AlexRichardon

The Ekseptional Rick Van Der Linden Bruno Toneguzzi Martin Wind (Dutch material) Jorge Wensing (translations) Rick Van Der Linden was born in Badhovedorp, Holland on August 5, 1946. His father was a talented pianist and Rick followed in his footsteps, beginning lessons at age seven and eventually enrolling in a conservatory. Through hard work and determination, products of an intense Catholic upbringing and the challenge of equaling his father's accomplishments, he completed the 5 year course in 3 years. The young pianist then proceeded to win many competitions and by the age of 20 was employed as an instructor at the conservatory he had graduated from. Teaching students who were twice his age, however, did not sit well with him as he felt uneasy and out of place. In the meantime he also dabbled in various styles of music--pop, jazz, rock, ect. not because he particularly liked them, but to learn about them and to feel at home with any style. He played in bars with jazz trios

Embryo On The Road In The Far East Archie Patterson Music is one of the universal languages which is understood by all people. Being on the road we'd hardly understand the strange languages people spoke. But music helped us understand more the nature of foreign people. Over here on our side of god's golfball we're just suckers for what we get shoved down our throats, being submitted to constant Anglo-American brainwashing which eventually corrodes our dreams. During these 8 months on the road we managed to escape these influences and explore new musical universes. As often as possible we jammed with native musicians from a circus band, professors of music, kids, orchestra musicians, instrumental virtuosi and village musicians... -Christian Burchard The musical journey of Embryo has been a long one. Over the span of 11 albums and at least as many years, Christian Burchard and friends have been engaged in the creation of music that attempts to reflect life, music which comes to terms

Faust Pascal Bussy (Reprinted Courtesy ATEM) (Translation: Jacques Pauwels) Faust is a case absolutely unique in the history of rock music, an experience which originated in Germany far from all the styles which have swept other countries in later years. Before they became a musical group in the strict sense of the word, the people in Faust used to live communally since 1968 playing a few instruments for simply their own entertainment. It was an encounter with Uwe Nettlebeck that was decisive & convinced of the potential that their music represented, he pushed them toward an official career. In 1971 the first album was recorded and came out in December of that year on Polydor Germany. It was immediately striking due to its unique appearance. The jacket and the record are both transparent with the only illustration being and x-ray of a clenched fist, without doubt a symbol of past political struggles. As for the music, the result may appear as a sketch of the future realizations of

Grobschnitt Jeff Pollock Grobschnitt is one of the few German groups today that can be called definitive. In fact, they may be the definitive group. Originating from Hagen, their style of music set a precedent for other bands in Germany and abroad. Their music, especially the longer pieces, is characterized by strong vocal and instrumental performances, but most importantly, a progressive approach featuring extended instrumental breaks, sharp percussive roll-offs plus studio and electronic embellishments that complement the soloing. Occasionally, a hint of jazz or the classics appears for good measure, but the band's Gothic rock and roll leanings are never diminished too greatly. When their first LP was released in 1972, they were on their way to becoming a live performance favorite. A big outdoor festival attraction, their stage show, which featured elaborate costumes, make-up and a troupe of offbeat clown types, was an instant hit. The album wasn't bad either. "Symphony" is one of

D.N.A The Rise and Fall of Electronic Music in Germany Harald Mehl CHAPTER 0: INTRODUCTION OR TEUTONIC SOULS To understand German music it is necessary to explain a few basics, partially reaching back far into the past. German progressive music has to be seen in that context, so allow me to make a short introduction to the German soul by some generalizations. The German DNA seems to contain a few triplets dedicated to the dark, sinister, out-of-the-way and the heroic plus law-and-order (yes, both of these at the same time). In other words: Germany is always torn apart by two extremes of any given time, swapping over from one to the other without a transition period in between. In relation to music, this means that German progressive music practically appeared out of nowhere--it simply existed in 1968 in full strength. Before this time there only existed "Schlager" (I love you and you love me, or vice versa), or imported Anglo-American Top-Ten hit which were a part of the general

