Aria Primitiva - Sleep No More album

Aria Primitiva
Sleep No More

Label : Monstre Sonore
Publisher : Wtpl-music
Digital release date : 29/03/2019
Physical release date : 29/03/2019 - CD Digipack and LP 30cm Vinyl
Distribution : INOUIE DISTRIBUTION
Genre: symphonic electro rock - ambient - contemporary classical - alternative - post rock
Number of tracks on CD : 9 | Duration : 53:35
Number of tracks on LP: 5 | Duration: 35:20
Musicians : Nadia Ratsimandresy : Ondes Martenot - keyboards
Cécile Thévenot : keyboards - sampler
Thierry Zaboitzeff : bass - cello - vocals - sampler - progamming
Composition : Thierry Zaboitzeff except for Helden, composed by Brian Eno/David Bowie, published by Jones Music/Mainman Saag LT/E.G. Music LTD as well as Hystamack and Kletka which are collective improvisations
Artwork : Thierry Moreau
℗ 2019 Thierry Zaboitzeff/Monstre Sonore
2019 WTPL Music

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Progresite (B) - Highlands Magazine (F) - Exposé (USA) - Babyblaue Seiten (D) - Koid9 (F) - Inrock (RU) - Prog Censor (B/F) - Citizen Jazz (F) - Revue & Corrigée (F) - Rythmes Croisés (F) - Metal.de (D) - Rockprogressivo.com (E) - Kosmik Muzik (F)

by Dominique Genin (2020)

ARIA PRIMITIVA Sleep No More
WTPL Music/ Monstre Sonore | - 56'26- FRA ‘18
RIO, Avant-Prog

About two years ago, I told you about Thierry Zaboitzeff’s new project, an unlikely
but magical trio. At the time, he released a first draft of the album that I’m presenting to you
today in the form of an EP titled *Work in Progress*.
But first, a quick recap to bring you up to speed.
In 1971, Zaboitzeff joined Art Zoyd, which he completely revamped in 1975 alongside Gérard Hourbette. These were the band’s heyday, marked by superb albums and major works, such as the music composed for Roland Petit’s ballets {a must-listen}.
In 1997, he left the band. Art Zoyd continued its quest for new music—ever more innovative, increasingly complex, and at times quite esoteric. Thierry, for his part, struck a better balance between avant-garde and accessibility in his personal projects.
Since then, he has released nearly twenty albums that blend experimental music, symphonic rock, and electroacoustic music. During an anniversary concert, he met two young musicians who already had considerable experience and, above all, shared the same artistic curiosity. Nadia Ratsimandresy holds a degree in Onde Martenot from the Paris Conservatory, and Cécile Thévenot is a pianist trained, among other places, at the Dijon Conservatory.
They decided to embark on a joint project where the ethereal sounds of Nadia’s
Onde Martenot and Cécile’s hypnotic samplers would blend with Thierry’s cello and vocals.
But beyond this surprising blend of sounds, the trio sought above all to explore the
encounter between primitive music and so-called avant-garde music. The project took shape; they released an EP lasting just under twenty minutes and performed live across Europe.
This album confirms what they had previously hinted at. This first true full-length album features nine tracks, including three reworked versions from the EP. With “Endayi Endesi,” the opening track, the ingredients of Zab’s signature sound are introduced to us. Next comes “Sleep No More,” a cover of the Art Zoyd track (from *Vorgänge* in ’87)—no danger of falling asleep here, even though it’s very dark. The album’s standout track, “Aria Primitiva,” serves as its flagship and perfectly encapsulates the trio’s goal: to create intense, contrasting electro-acoustic music where intimacy blends with volcanic energy, where hypnotic, tribal percussion
join forces with Zaboitzeff’s guttural vocalisations and contrast with the evanescent softness of the fleeting harmonics from the keyboards and the ondes Martenot.
“Maïdaykali” is cut from the same cloth; its volcanic energy brings to mind Magma {sic}. One feels completely
“zeuhl” in the face of these vocal eruptions à la Vander
Helden—which, across the Rhine, means “Heroes”—is indeed a rendering in the language of Goethe, Marx, and Lagerfeld (among others) of the famous Eno and Bowie track, closer here to Apocalyptica’s interpretation than to the original version.
Two tracks, “Hystamack” and “Kletka”—both very ambient, with soundscapes dominated by keyboards and Martenot waves—were recorded live in Salzburg and are, in fact, improvisations. The same goes for “Nixen,” which is minimalist and delicate.
But “Ouvrez donc cette porte” strangely brings this album to a close—an album that’s not easy to get into, but superbly original, one that dares to explore and knows how to discover unknown yet captivating worlds.
Not everyone can be an explorer, and so be it.

Dominique Genin (Prog-résiste 100)

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HIGHLANDS MAGAZINE (F)
by Catherine Codridex 02/2020 N°101

Aria Primitiva — Sleep No More
(WTPL Music BTZAP001, 2019, CD)

Reviewing an album by Thierry
ZABOÏTZEFF is always an adventure—and has been for over twenty years.
Whether with ART ZOYD and his late collaborator Gérard HOURBETTE in the ’70s,
or through his involvement in a myriad of projects related to film, theater, and dance, this composer, bassist, cellist, singer—and I’m sure I’m forgetting some—always surprises us. With just under twenty albums in his discography, each one is different and keeps us on our toes.
SLEEPNO MORE is presented to us in the form of a trio, ARIA PRIMITIVA.
Joining him are Nadia RATSIMANDRESY on keyboards and ondes Martenot, as well as Cécile THEVENOT
on keyboards and samples. A three-track EP had us buzzing in 2017.
What follows won’t let us rest easy either. The project’s core concept is: “to synthesize primitive rhythms with the latest sounds of avant-rock.” The cover features striking, eerie African masks. But this visual shouldn’t distract us too much. We must stay focused on the music—its domain and its reign. It’s impossible to deny the dark and restless atmospheres of ART ZOYD, the deep and inspired vocals, and the invented language that once linked the band to MAGMA for a time. But since then, ZABOÏTZEFF has moved forward, exploring and connecting unlikely elements. Here, they use the ondes Martenot. I’ll spare you the technical details—you can do what I did and look up how it works online.
The result is vibrant, cosmic sounds of incredible lightness, as heard on the opening track, “Endeyi Endesi.” A short, ethereal introduction gives way to warlike chords from the piano, a powerful bass, and a strong rhythm. A melody emerges, easy to follow despite the complexity and richness of all the subtleties surrounding it.
“Sleep No More” plunges into the heart of an African village. Distant barking, syncopated chants, guttural declamations before the music builds in intensity. Hypnotic, in successive loops. A sudden, vibrant awakening. Hystamack showcases everything that can be achieved with the Martenot. It begins with high-pitched glides like waves emanating from an old radio,
which, to my ears, sound like birdsong. Are we in dialogue with “little green men,” or do we have our feet firmly on the ground in the midst of a forest teeming with winged friends? The gentleness gives way to apocalyptic chaos, an explosion of fear and destruction. An ethereal introduction to “Maïdaykali,” weightless sounds that vibrate as they build. A few touches of percussion in a sterile universe. But watch out—the fanfare-filled awakening is coming. A striking contrast. Aggressive, powerful, mind-blowing vocals. The rhythm grabs you, your feet start moving, and suddenly you’re swept away in a blazing whirlwind. It’s pure “Wow!” effect! Right in the middle of the album comes “Aria Primitiva.” Fourteen breathless minutes. Bass, piano, chimes, screeches, creaks, and tinkles. Shifts in rhythm and atmosphere. The music takes various paths while being careful never to lose us. Detail by detail, it guides us by laying down little white pebbles that hold our attention. It’s addictive beyond imagination. After such a moment comes the fear of being disappointed by the next track, “Nixen.” Its first section offers a moment of respite with the softness of the piano enhanced by the sharpness of the sound waves. In the second part, the instrumentation expands, enriched by detailed sound effects. A delicate breath of life. Another magical moment, completely different from the rest of the album. What can be said about the reinterpretation of Brian Eno and David Bowie’s song “Heroes,” which becomes “Helden” in German? Originally written in English and German, it is sung here in German. The heavy thud of boots, in the rhythm of a goose-step at the opening, sends shivers down the spine. A gentle theme with the Martenot waves, while the vocals rising from the depths grip us in the gut. Solemn and mystical, unsettling and ominous. One of the most beautiful interpretations of this global hit. The emotions remain intact, the sound modernized. The gravity and darkness continue with the improvised, live track “Kletka.” It’s unsettling because it lacks a melody but is filled with sounds that emerge as the loops unfold. Truly rich and daring. But “Ouvrez Donc Cette Porte” leads us toward the exit, without trying to reassure us. Always unsettling without being overly aggressive. A reminder of the composer’s influences, with echoes of Stravinsky. *Sleep No More* is the moment to step out of the fog of the easy path, to listen, to savor.
Beyond the ***** rating, all that remains are “Fabulous,” “Grand,” and “Brilliant”—and I dare to use them.

