Get The Word Out - Danish Progressive Rock Origins

TAYLOR’S UNIVERSE pt. 1: introduction.

Some of you may ask why https://www.facebook.com/robin.c.taylor.9?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARCRbmByKiJ_F6wHC2MZd2Ta706y_hEh9xIQ6Yw3utN4L9rq85FGLdiBeE2v6N7s5B8cyUiRsrfsC7hJ&fref=mentions&hc_location=group" rel="nofollow - Robin TAYLOR’S UNIVERSE (TU) are brought up in this Facebook group? Well, the group focuses on the origin of Danish progressive rock, but not just the genre in general (whose manifestation occurred in the late 60’s and early 70’s) but the individual genres as well, and in this case, the RIO/Avant-Prog genre that TU represent, developed over a much longer period in Denmark than in countries such as the US and the UK.

The genre amalgamates two musical styles in reality, namely RIO (Rock In Opposition) and Avant-Prog, but they are often interchangeable and not always separable.

Avant-Prog was basically developed by FRANK ZAPPA who incorporates (from ProgArchives)

- Regular use of dissonance and atonality.
- Extremely complex and unpredictable song arrangements.
- Free or experimental improvisation.
- Fusion of disparate musical genres.
- Polyrhythms and highly complex time signatures.

On the other hand, RIO, that was originally ideated, conceptualized and further developed by HENRY COW (other prominent bands are Belgian UNIVERS ZERO and Swedish SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA), is characterized by having (derived from ProgArchives)

- distinctly avant-garde sound and left wing political ideology
- not always much in common stylistically with other groups, apart from a basic leaning towards fusing avant-garde qualities with elements of rock
- an idea of Rock In Opposition to create an independent network of like-minded performers that would not be dependent on the largesse of major record companies for their survival
- the slogan: "The music the record companies don't want you to hear"

From this it will be understood that TAYLOR’S UNIVERSE comply more or less with both genre definitions and hence is a RIO/Avant-Prog band.

Prog sites (e.g. ProgArchives) list TU as the first Danish band to release a full length RIO/Avant-Prog album. Of course, as is the case with any other genre, RIO/Avant-Prog occupied first sections of songs, next entire songs and finally entire albums. Early Danish RIO/Avant-Prog was exercised by particularly BURNIN RED IVANHOE, MAXWELLS and DR. DOPO JAm (in about that order). Not surprisingly thus, https://www.facebook.com/karsten.vogel.58?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARCBTNj7tqFv3_3BeGJzQ_l231Yl0vl5oI7ShwGcYxIhmlBNZQeVA2LtCEfU_XApEHcyt2WRYBA6Bv79&fref=mentions&hc_location=group" rel="nofollow - Karsten Vogel became a member of TAYLOR'S UNIVERSE.

Other Danish RIO/Avant-Prog bands/artists include Afenginn (debuted 2004), https://www.facebook.com/robin.c.taylor.9?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARCSs4bCVUUpv5TP9Z-DlZzHef4cq0vjW0KanKa5p6oAYWoqX89bZElKhl2qWQ2dCSK5yfBPszXXk48C&fref=mentions&hc_location=group" rel="nofollow - Robin Taylor (debuted 1992), https://www.facebook.com/robin.c.taylor.9?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARCVa1EDFWTAbM02cTjLLkUINfOnABRpl9XeVrBCwZ7fqqbfMIkV78j0Xl_ihIbye3tK_mHw1pK9XpX3&fref=mentions&hc_location=group" rel="nofollow - Taylor 's Free Universe (debuted 2002), Düreforsög (debuted 1997) and Communio Musica (debuted 1996).