Record Reviews

SETNA ~ CYCLE I SOLEIL ZEUHL 17 (Barcode: 3426300096050) ~ FRANCE ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008 French sextet SetnaFind albums by this artist, led by drummer Nicolas CandéFind albums by this artist, who also composes all the music, is one of the most interesting new ensembles on the local scene. After a couple of years of buzz and anticipation, their debut album is finally here and it was well worth waiting for. Fronted by a superb female singer Natacha JouëtFind albums by this artist, they deliver some great music here, which combines Prog, Jazz, Ambient and slight Zeuhl influences, creating a magic atmosphere. The music is basically a long suite, divided into parts, but meant to be a continuous piece of music. Two keyboards players (one playing moog and both playing the Fender Rhodes – one of my favorite instruments with a immediately distinguishable tone), soprano saxophonist and a bass player complete the lineup, but they also employ four guest musicians on some of the tracks. The closest musical association would be Soft MachineFind albums by this artist (at their best) with female vocals. This is definitely one of the best debut albums I’ve heard recently and one can only hope they will continue whatever was started here with future surprises. There is something here for every lover of good music so I’m not confining my recommendation to any specific genre, just grab it and enjoy! A great addition to the splendid Soleil ZeuhlFind albums on this label catalog as well as any decent record collection.

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XING SA ~ CREATION DE L`UNIVERS SOLEIL ZEUHL 24 (Barcode: 2090503360891) ~ FRANCE ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 1st album by excellent French instrumental trio Xing SaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of three members of the band SetnaFind albums by this artist. The band is led by keyboardist Nicolas GoulayFind albums by this artist, who also composed all the music, and also includes bassist Christophe BlondelFind albums by this artist and drummer Nicolas CandéFind albums by this artist. They are helped by a few guest musicians from the Zeuhl circle and together create some incredible music, which although close in spirit to the Zeuhl influences, ventures beyond the obvious mostly into the Fusion. Goulay´s electric piano (his main instrument) sounds like a token of the 1970s, with that great vintage feel and his improvisations are excellent all way through. The lengthy tracks are often quite atmospheric, but never boring. Altogether this is an excellent debut, which hopefully will be followed by more such excellent music. Not to be missed!

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