Catherine CODRIDEX

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EXPOSE (USA)
by Peter Thelen 25/04/2019

Aria Primitiva — Sleep No More
(WTPL Music BTZAP001, 2019, CD)
Published 2019-04-25

It wasn’t that long ago that we reviewed the three song teaser Work in Progress, which was a preview of sorts to this, Aria Primitiva’s first full-length foray into their unique soundworld, a hypnotic avant-garde soundtrack seemingly suspended in a nightmare, offering many bizarre and curious twists as it proceeds, as well as deep forays into unexpected new territories. The band is led by one-time (long, long ago) Art Zoyd cellist and bassist Thierry Zaboitzeff, here adding sampler, programming, and vocals to that list, as well as responsibility for most of the compositions, save one Eno / Bowie composition (“Helden,” which they do a splendid job on) and a couple group impovisations. Nadia Ratsimandresy plays keyboards and the ondes Martenot, and Cécile Thévenot plays keyboards and sampler. There are no drums per se, but programmed beats which, along with the keys, ondes martentot, and samplers often give these works a very aggressive electronic feel, almost other-worldly at times. Three of the pieces here were presented on the EP, including the fourteen-minute centerpiece of the album “Aria Primitiva” and the title track, both perhaps remixed with a bit more punch, and the six-minute “Maidaykali” is about a minute longer with additional improv added to the beginning. The growling vocals on the latter will certainly recall Magma in their Üdü Ẁüdü and Attahk period, and they also seem to be in some mysterious language. The opener, “Endayi Endesi,” pits a powerful and eerie melody against the chattering bottom end, with some vocals only appearing in the last half-minute, like an introduction. “Kletka” is one of two live group improvisations (the other being “Hystamack”), both relatively short interludes of a few minutes joining the more high-powered elements in the program, but their inclusion is essential. “Nixen” opens with an articulate and soft piece for piano, which switches into a more electronic based piece at midpoint highlighted by voices, effects, and cello, making for a nice break after the high powered intensity of “Aria Primitiva.” All taken, Sleep No More more than lives up to all the expectations set by their impressive 2018 EP.

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BABYBLAUE SEITEN (D)
by Achim Breiling 07/04/2019

Aria Primitiva — Sleep No More
(WTPL Music BTZAP001, 2019, CD)

Aria Primitiva consists of Thierry Zaboïtzeff (formerly one of the two founding members of Art Zoyd), Cécile Thévenot, and Nadia Ratsimandresy, and the group has been active in this lineup since 2017. Ratsimandresy was part of what is likely the final lineup of Art Zoyd (assuming the group is no more following the death of Gérard Hourbette), and can be heard, for example, on “Phase V.” Together with Zaboitzeff, she has also performed on stage at the Art Zoyd anniversary concerts (see “44 1​/​2 - Live + Unreleased Works”).

Since Cécile Thévenot also operates primarily in experimental musical realms and has previously been active in the Art Zoyd scene, kindred musical spirits have certainly come together here. So why the group’s website (a subsection of Zaboitzeff’s site) refers to the whole thing as an “unlikely trio” is somewhat unclear. Perhaps because of the gender composition? But that shouldn’t really be considered unusual anymore these days.

In any case, given the respective musical backgrounds of the three participants, it should be clear what kind of music can be found on “Sleep No More,” the project’s debut album released in March 2019. Three tracks from the album were already released in 2018 on the EP “Work in Progress.” The title track was also once available as a download single in its original version (without the two women’s participation) (see “Aria Primitiva”). Now the “full version” is available (as specifically noted on the cover).

Electronic sounds, sampler textures, and all manner of keyboard excursions meet Zaboitzeff’s bass, his cello, and, at times, his rather peculiar, sonorous, hoarse, and growling “vocal performances,” occasionally underpinned by programmed percussive patterns. Since Zaboitzeff was likely primarily responsible for the composition, what’s on offer here doesn’t differ all that much from what can be found on his previous solo albums. Art Zoyd’s more recent sound is also not far off here.

Nevertheless, “Sleep No More” features a suite of avant-garde electronic music with a progressive rock character that is quite distinctive in its own right, one that generally unfolds in a rather dark and menacing manner. Moments of more free-form undulation and floating provide just as much variety as all sorts of experimental sound manipulation and improvisation (listen, for example, to the wild “Hystamack” or “Kletka”), rock-infused, rugged sections underpinned by pulsating beats or very authentic percussive imitations, various sonic embellishments from the sampler (which will sound familiar at times to listeners well-acquainted with Zaboitzeff’s work), dreamy soundscapes (“Nixen”), and songs verging on art rock (at least the peculiar “Helden”—performed by Zaboitzeff in German). The Ondes Martenot also introduces new (compared to Zaboitzeff’s previous solo work) classical-electronic timbres.

All in all, “Sleep No More” is a successful album that offers a balanced and intricately woven blend of electro-prog, experimental sound experiments, classical electronics, and avant-prog—or electronic chamber rock—in the spirit of Art Zoyd (or Zaboitzeff’s solo work). The album as a whole has a very powerful and richly detailed sound and is thoroughly compelling, even if the reviewer isn’t particularly fond of a few passages with somewhat monotonous, rumbling “um-ums.” You do get used to it, though.

Published on: April 7, 2019
Last updated: April 14, 2019
Rating: 12/15

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KOID9 (F)
by Renaud Walid 05/2019 n°108

Aria Primitiva
Work in Progress / Sleep No More
(Booster / WTPL Music / Monstre Sonore /
Inouïe Distribution)

And here is the new project by Thierry Zaboitzeff, one of the two founding members of the band Art Zoyd from 1971 to 1997. Between 1997 and 2017, Thierry produced 18 albums spanning symphonic rock, electronic music, and acoustic music.
Featuring Nadia Ratsimandresy on ondes Martenot, keyboards, and samplers; Cécile Thévenot on keyboards and
samplers; and Thierry on composition, bass guitar, electric cello, vocals, and samplers,
Aria Primitiva—the “unlikely trio,” as the artist himself describes it—is magical in more ways than one. The group was in residence at the Maison Folie Beaulieu in Lomme and then performed in concerts throughout 2018 (at the Les Intemporelles, Soignies, and Les Tritonales festivals; at Le Triton in Les Lilas; and at ARGEkultur concerts in Salzburg and Porgy & Bess in Vienna).

JC Alluin sets the tone right from the start on the CD: “An imaginary crossroads at the intersection of dense and demanding personal journeys, Aria Primitiva blends genres and influences, creating a unique vocabulary that transports the listener through a succession of vivid labyrinths with sometimes abrupt turns—skillfully arranged, for here, tranquility never lasts too long... Post-rock? Symphonic? Tribal? Contemporary? European? Ambient?”

Let’s start at the beginning by explaining how this collaboration came about: Thierry met Nadia and Cécile at one of Art Zoyd’s final anniversary concerts at Le Phénix in
Valenciennes in December 2016, in which he was participating as a composer and longtime member. This event—musically and emotionally intense—brought their singularly diverse worlds into harmony. He recognized in them that same artistic curiosity, that shared language that transcends words, a primal energy—who knows? There are moments in life that one must know how to listen to; this was one of them, and they set out to bring it to life through sound. The trio formed out of this almost perfect harmony between them—though improbable, it emerged
as a matter of course.

The trio offers new sounds, a distinctive sensibility, and a clash of cultures bubbling in the crucible of human magma. The idea of blending ethereal sounds with tribal rhythms, of interweaving his voice and that of the cello with the unsettling evanescence of Nadia’s Martenot waves and
Cécile’s hypnotic samplers, reawakened in Thierry the enthusiasm of an adventurer.
They want to be wild, loud, orchestral, stripped-down, intimate, rigorous, and sometimes free improvisers as well, using every technical means at their disposal, such as real-time sampling and looping.
Sleep no more |! The trio issues this command to the listener who ventures into these sensitive and harsh compositions. Pinced, percussive, ethereal, allusive, vocal—
the music imposes its own law. A combination that gives birth to what resonates most deeply within us: the primitive echo, the primordial sound.