Zoydian Manifesto Art Zoyd 3 (Valenciennes, 25 March '76) Translation: Steve Hitchcock Reprinted from UN CERTAIN ROCK (?) FRANCAIS, Vol. II (1974-77) Art Zoyd refuses labels and archetypes. This collective of four musicians assumes no definite voice or approach. We are asked to define objects and to speak of new and eventual directions. But the question in unworkable. Creation is a materialization of the passages (voices?) of the unconscious. The musician is a medium between his thoughts and the concretely musical. Why is a certain character or a certain rhythm more representative of his thoughts than another? A mystery of sounds and magic every instant. So let us leave that for a moment. And let us go back, since our problem today is less essential. Seeing that one must speak of musical creation on the level of a certain materialist critique, certain things should be said, notably on the subject of those styles of popular music made solely of tricks and cliches. In Art Zoyd

Progressive Europe In The '70s ...200 Years Of Influences Jeff Pollock When considering the largest influences of new music or art rock in the seventies, names such as Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky are usually the first to come to mind, along with the Beatles, Pink Floyd and others. In some ways the scope of influences is too vast to recall at once, as different styles and cultures pervade all areas of the world. Likewise in Europe, which has a wide range of variety and taste resting on a grand scale that dates back hundreds of years. The custom of passing this large part of culture down to each generation is a tradition in itself, and every succeeding generation has made additional contributions to it with the flow of time. In this classical background there have been shifting conflicts as modern trends now dominate the continent in the seventies. It is then no exaggeration to state that most of the principle European countries are linked by a strong sense of the Gothic nature, and

Catherine Riberio + Alpes Michel Le Came The name Catherine Riberio + Alpes is totally unknown in America. Yet they are the pioneer of all French progressive groups. 1962: Catherine Riberio, daughter of a Portuguese worker appeared in a film by Godard called "Les Carabiniers." There she met a Patrice Moullet. 1968: (April) One month before the revolutionary events in France, Catherine Riberio decides to die. But death doesn't want her. Patrice Moullet comes everyday to see her in the hospital, telling her he was feeling the music for her words (she had sung already alone). When they decided to put out an album, several labels refused it as "non-commercial." They finally signed with the Festival label which agreed to let them do what they wanted. End of 1969: The first album appears--CATHERINE RIBERIO + 2 BIS ( the group's name was not yet Alpes). It was outstanding for the time, just think the first Magma album wasn't out yet. In fact it was the FIRST FRENCH PROGRESSIVE LP.

Art Zoyd III and Univers Zero Greard Nguyen, with the help of Sabine (Courtesy ATEM Magazine, translation Lois Bode) The early '70s saw a new generation of musicians, come from different horizons (progressive rock, classics, jazz and contemporary music) dissatisfied with the limits imposed by these different genres, try to create music which would free itself of Anglo-Saxon influences in order to proclaim its own identity good and loud. This music, which we could describe as Continental or European, derives its source at once from classical, contemporary and even ethnic music, and you can't deny the influence of a group like Magma, a detonator group if there is one. But more than form, which engenders pallid copies (Nasal, Ocharinah, Belzebuth, ect.) unable to see more than the obvious aspects of this music (bass/drum pulsation), and more than the spirit which cannot find shelter from the critics, it is the new perspectives that it opens up which we must take hold of here. And if

Chrome life in alien nation Archie Patterson "It's dark; black: like the wall I know is there but can't see because of the murky dampness suffocating me as I anticipate the killing force of our collision. The blackness is filled with jagged glass and snapped razor blades tormenting my every move. It's like not having sleep for endless days, poured in unknowingness while irregularly and unceasingly being slapped by my own hand. The ring from Dante's Inferno he didn't dare put to print has surfaced from man's collective unconscious to warn us all that there are depths. Thousands have heard this music for hundreds of years, only no one dared to make it for fear of giving the Prince of Darkness the music he needs to dance his dance. Among the innocents the twisted writhing mind does make noise and it has been heard.............. Or is it a vitamin B deficiency?????" -R. Klinger Chrome began as a flashback. Looking past today, into the future only to see that it didn't work. The