and Om Zanka. Musically, this recording is extremely similar to the Marseilles recording. However, we have something new here .... a 7 minute contrabass clarinet solo from Rene Garber.

Also, bear in mind that, around this time, Magma made a trip to New York City for a few days to play at the Newport Jazz Festival and at the Hippopotamus club. Wouldn't it be amazing if these concerts ever showed up on DIME. Anything is possible.

Artwork for Magma 1972-08-23 Chateauvallon

2011-03-14T11:48:00.001-04:00

Thanks to our good friend Laurent Planer for the artwork. One for Zund I and the other for Zund II.

Now on DIME - Magma Chateauvallon Jazz Festival - August 23, 1972

2011-03-13T08:10:00.002-04:00

The Kohntarkosz Blog (http://kohntarkosz.blogspot.com) is happy to bring you, for the first time ever :

The French Gentleman Tapes - Volume 1

MAGMA

CHATEAUVALLON, France
Festival de Jazz
23 aug 1972

01 Intro (Giorgio Gomelsky) (5:01)
02 Stöah (7:14)
03 ''Iss'' Lanseï Doïa (12:22)
04 Sowiloi (Soï-Soï) (9:36)
05 Ki Ïahl Ö Lïahk (13:40) >
06 Ptah (10:30)
07 Intro (2:31)
08 Mekanik Destruktiw Kommando (30:24)
09 Klaus Kombalad (4:52)

Total : 1h36

Christian Vander : drums
Klaus Blasquiz . vocals
Francis Moze : bass
Teddy Lasry : soprano sax, flute, derbouka
François Cahen : keyboards
Jean-Luc Manderlier : organ
Jeff Seffer : tenor sax

AUD > reel-to-reel (Scotch, 9.5 ips, master ?, mono) > wav (16/44) > flac

Magmasystems Notes:

This is the first time that these recordings have been released. The original reels came from "A French Gentleman" who stumbled upon the various Magma blogs and who, as it turned out, had seen Magma several times in the 1970's. The gentleman not only had some assorted photographs, but had recorded various concerts. These tapes made their way to a well known DIME contributor who wishes to remain anonymous at this time. This person spent quite a bit of time digitizing the music and trying to clean up the sound. Some of these efforts were successful, some were not so ... as will be apparent in some later releases. I have dubbed these recordings "The French Gentlemen Tapes", and after about two years, I have been given permission to share these through time. Much thanks go to the Gentleman, as well as Trahnsferheur.

If you want to find out more about Magma's appearence at Chateauvallon, read the article here:

http://kohntarkosz.blogspot.com/2009/11/best-no-51-magma-chateauvallon-1972.html

"It was half past two in the morning when Magma could take possession of the stage because in addition to having nothing to say CTI said slowly. Magma begins to play and two hours sweeping and ridicules everything that had been previously submitted to and Châteauvallon. The outstanding musician, a remarkable singer, all led by a crazy drummer who knows what he wants and what he can get, as this is Magma which confirmed what we already believed, namely that they are the best European group and they may arise in the face of monsters equal Anglo-Saxon. The atmosphere and the climate created by Magma are not unlike those of James Brown, that the hypnotic rhythm crushes everything in its path and hungry machine that swallows you whole if you happen to take leave your finger. Faced with this demonic rhythmic change of high-class musicians like Francois Cahen, whose piano solo was reminiscent of Keith Jarrett. It should also emphasize the virtuosity of the singer Klaus, he would name them one by one as all are outstanding, but above all Magma is a group and certainly the largest that we had in France.

The ovation they gathered was the most enormous sounds in the pines festival Châteauvallon and the last image I retain is that of three thousand people standing, screaming, asking over at half past four in the morning."

VanderTop 1976

2011-03-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

This is the last photo from the book Les Genies du Rock. Thanks to Akoustikus for taking the time to scan and to send me these pictures.

This one is a well-known photo of the 1976 VanderTop formation. However, this version has the sharpest resolution of any of the version that I have previously seen.

Akoustikus Photo of the Day

2011-03-01T15:26:00.000-05:00

This looks like it is around 1978 ... which is one of my least favorite periods of the Magma legacy.

Akoustikus Photo of the Day

2011-02-28T17:43:00.001-05:00

That Genies of Rock book must contain a ton of Magma photos, cause Akoustikus keeps sending a new one every day.

Akoustikus Photo of the Day

2011-02-27T13:24:00.000-05:00

Akoustikus Photo of the Day

2011-02-26T18:50:00.002-05:00

Akoustikus Photo of the Day - Magma 1975

2011-02-25T11:05:00.000-05:00

CV - from Les Genies du Rock

2011-02-24T18:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks again to Akoustikus.

Another photo from Akoustikus

2011-02-23T17:33:00.000-05:00

Another great photo from Les Genies du Rock

2011-02-22T18:48:00.000-05:00

Akoustikus just sent this photo. I have never seen Klaus wearing a white robe before.

Any more info about this photo? JCA?

Another photo from Les Genies du Rock

2011-02-22T06:03:00.001-05:00

Another photo from Akoustikus from the book "Les Genies du Rock". This one looks like the early 70's, as we see Moze on bass.

Klaus

2011-02-20T18:35:00.000-05:00

Our friend Akoustikus sent this photo from a book called Les Genies du Rock. It looks like it from from 1970-72. Thanks Mr. A.

Magma - November 25, 1972 - Festival Sigma 8, Bordeaux

2011-02-17T19:04:00.005-05:00

This is from our friend, JC. He got them from the Michel Graillier page on Facebook.

According to Ork Alarm,

1972-11-25 Bordeaux (33) Palais des Sports (Sigma 8 Festival with Storchhaus choir - onstage at midnight)
and the lineup was Christian & Stella Vander, Klaus Blasquiz, René "Stündehr" Garber, Jean-Pierre Lembert, Jean-Luc Manderlier, Gérard Bikialo, Marc Fosset. However, it looks like Graillier in the photos, not Manderlier, and according to Ork Alarm, Graillier joined Magma in early 1973.

(Update - According to JCA,Bikialo and Fosset were not at this gig)

Magma - Conservatory of Paris - January 19, 2011

2011-02-17T04:35:00.001-05:00

On January 19, 2011, Magma participated in a "concert/masterclass" with musicians from the Conservatory of Paris. The concert consisted of only one piece, Emehntehtt-Re, and from what I have heard, the ensemble really burned up the piece!

~~It was also reported that the concert was being professionally filmed, and hopefully, Seventh will decide to release the video.~~ (Thanks to Tim for the correction)

We thank our good friend, Tim H, from the blog A Cup of Tim, for these great photos.There is additional commentary in the latest edition of Ascension magazine.

Klaus Blasquiz - Paiste Catalog 1983

2011-02-01T17:57:00.002-05:00

(Thanks to Akoustikus for this one)

Video - Magma - Toulouse - September 23/24, 1975

2011-01-29T06:14:00.000-05:00

This is some of the amazing footage that was recently discovered in the vaults of INA. It's only a little over 1 minute long. This shows some rehearsal/concert footage from the Magma concert in Toulouse, Sept 24, 1975. Plus some interviews with people on the street. A translations into English would certainly be welcome :-)

Hopefully, Seventh Records can procure the concert footage from INA and release it under the AKT label. The audio portion of the concert was already released on AKT IV. The video would make it complete !

Thanks to GZeuhl for the video capture.

UZ and Art Zoyd - Toulouse

2010-12-23T07:03:00.000-05:00


Courtesy of Gerard Nguyen

Jannick Top - Utopic Sporadic Orchestra - nancy, 1975

2010-12-23T07:00:00.003-05:00


Courtesy of Gerard Nguyen

New Magma-Related Comic from A Cup of Tim

2010-12-11T08:08:00.001-05:00

Our friend Tim has created another short comic about his recent trip to see Magma.

He even drew Alzairy's mallet grip correctly!

Two Videos from Masal (Jean Paul Prat)

2010-12-06T05:08:00.000-05:00

Masal "Viens des quatre vents" from Purple Sheep on Vimeo.

Masal "Nosani Lemo" from Purple Sheep on Vimeo.

Magma Live on French Radio on Nov 28 - Can Someone Record It?

2010-11-27T06:39:00.001-05:00

Here is information about a radio show that will feature Magma. The show is at 2:00 PM EDT on Monday, November 29. Supposedly, this will be a live broadcast of a concert that they will be playing in Paris at Duc des Lombards.

Can anyone record this? and more importantly, share this on Soulseek or on DIME?

I just bought these posters from an old Magma collector in France

2010-11-21T07:19:00.000-05:00

On DIME - Nov 5 2010, Les Abattoirs, Bourgoin-Jallieu, France

2010-11-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

2010 november 5th, Les Abattoirs, Bourgoin-Jallieu, France

------------------------------------------------

Personnal audience recording master

Minidisk Sharp MT88 mono - Sony ECM-DS70P microphones
> Computer SoundbasterLive > Wav > Flac8

----------------------------------------------

01-Untitled new song
02-Felicite thosz
03-Ëmëhntëtt-Ré
04-Applause encore
05-Kobaïa

--------------------------------------------

Christian VANDER / drums, vocals
Stella LINON / vocals, percussions
Isabelle FEUILLEBOIS / vocals, percussions
Hervé AKNIN / vocals, percussions
Bruno RUDER / Fender Rhodes
Benoît ALZIARY / vibraphone
James MAC GAW / guitar
Philippe BUSSONNET / bass

DIME - Magma - June 23, 2010 - Le Triton (Master)

2010-10-30T07:09:00.002-04:00

LDB Master Series #247

Hello, this is a collection of masters I would like to seed here. I've been taping shows for more than 20 years
and have an awful lot of masters. Most of them are in the old cassette format, some others are on MiniDisc and others are on CD. I've taped many shows of many artists over the years, so don't be surprised if you will find many different artists taped! Some shows are already circulating, some others have not circulated through collectors yet. But most of all, enjoy! They all come from my mastertapes!

Please DO NOT share this music on mp3, just convert it for your own use. Sharing mp3's is the right way to make me stop sharing music here. PLEASE DO RESPECT THIS WISH and enjoy the music in lossless form.

MAGMA
Les Lilas, Le Triton
June 23, 2010

01.Ëmëhntëht-Rê & Long Encore Break
02.Kobaia

TT 82:55

Lineage: CA-14 (omnis) > CA-9100 > Edirol R-09 > HD (via USB) > Sony SoundForge 7.0 > CD Wave (FLAC plugin - level 6)

Christian Vander — Drums, Vocals, Percussion
Stella Vander — Vocals, Percussion
Isabelle Feuillebois — Vocals
Hervé Aknin — Vocals
Benoît Alziary — Vibraphone, Keyboards
James MacGraw — Guitar
Bruno Ruder — Fender Rhodes
Philippe Bussonnet — Bass

I was not supposed to seed this one but having read all the thread related to the recent Magma show and as an appreciation to those seeders that DO share their effort here at DIME, I thought I would please more than one magma fan over here. The show is not complete: I spent the first half sitting in the first row (could not really stay in front of the band taping!) then I moved backwards on the second half and taped it. Soundwise this is excellent, hope you like it.

Let me also spend a few words regarding those "fans" mentioned in thoses threads that do not explicitly share their recordings but do indeed download and take pleasure from somebody else's recordings. I've been long enough in this hobby to remember back in the 80's and 90's where you had those shitty 'not for trade' lists that you could see but could not listen what was in them, just like young kids that have their teddy bear and do not want their friends to touch it. These days are long gone. Now the internet brings in a few minutes a concert that has been just recorded to the other side of the world. Gems are unearthed and shared just for the pleasure of receiving a 'thank you' from an unknown folk living in Australia. There is no more 'rare' and 'common' recording, no more f***ing 'not for trade' lists. And honestly, if you own a rare Magma soundboard, can you really be considered 'privileged' or 'more important' or 'luckier' than the others? Thanks god, there are more important things for which and may gain respect from others...

People who still live with the myth of being the only ones to be able to listen to a bloody Magma recording in DC are just poor gents who probably just have no clue about what are the real priorities.

I will attend Magma show in Cergy on November 27th. If any of you are there, let's have a beer (or two) and celebrate Magma!

ldb

PS: In the 'videos' folder you can find some video excepts that were show by a friend with a camera, just to give you a feeling of how that was...

DIME - Magma - Sept 25, 2010 - Wurzburg

2010-10-30T07:07:00.002-04:00

MAGMA
Freakshow Artrock Festival
2010-09-25
WUERZBURG
AULA der FRANZ-OBERTHÜR-SCHULE

Lineage : ECM MS 957 microphone > Edirol R09HR wav 24 bits > wavelab (44-16) > flac 8

recorded by PASSION91 MIXED BY RAPIDEYE

01 Slag Tanz
02 Félicite-Thösz
03 Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré

Benoit Alziary: vibraphone
Jim Grandcamp: guitare ( his 3rd gig with magma ..following the 2 USA shows)
Christian Vander: congas & maracas
Philippe Bussonnet: basse
Hervé Aknin: chant
Stella Vander: chant
Isabelle Feuillebois: chant
Bruno Ruder: rhodes

all pics by rodolphe taken from http://zeuhlmusic.blogspot.com

uploaded to dime by hanwaker 2010-10

DIME - Magma - Oct 16, 2010 - Freyming-Merlebach, France

2010-10-28T19:29:00.002-04:00

washington, new york, wuerzburg ... all that shows are recorded but did not appear on dime ....
here's another one for all the fans without special connections!