Why delve so deeply into steady bass lines and pair them with fleeting harmonics? Why probe the farthest reaches of the human body’s resonances?
Simply to reveal: “Don’t fall asleep; I don’t know everything.”
The paradox of Aria Primitiva is in motion.

*Work in Progress* was released in 2018; it is a 3-track EP in digipack format, offering
music that’s a bit different because not all the final instrumental parts had
yet been recorded or mixed. It was a work that was already well underway but incomplete. This EP served as a calling card. It features “Maïiïdaykali” (5:56),
“Aria Primitiva” (14:49), and “Sleep No More” (3:42).

These three tracks can therefore be found in their final versions (which also vary somewhat in length) on the full-length album *Sleep No More*, released in late 2018, which is the album the trio intended to put out. Spanning 53’35 and 9 tracks, the trio develops a certain unconventional, atypical style. With its often Zeuhl-inspired approach (“Sleep No More” or “Maïidaykali”), you’d often swear you were listening to Christian Vander’s vocal outbursts in Magma! But the music cannot be reduced to a slavish copy, even if it were of a master (there are also King Crimson influences, for example, on “Nixen” (5:10), which begins with a piano duet and—what one might take for a Fripp-style guitar—except that there is NO guitar!). It’s far more original than that: here we find that obsession with sound (kudos to the absolutely magnificent mastering), atmospheres that are by turns
dark or magical, that sense of absolute urgency, those tranced-out vocals, those strange sounds (scratching vinyl, crows!), those primitive percussion parts... The centerpiece of the album is the 13’57 title track: a showcase of everything that gives the band its unique flavor—not for
the uninitiated, this is very demanding music! I’m pleased to note the artist’s ever-present
sense of humor in the track “Mais ouvrez donc cette porte!” (filled with the creaking of various
doors, of course!) .

Two short tracks (“HystamackK” (3:46) and “Kletka” (3:33)) were recorded live in Salzburg in
November 2018 and are highly atmospheric collective improvisations. “Helden” (5:26)
is actually a cover of the famous song “Heroes” by Brian Eno and David Bowie in its German version, as sung by Andrea Schroeder or Apocalyptica.

Finally, let’s mention the beautiful digipack design by Thierry Moreau. Available in
digipack and LP formats (in a shorter version with 5 tracks in a different order
—Side A and Side B, of course—) and on all digital platforms (iTunes,
Amazon, Spotify, Deezer, YouTube Music, and
many more!)

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INROCK.RU
by ЕЛЕНА САВИЦКАЯ 06/2019



Aria Primitiva “Sleep No More” (2019)

Aria Primitiva is a new project by avant-rock guru Thierry Zaboitzeff (formerly of Art Zoyd). According to the maestro, the musical concept behind the project is the synthesis of primitive rhythms with the latest sounds and elements of avant-garde rock. It’s no coincidence that terrifying African masks are featured on the album cover! Even the musicians’ faces in the photo are highlighted as if they were wearing war paint. But in fact, there isn’t much ethnic influence in Aria Primitiva. The music is reminiscent of the solo works of the late Art Zoyd and Zaboitzeff, in which he gravitates toward a paradoxical combination of classical genres with avant-garde content (Missa Furiosa, etc.). It is more of an industrial symphony of the modern stone jungle, in which a person survives and even tries not to go mad.

In Aria Primitiva, Thierry Zaboitzeff (bass, electric cello, vocals, programming) is joined by two beautiful women—Nadia Radsimandresy and Cécile ThévenoT. Both play keyboards, but while Cécile uses “ordinary” synthesizers, Nadine’s instrument deserves special mention. These are ondes Martenot (Martenot waves)—an invention by the French musician and radio engineer Maurice Martenot (1928), in which the sound generated by electrical circuits can change both pitch and volume using a conventional keyboard and buttons, as well as in a completely unconventional way—using a special ring. By placing it on the finger of your right hand and moving it across the keyboard, you can produce a “singing” glissando and all sorts of cosmic sounds; you can also create vibrating tones of a specific pitch. The ondes Martenot are similar to the better-known theremin (an invention by Russian physicist Lev Theremin), but have a more complex structure. Nadia Radsimandresy is a graduate of the Paris Conservatory and a professor at the Boulogne Conservatory, where she teaches students to play the ondes Martenot and simpler synthesizers. She is also a very popular performer and composer. Her ties to Art Zoyd go back quite a long way—Nadia participated in the recording of Bezaboytsev’s albums from the 2000s, as well as in Art Zoyd’s collaboration with the Rock in Opposition festival in 2015.

Thanks to an unusual and rare instrument, “Aria of Primitive” has a rather distinctive sound, even if you might not immediately hear the “voice of the waves.” In the opening track, “Endayi Endesi,” it is overshadowed by a powerful bass playing in unison (but a few octaves lower) and an alarmingly pulsating rhythm. But at the start of “Hystamack,” it’s clearly evident—those glissandos soaring toward the sky sound like radio signals exchanged with extraterrestrial civilizations. And the duet with the electric piano in “Nixen” (with the cello joining in later) is simply incredibly delicate and beautiful.

As for “primitivism” and shamanism, they lurk at every turn. First, someone laughs in a disturbing way; then the (sampled) dogs bark; then it seems even a duck grunts; and finally, Thierry imitates a throat song. In “Maidaykali,” you first hear something subtly French, as if an accordion were playing at a carnival. But then, industrial beats burst in, and Zaboitzeff’s muffled voice insistently says something about the coming apocalypse—albeit in an incomprehensible language. The album’s standout track is “Sleep No More,” which opens with a sample featuring the cries of a primitive tribe—a rhythmic and even somewhat melodic composition featuring Zaboitzeff’s “split” vocals (and, as he claims, no processing whatsoever!)—something reminiscent of Art Zoyd’s timeless “Baboon’s Blood.” The centerpiece track is the 12-minute “Aria Primitiva,” an electronic symphony featuring an odd-sized bass, syncopated piano, and grotesque “trumpets.” From time to time, however, the development is interrupted by “suspended” bell chords, the tinkling and creaking of strings, digital clicks, the hum of electric generators, and other mind-expanding sounds. And on a few more occasions, there’s a high-pitched chromatic theme, strongly reminiscent of the DSCH sound monogram—Dmitry Shostakovich. It’s no coincidence that Thierry Zayboitzeff has ties to our country! And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that one of the improvised compositions is called “Kletka” (such associations do arise...). In the final composition, “Mais Ouvrez Donc Cette Porte!” (as, indeed, in many others), echoes of Stravinsky can be heard. Only the rock hit “Helden” (a cover of the Brian Eno and David Bowie song from the album “Heroes”), which Thierry Zaboitzeff sings very expressively, in his dark style, in German (the original song is bilingual), seems slightly out of place in this series... But as for the encores, that’s exactly right—that’s how it sounded at the Aria Primitiva concert in Salzburg in November 2018. Yes, the most amazing thing is that all this material is not only perfectly recorded in the studio but also performed live—of course, with “pads,” but at the same time in real time. If you get the chance, find a concert on YouTube and enjoy the show.
InRock #88

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PROG CENSOR (B/F)
by Auguste 07/06/2019

Aria Primitiva
Sleep No More
electro-symphonic/art-rock – 53’31 – France ’19

We had been awaiting this debut album with growing anticipation, excited by the very first public performance of the former Art Zoyd member’s new project before the spellbound audience at the Les Intemporelles festival. The trio is unconventional: electric cello, bass, samplers, and vocals (Thierry Zaboitzeff); keyboards and samplers (Cécile Thevenot); and ondes Martenot and keyboard (Nadia Ratsimandresy). The trio is a clash: of cultures (classical, rock), styles (avant-garde, experimental), sounds (electronic, tribal), and compositional approaches (precise, improvised). The trio is energy: hypnotic, unsettling, powerful. It brings together two generations who share a taste for sonic adventure and something to express through their fingertips. The album features the three dazzling tracks that heralded the “Work in Progress” EP, remixed with a slightly sharper edge—“Maïdaykali” even gains an extra minute in the process. “Endayi Endesi” sets the tone right from the start: the ethereal strangeness of the Martenot waves, brutal bass thuds, motoric and tribal rhythms from the non-drum section, throaty or catacomb-like vocals, and concrete sound elements (laughter, barking). Improvised and performed live, “Hystamack” and “Kletka” expand the space the album needs to blossom even further, while “Nixen” breathes new life into the declaration of love for Bowie’s heroes (“Helden”). A variation among variations (“… for a door and a sigh”?), “Mais ouvrez donc cette porte!” brings this unusual and fertile album to a breathtaking close.

