Regarded by some as the least successful recording of Univers Zero's early years, Uzed is still well worth hearing.
The CD starts quite impressively with "Présage," which has one of those haunting Univers Zero themes, equal parts lyrical and dramatic, and is certainly the equal of anything else in the Univers Zero oeuvre.
Subsequent tracks, though, are rather nondescript.
One problem is that the band, with only drummer Daniel Denis and bassist Christian Genet left from the original lineup, is beginning to move away from the acoustic chamber music of prior releases (especially those immediately preceding Ceux du Dehors) and toward a more contemporary progressive rock sound, with electric guitars and prominent synthesizers.
All compositions are penned by Denis, and the usual Univers Zero precision is evident in the execution of the scores, but the instrumental voicings seem a little tentative and the mix is somewhat muddy, even on the excellent first track.
The last long track, "Emmanations," also has its moments, but on the whole, Uzed lacks a full measure of the high drama and musical tension that are so much a part of the Univers Zero sound.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PrésageDaniel Denis | Univers Zero | Play | 09:52 | 22 MB | 52 MB |
| 2 | L' Etrange Mixture du Docteur SchwartzDaniel Denis | Univers Zero | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | ParadeDaniel Denis | Univers Zero | Play | 06:38 | 15 MB | 37 MB |
| 4 | EmmanationsDaniel Denis | Univers Zero | Play | 15:41 | 35 MB | 78 MB |
| 5 | Célesta (for Chantal) | Univers Zero | Play | 06:55 | 15 MB | 27 MB |
| 43 mins | 98 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 216 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michel Delory | Guitar |
| 2 | Daniel Denis | Composer, Drums, Percussion, Synthesizer |
| 3 | Guy Denis | Photography |
| 4 | Dirk Descheemaeker | Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass), Sax (Soprano) |
| 5 | Christian Genet | Balafon, Bass, Guitar, Tapes, Whistle (Instrument) |
| 6 | André Mergen | Cello, Sax (Alto), Voices |
| 7 | Paula Millet | Artwork, CD Graphics |
| 8 | Jean-Luc Plouvier | Percussion, Piano, Piano (Electric), Piano Strings, Synthesizer |
| 9 | Didier de Roos | Engineer, Mixing |
| 10 | Univers Zero | Mixing, Primary Artist |
| 11 | Marc Verbist | Violin |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |