Featured Album: Univers Zero - UZED

[alucard]

Great record!
One of my strangest UZ memories is during a breakfast at the RIO festival in Carmaux / France (2009 ?) when Daniel Denis suddenly started yelling at (mystery member) which was rather unusual for the normally more relaxed breakfast athmo during the RIO festivals. I learned a bit later the background for his emotional outburst.
Btw the opposite : a nice improvised morning outdoor mini acoustic coffee concert by Bob Drake during the last Carmaux RIO.

[Steve F.]

There were other plans including anoher remix, that of Ceux du Dehors, which for a while looked like it would come out as a combo with a DVD of a 2008/09 concert at Le Triton, but the latter is another project that fell by the wayside (no pun intended).

But - thanks to your memory jog - I now distinctly remember that this (or another) performance DVD was supposed to be the second disc with Clivages, for which DD asked for (and received) an advance based on this project having two discs and then, ultimately, only approved one disc. And - will you be shocked to learn - didn't return the extra advance.

FUN TIMES!

[Steve F.]

Great record!
One of my strangest UZ memories is during a breakfast at the RIO festival in Carmaux / France (2009 ?) when Daniel Denis suddenly started yelling...

It was 2013 and what you witnessed was the end of the end, which had already taken place in the previous few years. By 2013 Phosphorescent Dreams had already come out on another label, they were performing it at that show and I had no involvement with it.

The relationship had already all gone to shit before the outburst. I just wasn't rising to being baited at breakfast, which led to the outburst.

"Baited At Breakfast" - great name for the followup to "Phosphorescent Dreams"

[Buddhabreath]

Jeez Luiz. Well now I clearly know what you meant by "UZ kiss-off" and how clueless my response was. Sorry 'bout that!

[NogbadTheBad]

Great record!

Btw the opposite : a nice improvised morning outdoor mini acoustic coffee concert by Bob Drake during the last Carmaux RIO.

That was a lot of fun! I felt Bob was happier with that performance than the official one.

[alucard]

It was 2013 and what you witnessed was the end of the end, which had already taken place in the previous few years. By 2013 Phosphorescent Dreams had already come out on another label, they were performing it at that show and I had no involvement with it.

The relationship had already all gone to shit before the outburst. I just wasn't rising to being baited at breakfast, which led to the outburst.

"Baited At Breakfast" - great name for the followup to "Phosphorescent Dreams"

"Baited at breakfast" LOL
Miss the festival ...

[GuitarGeek]

Well, hopefully, in an attempt to bring this thread back into a happy direction, I spent sometime with Crawling Wind and Heatwave this morning. I imagine Crawling Wind is regarded as a "minor" release, given that it was originally just an EP, but somehow that ended up being what I listened to first this morning, and then on my Walkman, Heatwave was the next, alphabetically, so I just let it go, and listened to the whole of that album as well.

I have to admit, I'm not as familiar with this music as I probably should be. I got 1313 like a million years ago, back in the 90's, and that was the only Univers Zero I really heard until they played NEARfest. Then I got to see the Sonic Circuits performance. Then I guess i twas 2015, Steve put up low stock warnings for the UZ catalog, and I said, "If I'm gonna get the rest of the albums I better get 'em now, huh?", so I sort of grabbed the rest of the classic era stuff, up through Heatwave in the same of a month or so. And I just haven't spent much time with them, but definitely had fun listening to those two this morning.

[Dan Maske]

This was the first Univers Zero album I heard, having ordered it from Wayside Music in 1995. After I listened to it, I immediately placed an order with Wayside for all of the other UZ albums.

[Kcrimso]

I am writing a review of Uzed and I wondered if anyone has any info about why and how line-up of Univers Zero changed so drastically between the this one and its predecessor Ceux du Dehors (well, there was EP Crawling Wind also in-between)?

[calyx]

I am writing a review of Uzed and I wondered if anyone has any info about why and how line-up of Univers Zero changed so drastically between the this one and its predecessor Ceux du Dehors (well, there was EP Crawling Wind also in-between)?

Well, there were 3 years inbetween, and as you note, "Crawling Wind" already had Hanappier and Berckmans replaced with Ward and Descheemaeker, with Denis, Segers and Kirk remaining (making this line-up 2/5ths - EDIT - British !). So the main event that followed was Kirk leaving (as a result his new material performed in 1982/83 ended up being recorded on "Heatwave" after he returned) and being replaced by Plouvier. Interestingly Segers remained in the new line-up for a while, but then left and Genet returned, which made it look like more of a radical revamp than it really was. At least, it was more gradual than one could suspect just looking at the album credits. André Mergenthaler was briefly in the band before he left for Art Zoyd. The most radical change in fact was that Daniel was now writing all the material. This only changed with the next album because they decided to record the 1982/83 by Kirk that hadn't been addressed.

[Steve F.]

This only changed with the next album because they decided to record the 1982/83 by Kirk that hadn't been addressed.

I think that, additionally, DD’s compositional well was running dry by that point, but that’s more of a guess than a statement of absolute fact. It’s not like there are a lot of unused DD tunes post UZED.

[EBES]

I only know Heresie well but this thread was a fascinating read (even if it took a lot of parsing context clues to make it intelligible) and I feel quite motivated now to check out their other work.

[Progbear]

I only know Heresie well but this thread was a fascinating read (even if it took a lot of parsing context clues to make it intelligible) and I feel quite motivated now to check out their other work.

Heresie might actually be my least favorite of their “classic” period albums, so it can only be up from here!

[Kcrimso]

Well, there were 3 years inbetween, and as you note, "Crawling Wind" already had Hanappier and Berckmans replaced with Ward and Descheemaeker, with Denis, Segers and Kirk remaining (making this line-up 2/3rds British !). So the main event that followed was Kirk leaving (as a result his new material performed in 1982/83 ended up being recorded on "Heatwave" after he returned) and being replaced by Plouvier. Interestingly Segers remained in the new line-up for a while, but then left and Genet returned, which make it look like more of a radical revamp than it really was. At least, it was more gradual than one could suspect just looking at the album credits. André Mergenthaler was briefly in the band before he left for Art Zoyd. The most radical change in fact was that Daniel was now writing all the material. This only changed with the next album because they decided to record the 1982/83 by Kirk that hadn't been addressed.

Thank you, that is really helpful!

[Trane]

Well, there were 3 years inbetween, and as you note, "Crawling Wind" already had Hanappier and Berckmans replaced with Ward and Descheemaeker, with Denis, Segers and Kirk remaining (making this line-up 2/3rds British !). So the main event that followed was Kirk leaving (as a result his new material performed in 1982/83 ended up being recorded on "Heatwave" after he returned) and being replaced by Plouvier. Interestingly Segers remained in the new line-up for a while, but then left and Genet returned, which make it look like more of a radical revamp than it really was. At least, it was more gradual than one could suspect just looking at the album credits. André Mergenthaler was briefly in the band before he left for Art Zoyd. The most radical change in fact was that Daniel was now writing all the material. This only changed with the next album because they decided to record the 1982/83 by Kirk that hadn't been addressed.

unless I read you wrong, I guess you meant 2/5th.

[The Czar]

Heresie might actually be my least favorite of their “classic” period albums, so it can only be up from here!

Blasphemy! 😄

[Zeuhlmate]

I am writing a review of Uzed and I wondered if anyone has any info about why and how line-up of Univers Zero changed so drastically between the this one and its predecessor Ceux du Dehors (well, there was EP Crawling Wind also in-between)?

I have heard that Denis was not satisfied with Segers playing, and they are not on good terms today - on the other hand Segers played on Les Eaux Troubles (93), so what do I know... Ask Renato.

[Trane]

I have heard that Denis was not satisfied with Segers playing, and they are not on good terms today - on the other hand Segers played on Les Eaux Troubles (93), so what do I know... Ask Renato.

I was going to write that in my last post (he sort of got fired is what I had heard), but not being extra-sure, I abstained.
But he held a grudge for sure; but indeed the Eaux Troubles (in French it's not an especially positive title - as if UZ was ever cheerful anyways) is there to create doubts on a permanent feud. Segers organised a concert for Present on the same day and hour of UZ's first concert of their second life, some two Kms away (Studio Athanor & Halles de Schaerbeek), but finally Trigaux accepted to wait until the UZ crowd concert arrived to the Present concert to start playing. I spent two hours next to Guy that night. He gradually turned from furious to grumpy to normal to even joyful near the end - with a bout of hilarity when some young lady dancing wildly suddedly moved up and almost shattered the eyebrow arcade of some unsuspecting and innocent by-stander, who never realized he was this close (less than a half-inch) to going to the emergency hospital.


BTW, Daniel's wife once told me that she thought that the only UZ player that got treated unfairly during the first life of the band was Kirk. She even hinted that she was instrumental (in talking to hubby) about bringing Andy back into the second incarnation.

[The Czar]

Now I have to listen to the complete chronological UZ discography!

[Steve F.]

Now I have to listen to the complete chronological UZ discography!

It won’t hurt too much!

[chalkpie]

Blasphemy! 😄

And then some....

[Rarebird]

Well, there were 3 years inbetween, and as you note, "Crawling Wind" already had Hanappier and Berckmans replaced with Ward and Descheemaeker, with Denis, Segers and Kirk remaining (making this line-up 2/5ths - EDIT - British !). So the main event that followed was Kirk leaving (as a result his new material performed in 1982/83 ended up being recorded on "Heatwave" after he returned) and being replaced by Plouvier. Interestingly Segers remained in the new line-up for a while, but then left and Genet returned, which make it look like more of a radical revamp than it really was. At least, it was more gradual than one could suspect just looking at the album credits. André Mergenthaler was briefly in the band before he left for Art Zoyd. The most radical change in fact was that Daniel was now writing all the material. This only changed with the next album because they decided to record the 1982/83 by Kirk that hadn't been addressed.

Dirk Descheemaeker can also be heard here:

[Kcrimso]

Uzed recently turned 40. It has always been one of my favourites from Univers Zero. Here is my review: https://pienemmatpurot.com/review-un...ero-uzed-1984/

[Udi Koomran]

I am writing a review of Uzed and I wondered if anyone has any info about why and how line-up of Univers Zero changed so drastically between the this one and its predecessor Ceux du Dehors (well, there was EP Crawling Wind also in-between)?

Segers will know

[Kcrimso]

Segers will know

Well I wrote my review without that info. See above.