Auguste

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CITIZEN JAZZ (F)
by Denis Desassis 19/06/2019

ARIA PRIMITIVA - SLEEP NO MORE
Thierry Zaboïtzeff (elb, cello, voc, elec), Nadia Ratsimandresy (kb, ondes Martenot), Cécile Thévenot (kb, elec).
Label / Distribution : WTPL Music

This is not a column. Rather, it is a sort of declaration of love for a musician who has been active for so many years that it seems high time to highlight here, in a few lines, his exceptional personality and his commitment to a creative process that is uniquely his own. And one that need not be confined to the realm of jazz—if indeed such a classification makes any sense when it comes to describing a world that cannot be likened to any other.

Thierry Zaboïtzeff—bassist, cellist, composer, singer, inventor, and many other titles. Such is the name of this musical explorer.
The older among us surely haven’t forgotten the band Art Zoyd, founded in the late 1960s with his longtime collaborator, the late Gérard Hourbette, who passed away not long ago. The beauty of this group—hastily pigeonholed into the “progressive rock” category—was dark and convulsive, as suggested by some of the titles on their albums: *Symphony for the Day When Cities Will Burn*, *Generation Without a Future*, *The Marriage of Heaven and Hell*, and *Restless Spaces*. Some sought to link the group to the Magma sphere—wrongly, in our view. Art Zoyd certainly created a different kind of music about traversing vast spaces, but one of a very different nature and origin, hovering between light and shadow, from which voices could emerge from the depths, sometimes expressing themselves in a language from another world. That of Thierry Zaboïtzeff, to be precise. Art Zoyd did not contemplate the possibility of another world: it had enough on its plate with the all-too-often despairing reality of our own.

The two musicians went their separate ways in the late 1990s, with Gérard Hourbette continuing the Art Zoyd adventure in a more electronic vein, while also establishing his own music production studio in Valenciennes, where many composers dedicated to musical exploration could work—not to mention his significant educational efforts. This continued until his death in May 2018. But Art Zoyd, now a center for musical creation, continues to thrive thanks to Monique Hourbette-Vialadieu, his wife and widow.

For his part, Thierry Zaboïtzeff has proven to be incredibly active. He has been involved in various projects with directors and choreographers. He formed the group Zaboïtzeff & Crew, distinguishing himself notably with *Missa Furiosa*, which blends techno and operatic singing, as well as with a tribute to Jules Verne, *Journey to the Center of the Earth*. Solo concerts, dance, film, theater, and a total of about twenty albums between 1997 and 2016. Enough to satisfy many who longed for the unique energy of Art Zoyd’s early years.

And now a trio has emerged—Aria Primitiva—with their album *Sleep No More*, whose turbulent tones we first encountered last year with the release of a three-track EP, all of which appear on the album. Aria Primitiva is yet another indefinable project straddling the boundaries of electronic music, contemporary music, and symphonic rock; another new world that seems to know no hope of respite. The bassist’s signature drive is still there, like an arrhythmic heart straining with effort. A cavernous voice roars in the shadows; it seems to come from beyond the grave, instantly recognizable even if the meaning of its words remains a mystery. Sonic explorations punctuated by electric streaks from the strings and electronic effects remain at the heart of the bassist’s passions; he is as eager as ever to scrutinize every nook and cranny of his musical cave and all its unknowns. Joining him are two musicians at the helm of their hypnotic keyboards, Nadia Ratsimandresy and Cécile Thévenot, whose radiant presence serves as a counterpoint to the leader’s very earthy one. The Ondes Martenot played by the former work wonders, illuminating the shadows of the bass and the underlying turmoil of the compositions with their playful and evanescent sound. *Sleep No More* is one of those albums you listen to while holding your breath.

The icing on the cake of this success is the song “Helden,” a German-language cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes.” It immediately establishes itself as one of the most intriguing adaptations of this global hit and, in doing so, proves to be in perfect harmony with the sonic aesthetic established by the Thin White Duke and Robert Fripp’s spellbinding guitar. Along with the title track “Sleep No More,” Aria Primitiva has two potential dark hits on its hands. But in a world other than our own, no doubt—one that would give mystery a chance.

Thierry Zaboïtzeff, perfectly supported, seems to want to tell us that he’s here—and very much so.
“Sleep No More” proves it; it’s obvious.

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REVUE & CORRIGEE (F)
by Pierre Durr  21/06/2019

ARIA PRIMITIVA
Sleep no More
MONSTRE SONORE/WTLP MUSIC BTZAPO01 - 2019

Formed nearly two years ago and touring Europe since the spring of 2018,
Aria Primitiva is finally releasing its debut album, *Sleep no More*.
Aria Primitiva is the new project by Thierry Zaboitzeff, who, until the mid-
1990s, shared the Art Zoyd adventure with Gérard Hourbette (as evidenced by the cover of “Sleep No More,” one of his compositions taken from the short suite “Vorgänge,”
which appears on the album *Nosferatu*). Alongside him—as he handles bass, cello,
vocals, and sampling—is Nadia Ratsimandresy (ondes Martenot, keyboards)
who has also been heard in a few recent Art Zoyd projects, and especially 
in her interpretations of Messiaen and Tristan Murail**; and Cécile Thévenot (keyboards, sampling), who has occasionally replaced Patricia Dallio in Art
Zoyd. Aria Primitiva’s music fits quite naturally into this lineage (a connection reinforced by the choice of Thierry Moreau—designer for Univers Zéro, Shub-Niggurath, and Eskaton—for the album cover). It shares that dark, at times earthy or even sepulchral, unyielding
and tormented quality, with vocals that are almost Zeuhlian. And yet, the haunting effect of the
Martenot waves adds an ethereal quality. Is this a soothing contrast or simply a respite before plunging into darkness? Finally, with “Helden,” Aria Primitiva incorporates an aspect of David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy into its style.

* With the exception of the EP *Work in Progress*, a sonic calling card consisting of three unfinished pieces.

** Nadia Ratsimandresy & Matteo Ramon Arevalos, *Messiaen et autour de Messiaen*,
ReR Megacorp, 2009; with L’Ensemble Volta, *Les Nuages de Magellan*, *Works by Tristan Murail*, Megacorp, 2014.

PIERRE DURR

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RYTHMES CROISES (F)
by Stéphane Fougère 18/07/2019

ARIA PRIMITIVA – Sleep no more
(Monstre Sonore / WTPL Music)

We’ve been eagerly awaiting this album ever since it was first announced with the 2017 EP *Work in Progress* and a handful of concerts in Belgium, France, and Austria in 2018. We won’t go into the band’s origins or how it was formed—we’ve already covered that in our review of the aforementioned EP. So everyone is supposed to know where they stand and what this is all about. But if you missed the previous installment, here’s the short version: behind ARIA PRIMITIVA is composer and multi-instrumentalist Thierry ZABOITZEFF, who was one of the driving forces behind the band ART ZOYD, alongside the late Gérard HOURBETTE, before devoting himself to several personal projects (dance, theater, film, multimedia…). I see some eyelids lifting—it’s about time! Now that you’ve opened them, know that you’ll have a hard time closing them again. Because we’re not here to sleep, nor to lull anyone to sleep. The very DNA of ARIA PRIMITIVA’s music prevents that.

Sleep no more: Don’t sleep anymore. The command comes from afar and resonates loudly. Originally part of the show *Vorgänge*, for which ART ZOYD composed the music in 1987, it returns today as a resounding echo, and ARIA PRIMITIVA has made it the title of their first album. “Sleep no more”—as if to say that after all this time, the need to remain mentally alert is more essential and vital than ever. And it is Thierry ZABOITZEFF’s way, in response to this echo, of suggesting that the music of his new trio finds its roots in that of the group that brought him to prominence. ARIA PRIMITIVA is neither a tribute nor a copy; it is an extension, a unique blossoming that certainly echoes the Artzoydian universe but possesses its own sonic soul, transformed by an approach to instrument-making that is both classical and avant-garde.

The bass, cello, and vocals of Thierry ZABOITZEFF constitute its tangible elements— tangible, electrifying, and convulsive, while Nadia RATSIMANDRESY’s keyboards and Ondes Martenot, Cécile THÉVENOT’s keyboards and sampler, and Dr. ZAB’s rhythmic programming embody (so to speak…) this virtual, phantom-like, immaterial, radiant, and hypnotic component. ARIA PRIMITIVA combines the abrasive energy of rock, the structural sinuosity of certain contemporary classical music, and the spectral imprint of urban and industrial sounds, tribal impulses, and even animal cries—dogs and crows on the prowl.

