ELDORADO RÉ MI FA SOL LA SI DO

One of the stranger zeuhl bands to emerge from France in the wake of classic Magma, MAGISTER DIXIT was formed in Toulouse, France sometime in the mid-1990s and remains a bit obscure and impossible to find its albums either in physical form or as downloads for that matter. The band features or perhaps featured Stephane Marcaillou (guitar, vocals), M'lanie Fossier (vocals), Sophie Perret (piano, vocals), Bita Rezvannia-picot (violin, vocals), Jean-Pierre Albert (drums) and Stephan Garcia (bass) who together crafted one of the wildest displays of zeuhl inspired fusion to be found. And that's really saying something coming from a very strange prog subgenre in the first place!

With the debut completely impossible to track down, the first listening sample of this wild and chaotic band (that i can find) is its second release ELDORADO, R', MI, FA, SOL, LA, SI, DO which was released in the year 2000 and featured a completely different style than its 2006 demo 'Cellule de Crise' (which is the one i experienced first). While that so-called demo features more of a strange hybrid of traditional zeuhl in the style of Magma only gone wild, this one features five distinct tracks that stand apart from each other substantially. A rather short playing time of just less than 30 minutes, ELDORADO offers less zeuhl purism than the band's usual style.

The opening 'Ler P'tits Archers' is a rather demented take on zeuhl with a frantic display of vocals that implement a bit of scatting with the classic zeuhl vocal style mostly delivered by Stephane Marcaillou with Isabelle Bagur offering a call and response as well as operatic wailing as the backing. When the track slows down they sing together. All lyrics are in French and deliver lyrical fantasies that narrate the tales of magicians, fairies, sprites, myths and monsters in the vein of a science fiction novel. While the frenetic pace reminds of Japanese bands like Koenjihyakkei or Ruins, the dreamy flutes are more from the D'n playbook but nothing lasts for long as the varying motifs shift from frantic to frenetic and then allow a breather or two. It's zeuhl run amok! But wait! There's more!!!

'Naufrage dans un Verre d'Eau' shifts gears and finds Isabelle Bagur starting the vocal tirade with frenetic time signatures, guitar freakiness and an oscillating bass drive. Marcalliou takes over the vocal lead and the two perform a wild operatic display of zeuhl brutality on steroids but then find moments of respite with actual singing and jazzy guitar chord strumming. The two also burst out lyrics at record speeds in total unison which is quite impressive. The 10 minute plus 'G'nie' is even stranger with a repetitive guitar riff that offers a sense of monotony while the two vocalists belt out lyrics at a frenetic pace. This piece delivers the perfect mix of French and Japanese zeuhl techniques perfectly fused into one. When the vocals stop the band delivers a crushing bass groove and noise-fest and then seamlessly mutates into a slower easy listening segment more in vein with classic Magma. At times it sounds like a record skipping!

The two part 'Les PIeds dan le Pl'tre' unsurprisingly features more crazy vocals however 'Part 1' only makes slight references to zeuhl and rather offers a rapping type of vocal style that engages in what is known as chanson alternative. The music itself is a chaotic jazzy mix with a catchy bass groove and avant-garde flute additions that keep to the melodic groove but also add some wild extras. The groove sounds a bit tropical, bossa nova even. The second part continues the basics theme, melody and gist although the guitar and bass go a bit faster as do the vocals. This is speed samba perhaps? It sounds Brazilian and i'm not sure which exact genre best describes it. This combo pack of these two tracks is a rather wild ride and an unexpected departure from the frenetic chaotic nature of the rest of the album.

It goes without saying that MAGISTER DIXIT is one of those acquired tastes that will only appeal to the hardcores out there who relish in brutal time signatures, unorthodox deviations and what many might consider a complete butchering of the classic zeuhl sound but for those who love a challenge then do give this one a go. It's completely different than 'Cellule de Crise' but clearly the same band as the idiosyncrasies are about as liberally unhinged as you can get. Generally speaking the French zeuhl and the Japanese zeuhl are two different beasts with the French version offering more sensual touches and the Japanese variety lambasting the listener with as much chaotic bombast as possible. In the case of MAGISTER DIXIT, both of these styles are implemented to craft a unique hybrid that i've never heard done before this way. Too wild and too uncompromising, this band will probably always be relegated to the obscurity bin but personally i love this wild adventurous freak-a-thon!