WEIDORJE

In 1978, keyboardist Patrick Gauthier and bassist Bernard Paganotti decided to leave Magma and found their own band, Weidorje. In addition to a guitarist and a drummer, they also recruited a second keyboardist and two horn players to join them in this magnificent project. Their music is quite Zeuhl, featuring throbbing bass, electric piano, and that classic "Zeuhl beat." However, unlike Magma, the music is not ominous and the vocals are of secondary (perhaps even tertiary) importance.

Paganotti's all-powerful bass is by far the dominant instrument. He kicks the distortion one level higher than anyone ever dared to in Magma and puts on one hell of an impressive performance. He drives, pounds, and relentlessly assaults your eardrums, and this is one of my favorite-ever albums for kickass bass. The other musicians are in top form as well, though the drummer seems a bit bland, particularly in comparison to Paganotti's old rhythm-section partner, Christian Vander.

The compositions themselves are quite good. The music tends to be more upbeat than (post-1001) Magma, and vocals are used only occasionally. The pieces are, as with most music from the French Zeuhl scene, focused on repeated riffs, grooves, and chord progressions with varying melodies. The music is strictly based on what sounds good; there's no complexity-for-the-sake-of-it to be found here.

In addition to the three tracks from the original LP, this CD features two live bonus tracks of the band performing original compositions which did not make this album. These pieces are actually quite close to the lofty standard set by the songs on the LP. The sound quality is somewhat rough, but the pieces themselves more than make up for it in my opinion.

This is one of my favorite non-Magma zeuhl albums, if not my singular favorite. All Magma fans should own this album. This album is also the best starting point for zeuhl newbies who aren't sure that Magma will sit well with them. In short, any prog fan should enjoy this album. Do yourself a favor and buy it.