Both ancient and futuristic, this “primitive melody” displays a complex wildness, expressing a primal sensibility within an apocalyptic symphony that moves between heaven and the underworld to shake up a present that refuses to be born. ARIA PRIMITIVA is a stage for perpetual emotional movement, never lingering too long in one place and charting its course through countless detours, twists, and pitfalls, as if to better impress upon the listening minds that they must not sacrifice even a fraction of their attention.

In fact, ARIA PRIMITIVA’s music reveals a universe spanning multiple formats: epic or semi-epic compositions, “songs,” instrumental pieces, and improvisations. If you were expecting run-of-the-mill fare by the mile, you’re out of luck: here, we’re venturing into the multidimensional!

The opening track, “Endeyi Endesi,” effortlessly draws you in with its atonal introduction, martial piano chords, and a shiver-inducing melody on the Ondes Martenot, which cast a dark hue over the angular soundscape leading to the innermost chamber, where ZAB’s messianic voice is heard, seeming to say: “Welcome to the tormented yet thrilling world of ARIA PRIMITIVA!” The catchy “Sleep No More” makes a welcome return, retaining the version we knew from the EP (more compact than ART ZOYD’s), but benefiting from a mix that’s just a touch punchier. A 180-degree shift comes with “Hystamack,” a live-recorded improvisation that plunges the listener into a deceptively silky vortex, punctuated by increasingly insistent, destabilizing micro-shocks, with that Fripp-esque guitar in its final third intoning a rough lament.

Another track unveiled by *Work in Progress*, “Maïdaykali,” has also gained an extra minute (bringing it to seven minutes), thanks to the extension of its ethereal introduction, which further accentuates the contrast with its development—a cyber-metal section that takes no prisoners!

Already featured on the EP, the fourteen-minute “Aria Primitiva” creates a cinematic experience for the ears that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Even though it’s been trimmed down slightly from its EP version, it loses none of its status as the album’s centerpiece and becomes the very heart of the record. “Nixen” offers a welcome ambient interlude with melancholic undertones in its first half, before the second half reveals a sonic landscape (cello, piano, various sound effects…) ready to set out on the hunt.

The sound of heavy boots is then heard, and a beguiling melody on the Ondes Martenot and cello takes hold, soon enveloped by spectral voices: a German vocal rises solemnly, supported by a melody that seems to come from far away… You’re not dreaming—it really is “Helden,” the German version of Brian Eno and David Bowie’s “Heroes,” prodigiously transformed into a gloomy and unsettling mirage in which one even thinks one hears Robert Fripp’s famous guitar sound again! The departure from the original is radical, but thrills are guaranteed.

“Kletka,” the other live improvisation, plunges us into murky waters, with a prepared piano, taut strings, and a darkening aura… If the listener has made it this far more or less unscathed, there’s no doubt they’ll be eager to find the way out at this point. It’s offered to them with “Mais ouvrez donc cette porte!”, the closing track with a more fluid structure but a spine-chilling atmosphere.

You don’t open doors with impunity, and everyone knows you can’t look both ways at once to see what lies beyond… But don’t let that deter you from entering this zone of discomfort that ARIA PRIMITIVA has so kindly and meticulously concocted for you—quite the contrary! *Sleep No More* has all the makings of a cathartic experience; this fierce and sophisticated album serves as an underground channel of communication with the shadowy recesses of the subconscious, and the unsettling landscapes it unveils are sure to tantalize fans of steep mysteries. Why not make it your bedside album?

Stéphane Fougère

P.S.: This album is also available on LP, which contains only five tracks—the five major compositions, presented in a different order. The improvised pieces and the cover of “Helden” are excluded, but vinyl enthusiasts should definitely pick it up, if only to enjoy the stunning cover art by Thierry MOREAU in large format.

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METAL.DE (D)
by Michael Klaas 20/07/2019

Aria Primitiva - Sleep No More

Aria Primitiva - Sleep No More Thierry Zaboitzeff unleashes a dark, menacing force upon us with his project ARIA PRIMITIVA. Once one of the two key figures in the chamber-rock band ART ZOYD, he now takes this formation—and the present full-length album “Sleep No More”—down paths that are no less avant-garde, though less chamber-orchestral and all the more electronic, verging on the industrial—paths not unlike those of KAUKOLAMPI. That said, the material here is less “krautrock”-inspired. As hinted at, the sound of “Sleep No More” lacks a chamber music character, especially since no large ensemble is at work here. The songs are nonetheless influenced by classical music and, to some extent, by rock, with synthesizers and—at times—very aggressive beats naturally taking center stage. But ultimately, all genre labels apply only to a limited extent to “Sleep No More,” since there’s simply too much going on in some of the songs. In less experienced hands, the song material would have devolved into a terrible stylistic mishmash. The Twisted World of ARIA PRIMITIVA For this project, Zaboitzeff has teamed up with Nadia Ratsimandresy and Cécile Thévenot, who, like Zaboitzeff, have also been active (in some cases only on a temporary basis) with ART ZOYD. And anyone who has ever encountered their music—for example, through their avant-garde soundtrack reinterpretations of silent film classics like “Nosferatu”—should have a rough idea of what to expect on “Sleep No More.” After all, an earlier version of the title track from this album can be heard on “Nosferatu.” And indeed: “Sleep No More” lives up to its title. For what the trio conjures up here sounds, in its most intense moments, like a twisted fever dream by Trent Reznor. “Endayi Endesi” opens the album relatively calmly with gentle industrial percussion, yet foreshadows something sinister thanks to ominous melodies and weighty, downright dramatic piano chords. Thanks to its classical lean, appealing melodies run throughout the song, which then builds toward the end and doesn’t culminate directly in an explosive, yet comparatively bombastic finale. “Sleep No More” lives up to its name; “Maïdaykali” lulls the listener into a sense of restful idyll before the song transforms into an aggressive, heavy industrial banger. This is also where Zaboitzeff’s somewhat quirky vocals come in, though strangely enough, they blend well into the soundscape. The raw vocals are somehow vaguely reminiscent of Cornelius Jakhelln (SOLEFALD). In contrast, the rhythmic framework of the thirteen-minute centerpiece “Aria Primitiva” seems to draw some inspiration from NINE INCH NAILS’ “Ghosts” songs, while sharp-edged strings and synthesizers blare at the listener—at times dissonantly. In the second half, the trio really cranks up the atmospheric tension with an intensity worthy of a horror movie. “Nixen,” on the other hand, actually offers some respite in the first half, even if the piano and beats in the second half of the song deliver dark, pinprick-like jabs to drive the atmosphere back into unsettling realms. When it comes to quirkiness, “Helden” easily outshines the rest of the tracks—it’s actually a German-language cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” put through the industrial wringer. And despite a strong accent, Zaboitzeff delivers the iconic lines quite well. With “Hystamack” and “Kletka,” ARIA PRIMITIVA really flex their improvisational muscles. At first glance, this sounds less spectacular than it actually is, because here the band drives the atmosphere to almost unbearable heights through an ambient-heavy sound that seems almost formless and intangible. Ghostly, drawn-out synths, a piano that attacks at times with a cutting edge and at others with a hammering force, and a subtle drone burrow unerringly into the pit of your stomach and churn it up. It almost makes you glad that the title track turned out to be so catchy and melodic. An Atmospheric Highlight What’s certainly pleasing is the consistently clear sound, which confidently carries the entire album and makes it exceptionally easy to listen to. In its quieter moments, the production offers the necessary transparency to distinguish nearly every tiny detail in the soundscape. Meanwhile, the more aggressive passages are imbued with a great deal of pressure and punch, ensuring that the album retains its dynamics even on the surface. As a result, the songs remain extremely easy to listen to despite their focus on atmosphere. Overall, ARIA PRIMITIVA have created an incredibly dense, dark, yet varied work that’s difficult to categorize but surprisingly easy to listen to. Admittedly, some songs have already appeared on the previous EP “Work In Progress” (and, as mentioned earlier, the title track is also a bit older). Nevertheless, everything on “Sleep No More” comes together as a cohesive whole that would have been even more intense if only the transitions between tracks had been smoother. But make no mistake: “Sleep No More” will still skillfully rob you of your sleep...

