Exposé Online banner

Univeria Zekt — The Unnamables
(Musea FGBG 4086.AR, 1972/1993, CD)

by Peter Thelen, 1994-02-01:

The Unnamables Cover art This is, for all intents and purposes, a Magma album recorded under a different name. The original intent by producer Laurent Thibault was to create an album that would be sort of like an introduction to the Magma sound, leading the listener from the more accessible jazz-rock sounds of the day slowly into the unique world of Magma. Consequently you have songs at the beginning (side one of the original album) that may remind of Soft Machine or Blood, Sweat & Tears, while songs near the end sound like Magma circa the second album (1001 Centigrades). The album features three different vocalists: firstly Zabu, then Lionel Ledissez, and finally Klaus Blasquiz. The lineup is essentially the same as the second Magma record: Vander, Cahen, Moze, Lasry and Seffer, the only difference being Tito Puentes who replaced Louis Toesca. So the question becomes: Is this a good introduction to Magma? I say no - this album is only a good introduction to Magma at that point in time... it must be remembered this was before Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh, the album that changed Magma's sound forever. This is, however, an album that should eventually be in every Magma fan's collection. Incidentally, the initial run of this album was only 1500 copies, making it a mega-rarity. An early 80s reissue was released briefly on the Cryonic label, but this too disappeared quickly. Musea has done a splendid job on the CD reissue, the information in the booklet alone is worth the price of the disc!

by Rob Walker, 1995-11-01:

A Magma album in disguise, The Unnamables was designed to ease listeners into the musical world of Magma. Recorded by essentially the same lineup as on 1001 Centigrades, the album basically reiterates the stylistic development shown through Magma's first two albums, while abandoning the science fiction concept of the Kobaïan story. Three tracks from Lasry and one from Cahen on the first half of the album approximate the accessibility of the more well-known jazz-rock of the time. Vander's pieces on the second half of the album, however, begin to explore similar musical ground to that found on 1001 Centigrades. There is nothing here that is unique in the development of Magma's sound or style, but The Unnamables does contain some worthwhile and engaging music from the first phase of Magma's existence.

by Henry Schneider, 1993-12-31:

Laurent Thibault conceived of the Univeria Zekt project as a way to introduce Magma to a wider audience. The idea was to ease people into the complexities of Magma’s music by the music on side one and then climaxing with Christian Vander’s excellent "Africa Anteria." The first five tracks are tame by Magma standards drawing comparisons to Zao, Weather Report, and Chicago circa their first three albums. Musea is to be commended for reissuing this classic Magma spin-off. Consistent with Musea’s practice this CD contains extensive liner notes and the original artwork both on the booklet and reproduced in color on the CD. <em>The Unnameables</em> is an essential reissue for the Magma fan.

Filed under: Reissues , 1993 releases, 1972 releases

Related artist(s): Magma, Christian Vander / Offering, Univeria Zekt

More info

Latest news

2019-06-05
Legendary Co-Founder of The 13th Floor Elevators Passes Away at Age 71 – Sadly, Roky Erickson passed away on May 31, 2019. Known as the father of psychedelic music and co-founder of the ground breaking 13th Floor Elevators, Roky had a profound influence on music from the 60s to today. Plagued by his own personal demons, Roky had a difficult life and is now free of these burdens. » Read more

2019-04-24
Help MoonJune Bring Great Music to Life – Like many music lovers around the world, we’ve been thrilled and amazed to hear the recordings that have been released by MoonJune from sessions at La Casa Murada in Spain. Such label stalwarts as Mark Wingfield, Markus Reuter, Asaf Sirkis, Tony Levin, Dusan Jevtovic, Vasil Hadzimanov, and many more have gathered in various combinations at the studio to produce some of the most creative music in recent years. Now, label head Leonardo Pavkovic is offering a compilation, La Casa Murada - MoonJune Sessions, Volume One, as a fundraiser for upcoming sessions. » Read more

2019-04-10
The Pineapple Thief to Tour North America – November and December of 2019 will see The Pineapple Thief bringing their music to Canada, Mexico, and the US, and famed drummer Gavin Harrison will be on board. The band has been touring extensively in Europe, but North America will be new territory for them. » Read more

2019-03-25
Scott Walker RIP – Noel Scott Engel, better known as Scott Walker, was one of the most intriguing and enigmatic musical figures in the second half of the 20th Century. His strange career started with The Walker Brothers, an American pop group that featured no one named Walker and no brothers. After moving to England in 1965, they had a series of hit singles. Scott's solo work started with Scott in 1967. Starting in the 80s, his work took an increasingly avant-garde turn. » Read more

2019-03-20
Freedom to Spend Unearths June Chikuma's Archives – Jun (June) Chikuma is well known for her video game and anime soundtracks, but she also released an album of experimental electronic music back in 1986 called Divertimento where she indulged the kind of spontaneity that wouldn't work in a soundtrack. RVNG Int'l label Freedom to Spend is bringing this overlooked item to broader attention with a deluxe reissue. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Tipographica - Tipographica – Hello... I'd like to report a Frank Zappa sighting — actually not a visual sighting, but after hearing the first few minutes of this debut disc by Japan's Tipographica, I'm convinced that Zappa's...  (1994) » Read more

Wendy Carlos - Digital Moonscapes & Beauty in the Beast – One of the shortcomings of electronic music is that no matter how sophisticated the hardware and software have become, it can’t approach natural instrumentation for the wealth of detail in sound and...  (2001) » Read more

The Surgery - Holy Umbrella – The Surgery is a trio of guitars, bass and drums, with guitarist Toshi Horisawa providing the predominantly English lead vocals, as well as some synths and programming. The album opens with a...  (1997) » Read more

Engineers - Three Fact Fader – Engineers were a band many pegged to go big, but the implosion of their label after the release of their 2004 debut threw them into limbo. The time off allowed them to slave over these 13 songs, and...  (2011) » Read more

Grok - Bubbles – Grok is a rather interesting product of the ever-interesting New Zealand music scene. My first reaction to this album was that it reminded me of Sonic Youth (one of my all time favorite bands), but...  (1999) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

They Jibber, We Twitch

More recommendations
The Seventeenth Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival 2019

Print issues