magma
2010-10-16
"maison des cultures frontières"
freyming-merlebach, france

digital audience recording

lineage: aiwa cm ds-6 > zoom h2 > cd card > harddisc > audacity > wave editor > flac

time: 123:29

line up:
christian vander - drums, vocals
stella linon - Vocals & percussion
Isabelle Feuillebois - vocals & percussion
Herve Aknin - vocals & percussion
bruno ruder - fender rhodes
benoit alziary - vibraphone
james macgraw - guitar
phillippe bussonnet - bass

01. intro (2:12)
02. Slag tanz (16:02)
03. applause > felicite thosz (30:19)
05. applause (1:13)
06. emehtehtt-re (53:42)
07. applause (5:46)
encore
08. kobaia (12:04)
09. applause (02:09)

some picture of the show inside the torrent
do not encode to lossy format, do not sell, enjoy!

RIP Jacques Guiton

2010-10-17T08:25:00.000-04:00

I just learned the sad news that Jacques Guiton, long time Magma afficionado and creator of the Magma Fan website, quietly and suddenly passed away last June.

Jacques was the one who recorded and shared the famous 1973 concert from Pont de Ce. This was our first exposure to the initial versions of Kohntarkosz and KA, and was one of the very first concerts that Jannick Top played with Magma. You can hear Jacques voice briefly at the start of track 3 on the recording. (I still can't understand what they are saying.)

RIP Jacques, and many thanks for your work on behalf of the Zeuhl community.

The Wurdalaks (pre-Magma)

2010-10-11T09:04:00.000-04:00

This seems to be the only known photo of The Wurdalaks, the group that Christian Vander was in before Magma.

From left to right:

Michel Rosengarten (guitar), Christian Grégoire (guitar), MOA (vocals), Christian Vander (drums), Richard Demaria (bass)

Short Review - Magma at the Highline Ballroom, Sept 20, 2010

2010-09-29T07:01:00.001-04:00

I originally was not going to go to this show, as I had already seen this set-list 4 times in 2009. However, I convinced my old friend Nick from Dr. Nerve to go, so I was glad that I had some company, I also met old friend Zeeker and new friend Keith there.

The set-list was the same one that they have been doing for the past two years.

1) Slag Tanz - this was a revised version from the original version that I saw them perform at Le Casino in early 2009. It seems to be moving in a more Offering-like direction, which is consistent with Vander's compositional direction nowadays.

2) Felicite Thosz - well, what can I say that I haven't said already? I used the song as an opportunity to eat my dinner.

3) E-R - well done. Grandcamp's guitar added another dimension. He was more forward in the mix than MacGaw usually is. During Grand zombies, you could really hear Grandcamp's guitar swells, and it definitely enhanced the atmosphere of Zombies. Vander pulled out one or two new drum licks. E-R was extremely well received by the audience.

4) Kobiaia - very noisy, very rambunctious, very much fun. Vander looked like he was having a great time.

From my vantage point in the balcony, the sound was very muddy, and the vocals were a bit under the mix. This could be just related to my gradual loss of the upper ends of the sound spectrum, so I will give Francis a break on this one :-)

Recording wanted from New York and Washington

2010-09-28T06:13:00.001-04:00

I am a bit surprised that nobody has shared their recordings from the recent 2-day US tour. I have been looking at DIME every day, hoping that some kind soul would be seeding their recordings. I know that half of the people at the Highline gig had recorders and movie cameras. So, if you have any mementos from this show, please consider sharing them on DIME, Demonoid, or Soulseek.

Also, a recording from the Univers Zero gig in Washington would also be welcome.

Thanks.

Voxnostra - Doloris Puer

2010-09-26T07:09:00.001-04:00

Here is a new tune by the French group, Voxnostra, called Doloris Puer. Very Zeuhl-ish sounding, with words sung in Latin.

The guitarist from Voxnostra is Jean-Claude Delachat, who played in the De Futura cover band along with Fanny Layani and Barfix.

Let me know what you think of this tune.

My Photos from the Highline Ballroom Show

2010-09-25T10:44:00.000-04:00

I was sitting in the balcony with my old friend Nick from Dr. Nerve.

Photos from the Magma Concert from the Brooklyn Vegan Site

2010-09-22T12:41:00.003-04:00

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/09/magma_played_hi.html

Rolling Stone Reviews Magma - Sept 20 2010 in New York

2010-09-22T05:52:00.001-04:00

A review of the Magma show at the Highline Ballroom on the Rolling Stone website.