Michael Klaas

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ROCK PROGRESIVO.COM
by Rafa Dorado 30/07/2019

Aria Primitiva - 'Sleep No More' (2019)
(First edition: September 28, 2018, Monstre Sonore/WTPL Music)

Aria Primitiva - Sleep No More
A year ago, Thierry Zaboitzeff (cello, bass, vocals, and programming) had already given us a heads-up about this release with a preview mini-CD featuring three tracks from the album in different mixes. The preview left us wanting more—which, of course, was the point.

After the wait, now that we can finally enjoy the complete work, we find the founding member—alongside the late Gerard Hourbette—of the legendary chamber rock band Art Zoyd at the center of a trio rounded out by Nadia Ratsimandresy on keyboards and ondes Martenot and Cécile Thévenot on keyboards and sampler.

The tonal color palette—already broad in this composer’s work—is thus further enriched. The inclusion of the ondes Martenot at times brings us closer to an almost 1950s sci-fi concept that, at certain moments, would fit perfectly as an apocryphal soundtrack to any classic of the genre; but the compositions—all by the French composer based in Austria, with the exception of a cover of Eno and Bowie’s “Heroes” (“Helden”)—result in a work in pure Zaboitzeff style, with his penchant for minimalist electronic zeuhl rock, often bordering on obsession, where surprises—both harmonic and textural—await you around every micro-groove. There’s also room for chaos and improvisation in “Hystamack” and “Kletka,” which serve as breathing spaces amid the Cartesian order that defines Zaboitzeff’s music.

It’s curious, to say the least, that a remix of “Sleep No More” has been revived as the central track—a song that had already appeared as a closing bonus track on Art Zoyd’s *Nosferatu* (1990), alongside two other tracks taken from *Vorgänge*, the soundtrack for a ballet, and which, in 2005, in a completely different, almost metal-style remix, it appeared on Vol. 5 of *Músicas desde el Abismo* by the Margen Records label, which accompanied issue 24 of *Margen Magazine*, featuring special features on both Art Zoyd and Thierry Zaboitzeff. The remix presented here is more faithful to the original, featuring highly melodic keyboard arrangements that “humanize” the composition, a far cry from the almost death-metal outbursts of the 2005 version.

Tracks like “Maïdaykali” take us back, after a calm and ambient intro, to the more complex and even hardcore side of Zaboitzeff. “Endayi Endesi,” which opens the album, doesn’t shy away from the zeuhl influences so familiar to him, but its orchestral quality and Martenot wave melodies steer it toward a more electronic concept. The atmospheric, piano-driven “Nixen” functions almost as an interlude in its first half, only to regain in its final section the turmoil and tension so characteristic of his style.

The highlight is the expansive “Aria Primitiva,” with its contemporary feel, epic outbursts, and the trio’s synergy at its absolute peak.

The album closes with “Mais ouvrez donc cette porte!,” featuring its typical dark, expressionist touch in the foreground, enriched by a syncopated rhythmic concept that evokes the spirit of Art Zoyd’s *Faust*.

We mustn’t forget to mention the magnificent artwork by the great Thierry Moreau, which foreshadows and complements the musical content.

If you’re familiar with the work of Art Zoyd and Thierry Zaboitzeff, you’ll want to own this, and if you’re new to their sound, “Sleep No More” from *Aria Primitiva* isn’t a bad place to start—but be warned, it’s addictive!

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KOSMIK MUZIK (F)
by Jean Christophe Alluin 30/07/2019


The French scene is doing well: 2 - Aria Primitiva Sleep No More
A first EP, a first calling card, had allowed in 2017 to get in touch with the music of the band driven by Thierry Zaboitzeff. The title of this first album obviously echoes the Art Zoyd of the 80s but it would be vain to look for a clone in Aria Primitiva. Let's say that we are in an extension of certain aesthetics but with a necessarily different instrumentation, not to mention the time that has passed...

Through multiple experiments, unfortunately little relayed in France, Thierry Zaboitzeff delivers here an extremely worked record, a mature work with surprising mazes which catch the adventurous listener. One rarely settles in these sometimes tormented, dark or calmer soundscapes for a few brief moments... The instrumentation is dense and provided with beautiful sound openings where the two musicians, Nadia Ratsimandresy and Cécile Thévenot, are particularly at ease. As you can see, this is a particularly powerful record which we can hope will enable Thierry Zaboitzeff to reach a wider audience, which would only be fair, given his fascinating career...

Jean Chistophe Alluin 30/07/2019

And the icing on the cake, our friend Thierry Moreau, author of the band's beautiful visuals, conducted a long interview with the musician, which you can read here in full, thanks to him!


Can you tell us about your first contacts with music,
Do you come from a family of musicians?
The first contacts, in fact, in the family were made by my maternal grandfather who was, among other things, an organist at the church in Fourmies (59). As a child, I loved to accompany him in the gallery and let myself be taken in by these swirling, vibrating and magical organ sounds... But the real trigger was the arrival of rock music, not from people like Elvis Presley because I was too young and anyway, I thought that was old-fashioned, but rather from all that followed a little later, the Stones, the Beatles, the Kinks, Led-Zep, The Who... At that time, I hated school, authority, the norm, so the few music classes on Thursdays were still school, authority... I skipped them!
But rock music had caught my ear and very quickly I wanted to be like those I adored and I tried to play the guitar, trying to imitate those who excited me so much... With a few classmates or friends from the neighbourhood, we formed groups that never lasted more than ten days.
Then Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Zappa... came to my ears and the shock was terrible... Minds opened to something else, at least mine... I must have been 15 years old, it was the starting point of a long self-taught path during which, I discovered step by step what was behind these Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, Zappa... So Varèse, Debussy, Stravinsky, Bartok, Berio... Ancient, baroque, romantic, post romantic music, I remember a time when I listened to Mahler over and over again because his music touched me and I wanted to know how and of what it was made.

How did you get into Art Zoyd, what was your place at the beginning and afterwards, the relationship with the musicians...
In 1970, I met Gérard Hourbette, I was strumming guitars, he had just graduated from the conservatory and I don't know exactly why, but we hit it off right away despite my instrumental inexperience at the time. We very quickly got together to form a duo that would later become a trio: "Rêve 1" where we lived, in Maubeuge. Most of the time, we improvised on atmospheric structures that we decided in advance. Gérard on the electrified violin, me on the 12-string acoustic guitar, also electrified, all in tape echo chamber type effects, distortion pedals, we used, if I may say so, any element that could be used as a percussion by amplifying it very summarily and triturating the whole thing in these echo chambers, without forgetting the magnetic tapes played backwards and on which we intervened or not! (experimental and improvised !!!! Furieux, poetic) a few weeks later, a bass player (Guy Judas) joined us.
One day, Gérard went to buy violin strings in Valenciennes where the only music shop worthy of the name was located, the closest to Maubeuge. When he entered the shop, shaved head wearing a fur coat, a violin case under his arm, all the heads with hair, moustache and beard turned towards him, I was not present at that moment but the conversation and the exchange took place almost instantaneously between Gerard and Rocco Fernandez and other members of Art Zoyd... The same day Gérard was coming back from Valenciennes with Art Zoyd in their bus, we had a jam session in Gérard's parents' cellar: Art Zoyd III was born. As soon as the first rehearsals around Rocco's compositions, our bass player decided to leave us and Rocco encouraged me to take the bass, which I did not without difficulties but after one or two weeks, I found my place ideally and very quickly as a bass player I started to participate in some arrangements, that excited me a lot to start from nothing...
We did a lot of concerts in the region but also all over France, in particular in the MJCs but also in balls and discotheques... Between 1971 and 1975, there weren't too many other alternatives for performing on stage.
In 1975, Rocco decided to give up the business, tired of all these unprofitable tours, he gave us (Gérard and myself) the keys of the Art Zoyd house.
We wanted to take the opportunity to try to approach composition from a different angle.
We were often very irritated by having to move musically incessantly between the regular and systematic pulsations of drums and percussions, and it is from this reflection and desire that this Art Zoyd without drums was born. According to our aesthetics of the time, we could give very different roles to our instrumentarium (2 violins, trumpet and electric bass), sometimes the ones were percussions, the others harmonics, we thus changed the roles according to our desires of arrangement of our compositions.
As far as I'm concerned, I really started to compose from the album Musique pour l'Odyssée. The piece was entitled Bruit, silence, Bruit, Repos, quite a programme! I was living in Douai at the time and it took me two and a half hours of transport to get to our rehearsal place which was in Maubeuge and sometimes still in Valenciennes and I took advantage of this long transport time to prepare the arrangements that we would experiment with instruments in hand during the rehearsal. Being completely self-taught, I had to find ways to memorize the notation during my trip, in fact I had so much in my head that sometimes I sang the trumpet or violin parts and the musicians wrote them down...

