professional stranger

professional stranger

Artist : Thierry Zaboitzeff
Label : imd-zabmusic
Digital release date : 13/11/2020
Physical release date: 02/04/2021 - CD Digipack
Distribution : INOUIE DISTRIBUTION
Genre: symphonic electro rock - ambient - contemporary classical - alternative - post rock - music for image - music for theatre and dance.
Number of tracks: 9 | Duration: 41:20
Musicians : Sandrine Rohrmoser: Vocal (03-Venus)
Thierry Zaboitzeff: All instruments, vocals and sampler programming.
Composition: Thierry Zaboitzeff except Venus (Robbie van Leeuwen - Shocking Blue)
and Enjoy The Silence (Martin Gore-Depeche Mode)
Artwork: Thierry Moreau

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Thierry Zaboitzeff : "professional stranger"
In many ways, the new album evokes daring musical approaches in the form of cinematic miniatures that provide rich offerings for pictorial associations.
The moods are more moderate, but remain uncompromising and resist any flattery. The themes are interspersed with subtle winks and subliminal influences, the rhythmic tension is rather minimal, we find cello, bass, keyboards, vocals and the unexpected accordion beautifully sampled and orchestrated.
One will appreciate the accuracy of the production and the consistent compositional signature that feeds on an accordion/bandoneon somehow wandering through Central Europe.
„professional stranger" goes beyond any affiliation to a musical trend. It goes beyond the division into "schools".
The covers of "Enjoy the silence" (Depeche mode) and "Venus" (Shocking Blue) fit the album well,
their unique colours well integrated into the images of an exhibition.
Close your eyes, the film is about to start.

imd - zabmusic le 02/02/2021

Reviews

Babyblaue Seiten (D) - Salzburger Nachrichten (A) - Notes Vagabondes (F) - Exposé (USA) - Prog Censor (B/F) - Inrock (RU) - Rythmes Croisés (F) - 

BABYBLAUE SEITEN (D)
by Siggy Zielinski 26/04/2021 

professional stranger

‘Professional Stranger’ was actually released in November 2020 as a digital download. Due to the health crisis, the CD’s release has been significantly delayed and it is available for pre-order until further notice in April 2021. As is often the case with Zaboitzeff, the music was originally intended for a dance-theatre project. Entitled ‘Long Life’, the project was conceived by choreographer Editta Braun at a time when normal life was still possible. The show was originally due to premiere in Salzburg in May 2021. It explores the life journeys of human beings, sometimes compared to those of trees. (If you’re interested, you can find more information here: http://www.editta-braun.com/e/productions/long-life.html).

Regarding the music, Thierry Zaboitzeff, who has composed almost all of it himself, stated that this time his intuition had led him to take a step back from the experimental music for which he is renowned. ‘Professional Stranger’ nevertheless offers, on the whole, a consistently original blend of neoclassical, ambient and chamber prog. As far as one can tell, Zaboitzeff handles the keyboards, programmed and live-played rhythms, accordion, guitars, cello and bass here.

Despite the artist’s own view, I consider tracks such as ‘El Caos’ or ‘Overlap Processing’ to be successful examples of creative, avant-garde chamber prog. ‘Derevo’, on the other hand, is more in the vein of melodic chamber prog. That said, it’s not bad.

For this theatrical performance, it seems two very well-known pop songs had to be added: ‘Venus’ by Shocking Blue and ‘Enjoy the Silence’ by Depeche Mode. For legal reasons, these cannot be featured on Bandcamp, but they are available on other well-known streaming services. A certain Sandrine Rohrmoser provides the vocals on ‘Venus’. At least the Depeche Mode pop hit has been transformed into a sort of experimental chamber pop track, rather than simply replicating the song’s structure, as is the case with ‘Venus’.

All in all, in my view, Zaboitzeff finds himself stylistically caught between two stools with ‘Professional Stranger’. Probably a bit too laid-back for pre-prog fans, but too strange for lovers of melodic prog. Let’s hope there remains a small group of listeners who will appreciate this unusual music, even if that won’t always be easy without the theatrical spectacle that accompanies it.

