DÜN

SOLEIL ATREIDES presents...

"Eros"

1976 saw the birth of the band VEGETALINE BOUFIOL in Nantes (western France). Around guitar player François TEILLARD were Laurent BERTAUD on drums, Jacques BRETONNIERE on piano, Michel BLANCART on bass and Pascal VANDENBULCKE on flute who, at the time, was completing his studies at the regional academy of music.

In 1978 the band changed its name to become KAN-DAAR. They then set to play covers of the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA along with the first compositions of the band. KAN-DAAR's influences were the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA of course, but also ZAPPA and first and foremost MAGMA which was like a beacon crystallising the longings and ravings of the group. Laurent was also a great HENRY COW fan and soon managed to convey his passion to the rest of the band.

Philippe PORTEJOIE then joined on sax, along with Thierry TRANCHANT who took Michel's place on bass. The band gave a few concerts around Nantes. Jean GEERAERTS took over from François on guitar while Bruno SABATHE replaced Jacques on piano.

The new band then decided to change its name again to DUNE which soon would be altered to a definitive DÜN. At the time Jean and Pascal were immersed in the world of Frank HERBERT's novel and from this world also arose such number titles as " ARRAKIS " and " L'EPICE " , which had been composed at the time of KAN-DAAR. The band, now stable, gave around 40 concerts between 1978 and 1981, all in the Nantes area. Their fame never stretched beyond the limits of the region and attendance to concerts (generally organised by the band) was anything from 5 to 300 people.

DÜN opened for MAGMA in Douarnenez before appearing at the Carquefou festival in 1979 alongside rock bands such as TELEPHONE or LITTLE BOB STORY, but also bands closer to their musical approach such as ART ZOYD and ETRON FOU LELOUBLAN. DÜN and ETRON FOU LELOUBLAN later remained in touch and developed close ties and for a while there was even talk of DÜN joining ROCK IN OPPOSITION, the collective launched by HENRY COW. That never happened, due to neglect and laziness.

In 1980, Philippe (sax) left while Alain TERMOL joined on percussion. There were more local concerts until 1981 when it was decided that it was time to record an LP. DÜN was recommended Etienne CONOD's SUNRISE recording studio in Kirchberg, Switzerland, by UNIVERS ZERO who had recorded 2 LPs there : " HERESIE " in 1979 and " CEUX DU DEHORS " in 1980. The recording of the LP was totally financed by the band and so was the pressing. There was never any time spent looking for a record company. Recording went on smoothly in excellent conditions and 1,000 copies of the LP " EROS " were made available around summer 1981. The band sold the record after gigs without looking for a national or even regional distribution.

On stage, Pascal played a totally new and original instrument, the gruyèrophone, also known as swisscheesophone, which he used to describe to the audience as "a wind instrument belonging to the hunting horn family, with a tuba mouthpiece and a square-shaped bell into which small bits of swiss cheese are introduced. The technique is not unlike that of the bagpipe. When the player is tired of blowing the instrument, the small holes in the swiss cheese then burst, taking over from the performer and allowing him to catch his breath".

In 1982, DÜN's line-up changed once more. Alain TERMOL left and so did Thierry who was replaced on bass by Christian MEILLER. Christian DUPONT joined on sax. The musical colour then changed, moving closer to jazz than the previous band had and opening a large space for improvisation, contrasting with the very written approach of former days. This line-up lasted for about a year and gave a few concerts before the 1983 split.

In 1984, Pascal VANDENBULCKE and Jean GEERAERTS started NEVROSE SPIRITUALS, a band playing latin jazz. They gave a few concerts before separating, Jean having decided to move to the USA in order to perfect his guitar playing at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Pascal went on playing jazz through the eighties and recorded a few albums with Jean-Luc CHEVALIER (ex-MAGMA), Marc ELLIARD and Popof CHEVALIER. Gilles MOINARD, soundman for DÜN, joined ETRON FOU in 1983 and remained with them until the last days of the band.

In 1992, a local initiative prompted several Nantes bands to reform : DÜN, but also rock groups such as TEQUILA and DANGER. They all performed for one concert at the Reze MJC in Nantes'suburbs.The band on this occasion was that of the LP, and this was the last time the name DÜN was used.

Epos - Ilia

Click on the album cover to hear a RealAudio sample

Comments:
Every once in a while, I come across a prog band that is so unique that when it comes time to review I get a bit nervous. This is the case with Epos from St. Petersburg. Ilia, recorded in 1988, is performed by 4 vocalists(2 female and 2 male), 2 violinists, a cello player, a bassist, synth player, and a drummer. The album consists of 4 long tracks that link together to form a continuous 35-minute epic. The 4 sections feature music influenced by traditional Russian folk music. The emphasis here is on vocals rather than on instruments. Vocal sections tend to be done solo(both female and male), accappella, and in unison(choir). When the female singer solos, I'm reminded of old Eastern European laments. The mood is sad, and dark. She is usually followed by a violin theme that reappears during the course of the album. The accappella sections are more influenced by the Russian church chanting tradition. Fortunately, those sections never come off as too religious. Some of the male vocals remind me of Magma. Of course, it's a known fact that Christian Vander borrowed heavily from Hungarian and Russian folk music, so Epos were probably influenced by traditional Russian folk rather than Zeuhl. Whether you will enjoy this album really depends on how much you like vocals, and European folk music(especially from Eastern and Northern Europe). Fans of Magma's Mekanïk Kommandöh will love Epos, but if you're not a fan of Magma, I recommend listening to this album a few times before rating it, because it is quite unique. The open-minded listener, though, will be rewarded.

Compositions: 10/10
Vocals(in Russian): 9/10
Recording Quality: 9/10


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