AVANT DEMAIN

One of the most obscure zeuhl bands to haunt the 1980s French underground was the mysterious one album band HIATUS which left meagre traces of its historical imprint on the experimental French zeuhl scene which found a second coming in the wake of Magma's 70s glory days. Believed to have come from Paris or the areas surrounding, HIATUS released one album titled AVANT DEMAIN in 1984 on the short-lived Cryonic label which hosted better known artists such as Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Zao and Komintern although some of these were reissues passed on by earlier labels. As strange as it is obscure, HIATUS delivered a bizarre mix of avant-prog, zeuhl, jazz fusion and avant-garde experimentalism. The album has unfortunately never seen another reissuing after its initial vinyl printing but is well worthy.

Definitely one for those seeking out the more adventurous avant-garde sector of the zeuhl universe, HIATUS was the five-piece of Pascal Gutman (bass), Jean-François Rivière (drums), Franck Marsicano (guitar), Stéphane Deschamps (keyboards) and Abdoulaye Fall (tenor saxophone) who together delivers a jazzier side of the zeuhl equation with more acoustic moments that drift into jazz territory completely including moments of Gutman dropping the bubbly zeuhl rhythms for jazzy walking bass detours. For the most part though this album of six tracks that added up to nearly 48 minutes of playing time features some excellent bouncy bass groovin' by Pascal Gutman, the clear star of the show however Stephane Deschamps also delivers some spectacularly wild keyboard performances. While the bass grooves keep the musical flow firmly planted in the world of zeuhl, the musical style itself is much more on the jazzy side and a happy uplifting type of jazz belying the album cover's menacing dark imagery. The members seem to have mysteriously disappeared with no traces to other musical projects.

While the atmosphere can be a bit on the gloomy side, the tenor saxophone playing of Abdoulaye Fall keeps the music in an upbeat and cheerful mood setting. It's a bizarre contrast of extremes that offers an album's worth of interesting variations that range from fast-tempos and heavier dynamics to a more contemplative cooling down effect more reminiscent of The Weather Report than Magma. The avant-garde angularities are right out of fellow label mate Art Zoyd's playbook although they are just as prevalent as the more streamlined jazzy passages that almost drop the rock aspects altogether although the dynamic percussive drive keeps the tangible connection to the rock side of the equation. The band are masters of improv jamming where a steady and robust bass groove will find the other instruments taking turns of offering some serious finger gymnastics with the closing "Rock Saoudite" offering some of the most demanding technicalities.

The opening "Bleu Outremer" is also a standout with a freakishly avant-garde intro that seamlessly melds the worlds of avant-prog, zeuhl and jazz fusion into a monstrous concoction that is utterly addictive and also threatens to usher in one of the most freakishly wild zeuhl albums ever released however as the album progresses there are plenty of warm tender moments that totally deviate from early insinuations. This is an almost entirely instrumental albums with no choirs and no Kobaian chanting however a few scant vocal utterances do pop up occasionally. Weirder moments evoke some of Robert Tripp's guitar antics with King Crimson elements finding their way into the mix. The instrumental interplay is off the chart and the strange syncopated rhythms remind me a lot of what Yugen would make a career out of in the 1990s and beyond.

It's a wild zeuhlish ride that is unlike an other so if you're seeking out something strange and demented yet seductively charming, then AVANT DEMAIN is a fun little obscurity that well deserves your attention. HIATUS delivers a very intricately designed form of zeuhl that wove in bizarre avant-prog angularities into its musical flow while the jazz sort of keeps it from becoming too overly alienating. This is definitely one that i wish would be reissued on CD form and a band i would've loved to have heard more from in this very style but woefully out of fashion in the pop-obsessed 1980s. Perhaps too weird for many as this is one for the adventurists looking for something completely left field but for those into this sort of crazy visionary music blend, you won't be disappointed!