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SALZBURGER NACHRICHTEN (A)
by Bernhard Flieher Donnerstag 22. April 2021 17:50 Uhr

professional stranger

Thierry Zaboitzeff with a new album: Looking out from silence into the open
Thierry Zaboitzeff creates an unusual sense of intimacy on his new album.

Silence isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when encountering Thierry Zaboitzeff’s work. The multi-instrumentalist often plunges into wild universes, exploring soundscapes with unbridled force. Now, however, his new album – whilst not exactly quiet – is certainly more subdued than his earlier works. It is called *Professionell Stranger*. And the title certainly reflects a fundamental attitude to life held by the Hallein-based composer. He says he has always found himself ‘caught between two stools’ with his music. Nowhere at home, yet at home everywhere, and always driven by curiosity.

Zaboitzeff grew up with the rock heroes of the 1960s – and in his first bands, he “wanted to be one of them too”. But he quickly moved away from the rocker image in the early 1970s. Instead, he threw himself into pushing the boundaries of sound with the band Art Zyod. For 35 years – to enormous international acclaim – he was part of the French

avant-garde band. Then he’d “grown weary of the long decision-making processes within such a group”. Since 1996, he has been working on solo projects, as well as writing soundtracks for dance, theatre and film. And since 1996, he has also been collaborating with the Salzburg-based dancer and choreographer Editta Braun.

“Professional Stranger” is once again the soundtrack for Braun’s new production, which will premiere in May, initially as a stream.

The piece is called “Long Life” and explores the theme of ageing. “It’s something that naturally occupies one’s thoughts,” says Zaboitzeff. And precisely because this exploration of ageing is such a personal matter, this album can be enjoyed even without a stage performance. It stands on its own, revolves around life’s big questions, takes its time and manages to make these tangible through delicately woven melodies and sounds. Rarely has Zaboitzeff been so open, accessible, even pop-like in his music, which otherwise plays with ruptures and abysses.

Nevertheless, Zaboitzeff does not recognise any sort of “mellowing with age” in the new compositions. But what is important to him, he says, is that he has learnt “to be able to create a void” in his music. Not, however, a void that is nothingness, he clarifies. It is about that space within the music where the imagination is stimulated and stirred. And, of course, the pandemic has also played its part. “The enforced retreat makes one more contemplative,” says Zaboitzeff, who otherwise performs on stages around the world. This retreat also created time “to organise, process and also discover new worlds”.

That is why the silence that preoccupies him – and which one encounters on *Professional Stranger* – is not really about the sound itself. It is more about silence as a starting point for inspiration. This silence is something akin to closing one’s eyes. “But when you open your eyes again, you gain new perspectives; you see some things differently,” says Zaboitzeff. Then something like a “poetic sensibility, a space for dreams” takes hold. The album concludes with a tribute to this power of silence and dreaming. Zaboitzeff delivers an impressively tender cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”.

Bernhard Flieher

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NOTES VAGABONDES (F)
by Denis Desassis 24/11/2020

professional stranger

In June 2019, I paid tribute to the work undertaken by Thierry Zaboitzeff over the past fifty years or so. The release of *Sleep No More* by his band Aria Primitiva had provided me with the opportunity to write a review for *Citizen Jazz* magazine. Consequently, I shall not go into detail here about his career, which spans from Art Zoyd (which he co-founded in 1971 with the late Gérard Hourbette) to a new album in 2020, *Professional Stranger*, via numerous projects with bands and as a solo artist, not to mention his composition of soundtracks for theatre and dance productions and for films. My review offers a brief overview of his truly unique career, so you can find out more if you wish. First and foremost, I defined in a few words this musician unlike any other (bassist, cellist, composer, singer, etc.), attempting to explain the difficulty of pinning down his world ‘at the crossroads of electronic music, contemporary music and symphonic rock’.

Times are tough and for the moment – whilst we wait for better days ahead and a physical release – *Professional Stranger* is only available for purchase in digital format, or to stream on the major streaming platforms, as they say these days.

