from Cuneiform:The Belgian group Univers Zero is legendary for its ominous, unsettling and uncompromising musical vision – a sound and stance that Keyboard describes as "Chamber music for the Apocalypse." Simultaneously medieval and modern, its distinctive, dark, and elegantly beautiful instrumental music fused classical and rock musics to give birth to an unprecedented and remarkably prescient new musical genre called "chamber rock". UZ's singular sound derives from its unque instrumentation (classical acoustic and electric rock instruments, and electronics), combined with brooding gothic imagery, elements of European folk and other world musics, the iconoclasm and intensity of rock, the relentless sonic experimentation of the avant-garde, and leader/ chief composer/ drummer Daniel Denis' classically inspired writing style, influenced by early 20th Century avant-garde classical composers. The band has remained on the cutting edge of New Music throughout the course of a career that began in the '70s – it was one of the 5 founding bands of the “Rock In Opposition” movement [a European coalition for alternative music] – and continues today, stretching and disintegrating the boundaries of classical and rock music alike to create a new, vital and unique fusion.Today, several decades afer Univers Zero first forged its unique "chamber rock", critics cite its oeuvre as the precursor to the best avant-garde rock and classical music of the present day, from 'post-rock', associated with Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Kayo Dot and other instrumental rock bands – to the numerous late 20th/early 21st century classical chamber ensembles who are integrating rock into their repetoire, such as Bang on a Can, Kronos Quartet and others.
UNIVERS ZERO’S SPRING 2009 EUROPEAN & MEXICAN TOUR
TOURING LINEUP 2009
- Daniel Denis [drums, keyboard]
- Michel Berckmans [bassoon, english horn, oboe]
- Martin Lauwers [violin]
- Dimitri Evers [bass]
- Pierre Chevalier [keyboards]
- Andy Kirk [keyboards]
- Curt Budé [clarinet, sax]
- Philippe Seynaeve [images and projections]
TOUR DATES: EUROPE
GERMANY / Wurzburg
March 17th, 2009 - 20:30 @
CAFE CAIRO [site in German]
AUSTRIA / Linz
March 19th, 2009 – 20:00 @
POSTHOF [site in German]
CZECH REPUBLIC / Praha
March 20th, 2009 – 19:30 @
PALAC AKROPOLIS [site in Czech, but has link to English site at bottom]
Get Tickets [site in Czech]
GERMANY / Dresden
March 21st, 2009 @
2009 JAZZWELTEN FESTIVALBEATPOL [ex-StarClub] [site in German]
POLAND / Wroclaw
March 22th, 2009 @
4th ENERGY AND SOUND FESTIVALGOTHIC HALL [in Polish]
- 1 Purkyniego Street
FRANCE / Les Lilas (Paris)
June 12th-13th, 2009 @
LES TRITONALES FESTIVAL[UZ performance date & time TBA]
LE TRITON: 11 bis, rue du Coq Français - 93260 Les Lilias (Métro Mairie des Lilas)
tél : 01 49 72 83 13 - fax : 01 49 72 83 11 - email :
contact@letriton.comTOUR DATES: MEXICO:
MEXICO / Puebla, Mexico
April 18th, 2009, @ Puebla Baroque Fringe Festival - Puebla, Mexico
MEXICO / Mexico City
April 19th, 2009, 20:00 @ ESPERANZA IRIS - Teatro de la Ciudad de México 36 Calle Donceles. Mexico City D.F., Mexico
MEXICO / San Cristobal Ecatepec. Centro
April 24th, 2009, 20:00 @ ECATEPEC FESTIVAL - EXPLANADA MUNICIPAL DE ECATEPEC, Mexico
FALL 2009 EUROPE TOUR:
FRANCE / Carmaux
SEPTEMBER 18th-20th, 2009 @
ROCK IN OPPOSITION FESTIVALUNIVERS ZERO HEADLINING, followed by the GRANDE FINALE of UNIVERS ZERO & PRESENT @
MAIN HALL on Sept. 20th at 10PM
Cap'Découverte - 81450 Le Garric
