FRANK DERVIEUX - DIMENSION "M"

4.5 stars really!!!

An album that Frank Dervieux made once very sick and made with his group that would go on as Contraction to records two further albums. From what I always gathered Dimension M is an almost- instrumental concept album of lost worlds, with Robichaud's superb scat voice, this album made quite mark on the provincial scene

Starting with the fantastic title track , with its middle almost free-jazz improv and taking a bit of a Canterbury slant, Dervieux shows everything he's capable of for a Hammond organ feast (Ratledge meeting Dave Stewart) but King's detuned violin are a slight flaw. The following Atlantide has Dervieux pounding the piano, where Christiane's scat voice des marvels. The Hyperborea is a quieter affair (all things relative) dying on a dissonant note, but overall it is another brilliant Dervieux piece. Just like the later contraction, there is a slight domination of the jazz element, but we're close to full-blown progressive rock, somewhere between Caravan and Camel at its easiest and as close to Gentle Giant in the more complex phases. Opening the flipside the Concerto, however is their most complex song with great dynamics, constant twists and changes. This 9-mins epic is a pure delight of funky guitar, booming bass (Laferriere's work were always indispensable part of Contraction), inventive drumming; St Roch is very much the unsung hero of side 2, but he gets much help from percussionist touche-à-tout Michel Seguin. The album goes on from enchantment to joyful surprises with Orejane Mater (where King discordant violin makes an almost brass-like interventiuon) and the closing Present Du Futur, where Robichaud's aerial voice and Dervieux's solemn organ give an almost liturgical twist to the track

Sadly Dervieux was not to outlive by long his album, he just managed to appear on Contraction's debut, before leaving us for good. Yet Dimension M is an essential piece of progressive rock in Quebec's prog history, often seen as Contraction's first album, and there are hardly any reasons not to. Essential and much more.

A cult figure of the Quebec Prog scene, Franck Dervieux was the keyboardist of well-known singer Jean-Pierre Ferland.He was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and once he regained his strength he went on to record a solo album completely dedicated to his doctors.''Dimension M'' came out in 1972 on Columbia with the participation of Yves Laferrière on bass, Christiane Robichaud on vocals, Michel Robidoux on guitars, Christian St Roch on drums, Terry King on violin and Michel Seguin on percussion.

The album kicks off with the bizarre eponymous Avant/Psych/Prog instrumental, which has a nice abstract organic sound before turning into a Psychedelic Rock guitar instrumental.The following ''Atlantide'' is simply beautiful, based on Dervieux'es work on grand piano and offering a starting jazzy flavor, before turning into complex Symphonic Rock with organ on the forefront and a solid rhythm section and ending with Robichaud's Parisienne wordless singing, as the singer grew up in Paris.''Hyperborée Civilization'' is another fast pace piano-driven fiery instrumental with some wordless vocals, featuring the great violin soloing of Terry King and Dervieux'es excellent performance on piano.The long ''Concerto Pour Les Mondes Perdus'' starts with a very haunting groove characterized by deep bass lines, obscure vocals, pounding drums and even harpsichord before melting into a soft Classical-inspired piano performance by Dervieux and lifting again up with King's stormy violin work and Robidoux'es psychedelic guitars.''Orejona, Mater'' is a smooth piece of acoustic instrumentals,filled with mellow violins, piano and vocal lines to calm things down before the closing grandiose ''Present du futur'' and its powerful organ intro, followed by a piano/organ interplay, having a strong Classical inspiration, and Dervieux delivering also some great electric piano parts, a nice track of Proto-Fusion stylings with a very rich and dynamic sound.

Sadly Dervieux did not make it, as he died shortly after, while his back-up band went on to form the progressive group Contraction.Several of Contraction's members were also part of the legendary Ville Emard Blues Band.

A nice early entry of the Quebec scene into Progressive Rock with a dark, haunting atmosphere for most of its part.Recommended for fans of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR or GNIDROLOG but also to all lovers of demanding music trips...3.5 stars.

Contraction is a new find for me, but one that I will be including in my regular rotation. This collective of Quebec musicians shines in their debut album. The musicianship is top notch and a diversity of instrumentation is candy to my ears. While the album is heavy on jazz/funk themes/grooves it is nonetheless easy to feel the band reaching beyond those genres to create something unique from the rest of progressive music emerging out of Quebec. Highly recommend it to any serious prog-lover, particularly those looking for fem-foward outfits - Christiane does not disappoint. This obscure and complex album deserves more reviews and notoriety in my opinion.