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Thierry Zaboitzeff — Heat (Rough Mix)
(Bandcamp no#, 2024, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-12-15

Heat (Rough Mix) Cover art

October of 2024 has brought us the latest set of recordings by multi-instrumentalist Thierry Zaboitzeff, a founding member and bassist of Art Zoyd who has been working as a solo artist since leaving that group in the late 90s. Since that time he has released twenty or more recordings, some full albums, singles and EP length pieces, with many scores for modern dance among them, as well as his 3CD 50 Ans de Musique massive 50th anniversary collection among them; Exposé has posted reviews for nearly all of them over the years. His latest, Heat, is a full album, about 35 minutes all taken, seven cuts in length where Zaboitzeff plays all of the instrumentation, including piano, keyboards, bass guitars, electric cello, samplers, soundscapes, programming, and even the occasional vocals. The music herein runs the gamut, from intensely rhythmic to gentle soft drifts occupying outer spaces, from dark and twisted visions to melodically haunting slices of beauty, full of tension forever seeking release; one might find similarities with his former band at times, though he has always taken care not to fall into the trap of repetition or rehashing old ideas. There doesn’t seem to be any over-arching concept to the pieces herein, and all of the tracks except one are composed by Zaboitzeff, that exception being an adaptation of “Cold Song” by Henry Purcell. The opener, “Vague de Chaleur Intense,” opens with some field recordings of a spoken voice in French before jumping to a busy rhythmic figure, all seeming like a mash-up between classical sounds, opera, and bits of Canterbury without the jazz — it’s a truly  magnificent opening statement. Starting with a bit of a Magma feel, “Echoes” winds through some dark canyons as it approaches its brief three-minute duration, with the melodic vocal harmonies being quite powerful and unique. With a driving pulse and chaotic arrangement, “Heatwave Alarm” pushes the boundaries with dark, menacing vocals, it’s probably as close to rocking as any other track here, but explosive would be a better decriptive. “Bulletin Météo” explores a gentler side, with a prominent piano figure and powerful arrangements that, taken together make for the most introspective and beautiful nine minutes on the album. Another superb release from TZ.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Thierry Zaboitzeff

More info
http://thierryzaboitzeff.bandcamp.com/album/heat

 

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