The compositions on this new recording stem from the choreographic project *Long Life*, which is due to premiere shortly in Salzburg by the company of choreographer Editta Braun.

We are familiar with the often sombre side of Thierry Zaboitzeff’s music – all those ‘uneasy spaces’ in which he sets most of his compositions, with their deep-seated drive that seems to emanate from a twilight where we sense the mysteries without ever truly grasping them. But this time, the multi-instrumentalist offers a glimpse of more light, and his soundscapes seem more serene (as in ‘L’insouciance de Vénus’, for example), even if the opening track, ‘Neoklassicos Le Grand’, is not without echoes of Art Zoyd. And then there is that ever-present accordion, weaving new textures interwoven with those of the strings and electronics, capable of launching into a little waltz (‘Mali Valcer’) or an arrhythmic samba (‘El Caos’), of sketching a tree in the softness of the evening (‘Дерево’), of painting the music blue (‘ So Etwas Wie Blau”), and to rekindle the colours of Shocking Blue’s famous ‘Venus’ (remember, back in 1969…), sung here by Sandrine Rohrmoser. Not to mention a stunning finale with a ceremonial-style cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy The Silence’ (and this time, it’s Thierry Zaboitzeff on vocals).

In a recent conversation, I pointed out to Thierry Zaboitzeff that *Professional Stranger* seemed to me to be more accessible than his other works, and his reply suggested to me that there was no calculated strategy on his part. The circumstances surrounding the Long Life project naturally steered him towards clearer, more melodic atmospheres. All the more reason to suggest you discover his unique world without delay – if you haven’t already, of course.
Musiciens : Thierry Zaboitzeff (tous les instruments) ; Sandrine Rohrmoser (chant).

The titles : Neoklassicos le Grand | L’insouciance de Vénus | Venus | Mali Valcer | El Caos | Дерево | So Etwas Wie Blau | Overlap Processing | Enjoy The Silence.
Label : iMD-ZABMUSIC

Denis Desassis

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EXPOSE (USA)
by Peter Thelen, Published 2021-04-07

Thierry Zaboitzeff — Professional Stranger
(IMD-ZABMUSIC 003/1, 2021, DL / CD)

Thierry Zaboitzeff should need no introduction to longtime readers of Exposé, having been the bassist and cellist of Art Zoyd from 1971 to 1997, after which he branched out into solo work, having now produced over two dozen solo recordings (a couple while he was still working with Art Zoyd) and also a couple releases with three-piece group Aria Primitiva. Many of his recent projects are pieces commisioned by the Editta Braun dance company in Salzburg, Austria, Professional Stranger being the latest, the result of the choreographic project "long life", which will be premiered in May 2021. The album contains seven instrumental tracks and two vocal pieces, the former mostly inhabiting a dark, crepuscular, and mysterious sound that might well lend themselves to soundtrack work, seeming to be on a course of ever-changing ideas. On all of the tracks, TZ plays all of the instruments, which include bass, cello, piano, keyboards, accordion, and programming, as well as various found sounds like creeky doors opening, muted thunder, and much more, including incidental vocals and voices. The main thrust of the music here is melodic, emotional, and filled with the unexpected, often shifting gears with little notice, but always savoring the beauty and eloquence of sound, be it classical, folk, or rock derived. Then there are the exceptions to those general rules. Anyone who was alive in 1969 will certainly remember The Shocking Blue’s worldwide hit song “Venus,” and here Zab offers a faithful rendition of that song, playing all of the instruments himself, with guest singer Sandrine Rohrmoser handling the vocal parts. The closing track is a very dark and foreboding version of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence,” sung by Zaboitzeff with ominous vocal effects. So as much as this is accompaniment for a dance production, it also stands strong on its own in the unusual music category. One more thing: If you get it from Bandcamp you won’t get the two cover tunes (some licensing issue), so for the full album one will need to go to Apple Music, Spotify, or direct from TZ’s website, where you can buy it as a CD.

