ÜDÜ ẀÜDÜ

"Udu Wudu" follows on from a slew of excellent Magma albums and has some more accessible tracks and one outstanding track. There is still the quasi-human Kobaian language that Magma addicts have all come to know and love. However, gone is the uniqueness of the sound and side one is rather mediocre in comparison to the wild inventiveness of previous Magma albums. There are still some excellent passages of jazzy Zeuhl such as with 'Troller Tanz' with it's whimsical melody, and Vander's high pitched screeching and the choral voices typical to Magma. 'Zombies' is also a standout track with stunning dissonant jazz overtones and chaotic percussion.

Side two features the best track, a side long 18 minute epic, 'De Futura'. The use of high pitched synthesizer on this creates a new Magma sound. There is a uniquely futuristic atmosphere with the added synth tones and it is a welcome change to the album. Vader is a man possessed on percussion and trumpets, sax, flute, and bass compete and battle it out for much of the epic. At one point the instruments drop out and Jannik Top's fuzzy bass solo takes over. It is one of the high points of the album and played aggressively perfectly augmenting the dark atmospheres. The hypnotic groove works well with the percussion and outer limits spacey effects.

In conclusion, the one epic track elevates this to a worthwhile listen, but it is not to the level of previous Magma, and less consistent in terms of innovation and musical excellence. Unless you are a bonafide Magma fan, it would be best to begin with one of the other earlier albums as this is not to the usual consistent high quality standard.