I will write my own review when I get some time.

Here is a copy of the Rolling Stone review, taken from their website. All copyrights are from Rolling Stone Magazine, and the article is reprinted here without the explicit permission of Rolling Stone. (If Rolling Stone wants me to remove the text, then contact me.)

A Prog-Rock Legend Returns: Magma’s Heavy Music and Alien Tongues

David Fricke

Since its inception in 1969, the French progressive-rock ensemble Magma have made a curiously heavy music: a dark complex momentum in which the drums — played by leader-composer Christian Vander — are the forward instrument, often flanked by heavily fuzzed bass guitar and the hard watery ring of a Fender Rhodes piano, with an operatic chorale narrating, in a made-up language, extended fictions about the people and wars on the planet Kobaïa. Magma's rigorous, eccentric execution of Vander's continuing fantasia may be the least likely survivor of rock's Euro-prog peak in the early and late ‘70s. (A Philip Glass spectacle girded in doom-metal chain mail is a distant but not inappropriate comparison.) At New York's Highline Ballroom on September 20th, Vander and his wife, vocalist Stella Vander led a Magma in which most of the other players looked a lot younger than the band itself. But this Magma also sounded, amazingly, very much like the one that made the 1970 debut, Kobaîa. In fact, the encore was the title song from that double-album.

Everything else the eight-piece group played was new: two as-yet-unreleased pieces in the first hour; all of the 2009 album, Ëmëhntëtt-Rê, in the second. The lyrics were literally alien and the singing just as otherworldly — Stella Vander, Isabelle Feuillebois and Hervê Aknin alternated between eerie passages of medieval-like chant and martial ensemble arias — so the power in the music was entirely physical. That had a lot to do with Christian Vander, a John Coltrane disciple who combines a jazz drummer's language and touch with the heavy British agility of Bill Bruford and Mitch Mitchell. One mad passage in the second hour was a high-speed series of tortuous Vander figures matched with pinpoint timing on the other instruments, like the tangled bridge in King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man." Another section was hellish grandeur: fat pounding chords, laden with low booming overtones, with the vocalists accenting Vander's drum spasms with unison crashes on hand-held Chinese cymbals.

The Highline show was part of a short tour — two dates — by a band that in its initial heyday seemed more like a myth, issuing strange records from an imagined quadrant of the universe. And there were moments when this band fell a little short of the legend, as when pianist Bruno Ruder took off on a long unaccompanied solo that was, for all of its energy, not much above heated noodling. Even with his distortion set on lethal, bassist Phillipe Bussonnet couldn't quite match the truly devouring tone of Magma's great mid-‘70s bassist Jannick Top, a guy who sounded like he had Bootsy Collins and Lemmy of Motörhead coming through his strings at once.

But that is connoisseur talk. After four decades, there is still nothing in rock — prog or otherwise — like Magma. At least in this world.

DIME - Magma Oct 21, 1978 Alencon (Previously Uncirculated?)

2010-09-13T08:06:00.002-04:00

MAGMA

1978 october 21st, Alençon, France

---------------

Saturated recording when loud sound

01-Liriik Necromicus-Kahnt
02-The last 7 minutes
03-Ourgon & Gorgo
04-Ptah-Vander Drums solo
06-Hhaï
06-Nono
07-MDK 1 (cassette flip)
08-MDK 2
09-Spiritual

-------------

"CELLAR'S TAPES N°35"

Ptah Septet Plays Kohntarkosz

2010-09-10T10:29:00.003-04:00

Ptäh Septet joue Köhntarkösz (Magma)

Magma - Lyon 1976

2010-09-01T04:10:00.000-04:00

From my friend Rodolph, here is a ticket from a Magma concert in Lyon in 1976

Magma - Dutch Radio Program

2010-08-24T19:50:00.000-04:00

StormVogel's Dutch Radio program is here

On DIME - 1978 october 11th, Palais des Sports, Orléans

2010-08-23T12:25:00.000-04:00

1978 october 11th, Palais des Sports, Orléans, France

01-Retrovision
02-Hhaï
03-Ourgon & Gorgo
04-Ptah
05-The Last 7 minutes 1 (cassette flip)
06-The Last 7 minutes 2
07-Nono
08-Why this Man
09-MDK 1 (cassette flip)
10-MDK 2

Video - Magma in Japan, 2010

2010-08-13T17:56:00.001-04:00

SЮR BAND - Zür sün dїhhёl (Hommage à Christian Vander)

2010-07-25T12:11:00.000-04:00