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PROG CENSOR (B/F)
by Auguste 23/01/2021

Thierry Zaboitzeff Professional Stranger
art rock – 41’15 – France/Autriche ’20

I wrote ‘Art rock’ because that is our customary, almost ritualistic practice – as restrictive, abusive and arbitrary as it is (classification impoverishes), yet as useful, practical and beneficial as it is (modelling enriches) – when we discuss a work of art: to characterise it (according to a concise but representative taxonomy), to describe it (as best we can), to compare it (to situate it), to contextualise it (based on what we know), to (attempt to) understand it (what did the artist intend to do at this stage of their career?) and to appreciate it (as appropriate), but describing this new (and twenty-seventh) album is precisely one of the challenges posed by the diversity of Thierry Zaboitzeff’s aesthetic practices, given his background with Art Zoyd. ‘Professional Stranger’ is the soundscape created around ‘Long Life’, an intimate choreography for two dancers (aged 34 and 74) by Editta Braun, which explores the experience of life, its disillusionments and its tenacious desire for a better world. In it, Zaboitzeff weaves a soundscape that is at times reminiscent of Yann Tiersen’s score for *Amélie* – as pop as his reinterpretation of ‘Venus’ by the Dutch band Shocking Blue, yet as accessible as that ‘Little Waltz’ (‘Mali valcer’ in Croatian) – (“Дерево (Derevo)”), where the accordion blends with chamber rock roots (“Overlap Processing”), jazz (‘So etwas wie blau’), minimalist (the Brian Eno touch from ‘Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)’ in ‘L’insouciance de Venus’) or electro-classical in this guttural version of Depeche Mode’s hit (‘Enjoy the Silence’). ‘Professional Stranger’… the definition, taken literally, is a delight.

Auguste

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INROCK.RU (RU)
by Elena Savitskaya février 2021 - traduction en ligne

Thierry Zaboitzeff : Professional Stranger

The new solo album by Thierry Zaboitzeff, the mastermind behind the French avant-garde rock scene, was released in November 2020. This came just a year and a half after the March 2019 release of the debut album from his new project, Aria Primitiva (see review). Furthermore, three soundtracks for performances by choreographer Editta Braun fall between these two releases (one of them, *Nebensonnen*, was first released in 2000 and has been re-recorded; the other two, *Layaz* and *Trails*, are new). And that’s not all that’s been released recently! But the solo album is something special, personal, one might say, intimate. Unlike Aria Primitiva’s truly ‘loud’ industrial and tribal avant-rock, ‘Professional Stranger’ sounds transparent, minimalist, fascinating and warm. Thierry played all the instruments himself, which invariably include the bass guitar, the cello, keyboards, various samplers and… the accordion (but we’ll talk about that later).

In “Professional Stranger”, Thierry sought to pay homage to different cultures and eras: the multilingual titles of the tracks and the musical content itself speak to this – but without resorting to outright stylisation. The album opens with “Neoklassikos le grand”, featuring a majestic and slightly foreboding neo-Gothic theme set against a backdrop of monotonous electronic drums, “post-artzoid” string counterpoints and ethnic vocals. From this theme emerges a plastic-sounding cello melody, the development of which is abruptly interrupted at its climax by the strike of a gong. Next comes the atmospheric ‘L’insouciance de Vénus’, woven from celestial piano chords and distant, thunder-like low-frequency sounds, in which the playful, authentically French melody of the accordion-bandoneon also features; Further on – somewhat naïve, somewhat chamber-like – ‘Mali valcer’; and, in contrast, witty, daring and passionate – the Spanish ‘El Caos’ with its swirling strings… There is also a place for the ‘Russian’ track (it is worth recalling that Zaboitzeff’s paternal grandfather hailed from the Arkhangelsk region, to whom Thierry owes his surname). It is called ‘Derevo’ (in some versions of the album, it is even written in Cyrillic). Set against a backdrop of minimalist piano motifs and ‘pizzicato’ strings, we hear a melodious, intimate tune that shifts from the cello to the accordion. Indeed, it brings to mind our enduring folk songs, northern landscapes, and even something of the work of the marvellous Russian group ‘Orchestra Vermichel’. Well, Russian fans of Art Zoyd and Thierry Zaboitzeff are delighted by such attention!