Art Zoyd was opening for Magma, the Rock in Opposition movement had arrived, you tell us about it...
1975-1976, we toured a lot in the MJC circuit initiated by our elders (Gong-Magma and many others). Our path crossed with that of Michel Besset (already a concert organiser in the south-west of France, notably in Albi and Carmaux: Association Transparence): He became our manager, the producer of our first album "Symphonie pour le jour où brûleront les cités" and toured us a lot in his region and it was him again who negotiated with Magma and our previous tour manager (Jean René Pouilly) for us, the first parts of Magma's concerts in France during this period following this memorable gig at the Palais des Sports in Toulouse organized by Michel Grèzes and his association Tartempion.
(concert in front of more than two thousand spectators). These opening acts also took us to the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris for ten days, and the success was total, with the public snatching up our vinyls at the interval, up to forty copies per evening. It was madness!
Especially if you think about our line up at the time, which was a commando formula with no drummer or keyboards.
Violin: Gérard Hourbette
Trumpet; Jean-Pierre Soarez
Guitar, violin, cello: Franck Cardon replaced by Alain Eckert: Violin and Guitar
Thierry Zaboitzeff: electric bass and vocals
This made our sound, our identity, our trademark.

Prométhée is your first solo album, we can already feel an orientation, ways to expose...
In fact, Prométhée was originally a piece of music intended for a theatrical performance by the Collectif Théâtral du Hainaut in Valenciennes, which commissioned this composition from its director Philippe Asselin. It was the very first time since I started composing that I felt completely free, not bound to compose for this or that Art Zoyd ensemble or other. I had decided to use all the instruments I could play at the time: a good old upright piano not very well tuned, the cello, the bass but also the electric guitar, a casiotone (a kind of toy synthesizer with typical sounds) and multiple accessories such as metronomes, small percussions (castanets, drums, triangles, tampered rhythm box) and the multiple distortion pedals of the time as well as the possibilities offered by the editing on magnetic tape...
Here, no concertante, no solis, nothing to prove on a stage, but a desire for ambience, for freedom, to manipulate my instruments and my textures entirely "homemade". A process of composition and arrangement completely dependent on my will and my technical means at the time.
The literary source, the imposed basis of my inspiration: "Prometheus in chains" by Aeschylus, accompanied by scenographic indications.
Very quickly, I had to forget this very complicated story in order not to get lost in it and I only kept this in mind:
"Divine ether, swift-winged winds, waters of the rivers, innumerable smile of the sea waves. Earth, mother of beings, and you, Sun... I invoke you here" And then Zeus, the Oceanids, Io, Hephaitos...
I was marked by this image of Prometheus chained and condemned for having revealed the benefits of fire to men...
Alongside this stage music, I decided to make an album of it by reworking, re-cutting, re-mixing, superimposing from one Revox to another, thus creating random or voluntary shifts... But above all, throughout my work, I have always been careful not to lose this very unstable, wandering but hieratic side that I had wanted.

Who were your favourite bass players?
Janick Top, Francis Moze, Tony Levin, Hugh Hopper, to name but a few who made a direct impression on me.

You play bass with a pick, why this choice?
It comes from the fact that I used to play guitar but I have a better command of precision for very fast and complex phrasing in rhythmic execution, with time, I have organised a whole palette of nuances and timbres in this way... I am looking for this piqued side... Sometimes I use my fingers to obtain very muffled sounds or to swing a few slaps, in moderation... I must add that I am first and foremost a composer and that I do not take myself for a seasoned and exemplary bassist. I use all the instruments I can play as carriers of my music.

The cello? How did you get into it? The electric cello?
During the conception of the album "Musique pour l'odyssée", I found that only my electric bass wasn't going to do it, I was frustrated, I wanted to play with strings. So I bought a cello and, always self-taught, I started to work with the precious help of Gérard and Franck who gave me some rudiments and good advice... The rest was suffering, perseverance! As for the electrification of the cello, it was quite natural because we already electrified the two violins and the trumpet.
The contribution of computer and electronic lutherie gives new openings, new colours, how are these interventions prepared? The Ondes Martenot?
In the years 1985-86 at Art Zoyd, I was already using this computer and electronic lutherie. The manipulations then were very basic and robotic, it was very frustrating unless you wanted to sound like Kraftwerk, which is not a criticism but it was not what we were looking for...
But back in 2019, technology has changed a lot and you can now have all the sounds and patches you have prepared for the gig in your laptop within a virtual sampler and then manipulate and play them live on stage from keyboards, pads, sensors via MIDI.
Within these same samplers, you also have access to synthesis if you want to work on it and create your own sounds, so it's a powerful, expressive, great tool.
This brings into my composition all the sound palettes I want to associate with an orchestration...
I love the fact that I can, for example, sample the breath of my voice and a cello or bass chord and remix the whole thing until it becomes a new sound and then I can manipulate it over and over again and when I get the right emotion, I introduce this or these sounds into my composition...
Concerning the onde Martenot, I had never worked with this instrument, I had never even heard it, only heard it in works by Messian, Milhaud, Henry to mention only the most famous and also in some film music...
It was the meeting with Nadia Ratsimandresy for this concert and album project Aria Primitiva that was the trigger. From that moment on, I started to document myself, to research. It was a new challenge! For Aria Primitiva, I didn't want to write pieces specifically for the onde martenot but to integrate it into the sound architecture I had in mind, between Rock Metal-Jazz-twentieth century music-electronic-ambient-techno but "Zaboitzeffian"!
For the first steps of composition and orchestration, I used a Virtual Martenot Wave (sampled), just to familiarize myself with the timbres and the main possibilities because the members of Aria Primitiva are geographically very distant and I wanted to be informed about the sounds and variations of the wave before our trio sessions.
Then we finally met again with instruments in hand to put together this "Sleep No More" repertoire and there I really learned a lot by discovering Nadia and her instrument, it allowed me to correct certain errors in my writing but also to integrate the wave in unexpected or a priori incompatible musical atmospheres. Every day, before starting to play or rehearse, we improvised for about twenty minutes and there I really discovered the wave and its immense possibilities.

In all your discography, there are underlying influences, we can talk about Xenakis, Nino Rota, Jon Hassell, Gorecki. Your influences are filigree, and we can feel your rigorous writing, did these people influence you?
Each composer often finds it difficult to say that he has been influenced by such and such...
As far as I'm concerned, there are Artists, Composers, Works that I admired and that made me what I am today: Stravinsky-Bartok-Debussy-Ravel-Eno-Zappa-Hassel-Mahler-Miles Davis-King Crimson-Berio-Ligeti-Orff-Ives-Magma Epok I... And many others...
This mix will surely seem strange to you but that's how it is ! Indeed, a little Gorecky, Nino Rota but not Xenakis which never really attracted me.


You sometimes sing in Latin in "Missa Furiosa", I remember in an old interview that you talked about your grandfather and visits to churches, you "use" Latin a bit like a gimmick, a wink...??
Singing in Latin, it was only in the Missa Furiosa, there again, a challenge: to bring my music in a techno-pop framework, mixing acoustic instruments including a drum kit, electro grooves, lyrical singers and to sing an imaginary Mass with even a bluesy quotation of Mozart's requiem!
My preoccupation in this project was to be Bombastic-Churchy, bordering on caricature, mixing large organs, lyrical singing, sound power for a sort of ceremonial, which has always attracted me because when I was a child, I often accompanied my grandfather to the organ loft because he was an organist and I loved being close to these sometimes grandiose sounds and letting myself be swept away by this visual-ritual that was the High Mass with the incense, the Swiss Guard - the standing-up, the Communion, etc.
I found that Latin went very well with my music and as a non-believer, I must add that if all this was sometimes caricatural, I never wished to be critical or blasphemous, that was not the point here! I felt rather in a kind of "Sunday rave..." (hi-hi)
For the anecdote, a monk who attended the concert even bought the Missa Furiosa album.


Looking back on your discography, we can feel that you explore different facets of your universe, Aria Primitiva is a bit like the quintessence of your work...?
Yes, in each new creation it must show a little, and this time, a little more. I personally find it very difficult to look back and so Aria Primitiva is my latest project and in my mind it is the best, where I put all my knowledge, my soul. This is only my opinion of course!