The track ‘So etwas wie blau’ (German for ‘Something Like Blue’) has a subtle ambient quality. The slow, looping bass motif is accompanied by string tremolos and otherworldly wails from the trumpet, reed instruments or the pimak flute. Total immersion in another world… And “Traitement des chevauchements”, with its ostinato rhythm, its snapping chords and its unfolding vocals – once again something Russian, archaic, pagan-dance-like, like a prehistoric rite – is not without reason reminiscent of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” (despite its ultra-modern name).

Two covers are included in the overall series of compositions, both based on songs that are very famous in pop-rock circles. The first is ‘Venus’ by Shocking Blue (it follows on from ‘L’insouciance de Vénus’, intruding rather unceremoniously into the development). The version is fairly close to the original, but it has a slightly ethnic feel to it, given the instrumentation used. The vocals are performed by the Austrian singer Sandrine Rohrmoser, who collaborated with Zaboitzeff on his projects. But the final track, Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”, is highly original: in a melancholic post-folk-ambient style, also featuring the accordion and cello, with Zaboitzeff’s deep, narrative voice. The second verse unexpectedly incorporates Arabic motifs into the accompaniment – a surprising intercultural blend. Overall, it’s unusual, interesting and highly evocative… Unfortunately, the two covers aren’t included in the Bandcamp version due to the site’s copyright policy, so listen to the album on Spotify or YouTube, or order the CD.

And finally – on the accordion. Has Thierry Zaboitzeff mastered a new instrument? His tone is so realistic – you can hear the slightest nuances, the subtleties of articulation, the ‘breath’, even the pressure on the buttons… With this question in mind, we rang up the maestro. It turned out that it was a sampled sound, and that all the parts were played on a keyboard. But the superior quality of the samples and the ability to fine-tune the tiniest details create the illusion of an authentic sound. That’s what progress is for! And progressive, as you’d expect. This album is a fascinating journey, a true musical journey, or perhaps a series of cinematic miniatures building on the concept of film concerts. And, of course, a work worthy of Thierry Zaboitzeff’s own glorious creative career.
Elena Savitskaya
InRock
Note: 9 sur 10

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RYTHMES CROISES (F)
by Stéphane Fougère 17/02/2021

Thierry ZABOITZEFF – Professional Stranger
(iMD ZABMUSIC)

At the start of 2020, Thierry ZABOITZEFF announced that his trio ARIA PRIMITIVA would be taking a break from live performances due to time-consuming management commitments. Had he not made that decision, the events of this year would have decided it for him… The global pandemic we have all experienced (and which seems reluctant to let us go…) has forced the entertainment industry to put its activities on hold. At least some artists have used this period to write and record… This is precisely what Thierry ZABOITZEFF has done, and here he presents his 27th solo album! A sign of the times (which, as everyone knows, have been tough), this is the first to be released directly in digital format on all download and streaming platforms (admittedly, there was the re-recorded version of *Nebensonnen* released in the spring, but that wasn’t a completely new album), before a ‘physical’ CD version is released. ‘Dr ZAB’ plays all the instruments on it and handled the mixing and production. There is nothing new here in the artistic process ZABOITZEFF has followed since leaving ART ZOYD, and he did not wait for the arrival of the coronavirus to devote himself to solo work (although, from time to time, he has toured with a band, as was the case with Missa Furiosa and, more recently, with ARIA PRIMITIVA).

*Professional Stranger* is one of the pieces of music that Thierry ZABOITZEFF has been composing for several years for the stage, theatre and dance, mainly for productions by choreographer Editta BRAUN’s company. In this instance, the album serves as the soundtrack to the *Long Life* project, which is due to be performed on stage in May 2021 in Salzburg. His ‘soundtrack’ is therefore being released well in advance, but that’s no great matter, as ZABOITZEFF has always ensured that his music can also be listened to outside the context for which it was originally conceived. Each production by the Editta BRAUN COMPANY presents a new artistic challenge, both visually and sonically, and what Professional Stranger offers to the listener is a world away from what ARIA PRIMITIVA’s *Sleep No More* contained.

The opening track, *Neoklassicos le Grand*, is, however, something of a misdirection. We find that same atmosphere of wandering through a deserted, monumental space, emphasised by a solemn organ and punctuated by meandering percussion and furtive voices, before a piano intrudes and a theme played on the cello lightens the mood whilst lending it a melancholic tone. Those nostalgic for certain Art-Zoyd-esque atmospheres should find themselves on familiar ground here… Then, once a creaking door has opened, ‘L’Insouciance de Vénus’ transports us into a more minimalist, even ambient, world, bathed in a soft, soothing light, which is not unlike certain autumnal landscapes from Nebensonnen.

It is here that an instrument makes its entrance, one to which Dr. ZAB had not yet accustomed us: the accordion! (Digital or real – who knows…?) And this instrument is indeed the main sonic novelty of this album, to the extent that it can be heard right through to the end, used in various ways – sometimes as a drone, sometimes as a solo instrument. And so it is this very accordion that kicks off a completely unexpected acoustic waltz in ‘Mali Valcer’! We remain in a folk-inspired mood with Argentinean overtones in ‘El Caos’, with its lurching rhythm and its almost burlesque string flourishes. Here’s a track that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Lars HOLLMER album!

‘Derevo’ signals a return to an atmosphere of desolation in an instrumental arrangement reminiscent of chamber music (accordion, piano, strings). On ‘So etwas wie Blau’, the piano chords establish a more troubled and sombre atmosphere, whilst an electric cello intones a lament that feels like contemplation before a field of ruins, soon joined by a spectral choir. There is, however, no jarring, no rupture, no startle, and this piece acts more like a soothing balm, before ‘Overlap Processing V.2020’ comes along to rouse us with its obsessive accordion theme that stirs the souls and bodies (aided by low-pitched percussion), joined by strings capable of sending shivers down the spine.

The other surprise on *Professional Stranger* is the inclusion of two covers. These are not covers of ART ZOYD masterpieces or any other ‘avant-garde’ classics. We’re talking here about covers of ‘pop’ hits! The first is an adaptation of the hugely popular ‘Venus’ by SHOCKING BLUE, which features, alongside an acoustic guitar, rhythmic programming, lively strings and the ever-present accordion, the voice of Sandrine ROHRMOSER (who had previously worked with ZABOITZEFF on his *Missa Furiosa*). As unpredictable as it is incongruous, this cover comes as a complete surprise within the framework of *Professional Stranger*, but it wasn’t included on this album by chance, as it follows on from *L’Insouciance de Vénus* (inevitably!). This cover is, in truth, a tongue-in-cheek take – as the English-speakers say!

The other cover has been placed at the end of the album, like an end-credits sequence. This time, ZABOITZEFF tackles a classic by DEPECHE MODE, ‘Enjoy the Silence’. More inspired, this cover is absolutely beautiful, blending various textures of keyboards and strings, and on which Dr ZAB this time lets his own vocals be heard, with a low, wounded timbre. There’s also a curious voice on tape, and the drone is provided this time… by a fly! As we can see, the uncanny quality has not left Thierry ZABOITZEFF’s world…

*Professional Stranger* is bound to throw those who were expecting a standard ‘experimental progressive music’ opus from ZAB off balance in places. Nevertheless, we find the familiar chiaroscuro atmospheres of his solo works here, albeit with a few extra ingredients and forays that will seem outlandish to uncompromising avant-garde minds. But Thierry ZABOITZEFF has specifically sought to avoid joining the so-called ‘avant-garde’, defining himself precisely as a ‘professional stranger’ to artistic movements and their norms. Enjoy the Emotion…

Stéphane Fougère

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