Why the name Aria Primitiva?
Although there are not many sung parts in this project, I was looking for a name that referred to singing in a global way, primitive singing, tribal singing, something prior to a learned, elaborate music but still referring to it... Aria Primitiva finally came naturally (Aria for the classical-savvy side and therefore Primitiva for the primitive, tribal side... This name came to my mind very quickly, we adopted it as quickly!

Tell us about Cécile Thévenot, Nadia Ratsimandresy, do they participate in the compositions? The symbiosis of the trio is obvious...
Nadia and Cécile did not participate in the composition, but I must tell you a little more about our meeting and the genesis of this project. Nadia , Cécile and I were part of the line up for the Art Zoyd anniversary concert at the Phénix in Valenciennes in December 2017. During the rehearsals, a kind of complicity was born between us, a musical attraction, the evening after this last concert, Nadia and Cécile came to ask me if we couldn't consider working together, I must admit that at the time, I had some reticence about a trio, why? how? What kind of music? In the euphoria of the moment, I said: "OK, I wanted to take up this new challenge. A few weeks went by, during which I went through my desires, which I gradually communicated to Nadia and Cécile, who were listening to what I was proposing. We also mentioned the possibility of forming this trio on the basis of improvisations, which made me hesitate for a while because improvisation is not really my thing, in any case, and I dreamt of a tight compact writing, so I started to write, and very quickly I came up with an hour and ten compositions, which I proposed for the trio, with some free improvisation slots within the very written pieces.
This was the basis of our work after Nadia and Cécile's approval. Then, as time went by, I had the impression that without a radical decision, especially in terms of a calendar, we would always be in a process of waiting, of reflection, of research, each in our own corner, and personally, I had neither the time nor the means to do so, as the three of us are separated by great distances and nothing is easy to meet and work on.
So I took it upon myself to finish the writing quickly. I also had to quickly find the rehearsal places for our first work session as well as a residence, the first concerts and then a technical and financial framework for the realization of the album. This explains why Aria Primitiva has become my project. I must say that this first session of rehearsals and real encounters was exemplary. Every morning before we started the orchestrations and set-ups, we improvised for about twenty minutes for our greatest happiness, just to meet and discover each other. And I must thank Nadia and Cécile again for their great complicity, help, collaboration and professionalism. And as such for me, it is also their project even if they did not sign the compositions. I had previously pre-programmed the samplers and the stacking of sounds that we finally rearranged together for reasons of playability and handling of the machines in performance conditions, leaving Nadia more available for the Ondes Martenot which is one of the original features of this project.
This trio's musical proposition and its technical conception hang by a thread, that of complicity-concentration, and you can feel it immediately when you watch us in concert. I am personally very touched to realise this during the concerts.

Concerts? Projects?
I'm currently on a break from concerts as all three of us have other long-planned commitments to fulfil, but there are already possibilities, I can't say anything about them until they are definitively fixed.
I am currently working on a composition for a choreographic project by Editta Braun Company: "Layaz", a piece for a hip-hop dancer. I use the musical codes of this style to create a very personal piece, which is also a new challenge!
The creation will take place in October 2019.
Then I'll take a long break because I'm at a point in my life where a lot of things are getting complicated and this will be an opportunity to recharge my batteries...

The Sleep No More album well received ?
Looking at the mail, the enthusiastic mails we are reading, the sales on my website and other feedbacks (Label-Distributor) I can say that this album is very well received. Let's wait and see how the press as a whole reacts... Some articles already published here and there are very positive about our creation.

The R.I.O. movement is still quite confidential from the general public, what do you think about this movement ?
RIO is a movement created in the late 70's by Chris Cutler and his band Henry Cow who recorded their first albums on Virgin (UK). The aim of RIO was to oppose the Rock music industry in general, proving that it was possible to produce concerts and albums in total artistic, political independence... What each group of this movement was already trying to do in its corner, Henry Cow-Art Zoyd-Universe Zero-Etron Fou Leloublan-Samla Mammas Manna-Stormy Six -Art Bears-Aksak Maboul ) Together, in network we would be stronger ! That's how we participated (Art-Zoyd) in some RIO festivals (Milan-Stockholm...) or isolated concerts labelled RIO all over Europe, and produced and distributed in 1982 our double album Phase IV via Recommended Record which became the RIO Label. As a bass player, I played with Univers Zero (1313- Heresy era) in the first RIO festival held at the New London Theater in 1978... I was acting bass player in UZ, Guy Segers was to replace me afterwards and we shared the repertoire. We had also played in Nancy before in this alternating bass format.
Then this movement fell asleep, the public followed less and less and the artists went their own way. RIO was remembered as a broad label encompassing progressive, avant-garde, fusion, psychedelic or experimental rock outside the control of the music industry.
Until a revival of the movement in 2007 under the impetus of Michel Besset and Roger Trigaux who gave themselves the technical and financial means to put this festival back on its feet and make it an annual musical event in France since then. I don't believe that this movement is confidential in terms of the style of the musicians who are part of it.
The concerts that are presented are for the most part uncompromising and original. Times have become even tougher (artistically) to exist, but I have the feeling that little by little the public's interest is returning to the RIO on a broader basis, with the help of the internet!
What I find a bit annoying and a pity, that some bands are a bit in the imitation of Magma-Universe Zero-Art Zoyd-Henry Cow...) We would like to discover other sounds, other tendencies, other originalities. Times have changed, be careful not to go round in circles!

Who are the musicians you would have liked to work with ?
I spent twenty-five years in Art Zoyd with great companions (Gérard, Jean Pierre, Patricia, André, Daniel...) We allowed ourselves almost everything artistically until we became weary and had different desires on both sides, precisely between Gérard and myself who were from 71 to 97 the two heads of the Art Zoyd group...
Gérard wanted to move towards contemporary music and his networks of composers in residence... and to use more technology, I wanted the opposite, the time had come to separate us...
I then went on a long solitary way, as a composer, in my own projects and those of other artists, choreographers, directors, producers... It was also a kind of therapy: no longer being artistically attached to the language of a music ensemble that had become like a kind of political party whose lines, including my own, could not be crossed, and so, when I left Art Zoyd, I happily enjoyed this new freedom.
So today, after all these crossroads, if I were to dream of a new experience, I would like to play with Daniel Denis (UZ), but certainly not in a context like Univers Zero or Art Zoyd, because for me times have changed. No, in another sensibility, a different approach to be sought, nourished, invented...
But I still have so much to do otherwise !

How do you proceed in the creation, what do you start from? A rhythm, a melody, a sound, which instrument do you start with?
I would say it's a big mess! In fact, often, at the beginning, my compositions are great improvisations in every sense of the word, as I am not a reader, I don't write on paper but I play and record myself with everything and anything, I provoke the inspiration then I let it come, often I reject and then start again, I need to put myself in a state of deep listening and then everything becomes possible, I can for example use my voice or my bass to sketch out a rhythm, a melody, a chord and then directly introduce the cello and sometimes this little sketch will not be used but will have opened a path towards other more magical sensations that I will develop later. I am not the kind of person who theorises or writes a 500 page essay before producing a sound, I work with an instrument in hand, organically, spontaneously, sometimes brutally, but the better to bring out gentleness and tenderness. Sometimes the working method is gentler, searching for harmony and rhythm on a piano, imagining the setting or the atmosphere that I will create in the studio. I try to avoid rules and systems but like any human being sometimes I don't succeed but the fact that I have tried to avoid certain habits often leads me to something unexpected in the end.usually I work in my studio, there everything is ready to be recorded and if needed, re-processed on the spot! mics and interfaces ready to use and then I need to go fast for the technical things so as to stay as light and fluid as possible when inspiration comes. As I said at the beginning, it's a great improvisation of which I will only keep the essence. Of course, when I am commissioned to write music for dance, theatre or film, I have precise constraints (atmosphere, use of a particular instrument, breaks, etc.) but my method remains identical. I adapt myself.

What do you think about ready-made software, we see it in the world, ambient, electronic fields... Doesn't the "ready to use" (textures, sequences, voices...) kill the research, the inspiration ?
I think that if you want to remain yourself, it's better not to use too much of these ready-made things, some sound software are interesting and I use them sometimes but out of the context proposed and mixed with my own sounds or textures. You have to keep your distance but not close yourself off.
I'm one of those people who use technology and don't want to put it in front,
in front of it! I am interested in it and I develop around it... It must be at the service of our ideas, our desires, the emotions we want to communicate. I find that some composers and artists currently hide behind their equipment, their software and their theory and it is sometimes difficult to feel something behind it and it is always very cold and generally goes nowhere...

Interview by Thierry Moreau in spring 2019

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