Lecture Series, part 3-B: Zeuhl in the modern world

Posted about 4 years ago

Artist:
- PLAY
Ruins

Okay, so, judging by the less than enthusiastic response, the "zeuhl post":http://mog.com/Groon/blog_post/129393 went over like a lead balloon, apparantly. No matter. I did say I was going to make a second, shorter post about it, so here it is.The thing about zeuhl that makes it stand out from some of the other genres is that it is still very much alive and well today. I wanted to post three examples of current, or at least newer, bands who have been influenced by this rather unusual sound. First up is a band some people may know already, Ruins. Ruins is a drum and bass outfit from Japan. Now when I say that, I don't mean they play electronic music called drum and bass. I mean, they are two people, a drummer and a bass player. That's it. And the drummer sings. This is basically the zeuhl sound stripped down to its main components. Unlike Magma, however, they are frenetic, fast-paced, and frenzied. This is some of the crazier stuff I've heard. I've chosen my favorite Ruins song, which is one of their more listenable tunes, but not quite 100% on the crazy scale. Enjoy!

In the comments, a kick-ass song by the now defunct Happy Family, and the musical stylings of Guapo.

Comments (25)

Follow

Groon says Happy Family is another zeuhl-tinged band from Japan. They put out two albums, a self titled one, and the follow up Tossco. This is track one from their first album, and it's pretty heave and intense. Bass fans should enjoy their bass player immensely, as he is all over the place and completely dominant. ~K7S5nxQj999.mp3~

Permalink posted 12/09/2007
Follow

Groon says This is Guapo, from the U.K. Zeuhl, but unlike the other two, slower and less pounding and thrashing. They're heavy, but in a different way. They are probably the closest in sound to the original zeuhl bands. This is from the album Five Suns, which is mainly one long piece divided over five tracks. There are two stand alones on it as well, and this is one of them. ~0jpIxxX4ziH.mp3~

Permalink posted 12/09/2007
Follow

davesonic says I'm loving this, keep it up Groon.

Permalink posted 12/10/2007
Follow

Groon says Thanks, Dave! Will do.

Permalink posted 12/10/2007
Follow

brz says interesting stuff - parts of it remind me of Primus... Diamond Backed Sturgeon maybe. the rest is without precedent in my listening experience.

Permalink posted 12/10/2007
Follow

fistula spume says Wow. From roots to leaf. Zeuhl in Japan. That Ruins track ruled. Happy Family track is pretty killer too. That Guapo album cover looks way cool. Definitely more on the progressive tip than the other two. Great stuff!

Permalink posted 12/10/2007
Follow

madrid spacestation spain says had never heard of zeuhl. happy family song is ace in my book, some intense noodling towards the end of it. yea, the guapo cover really gets me. keep up the prog schoolings

Permalink posted 12/10/2007
Follow

Marigold says cool info. I am still reading and listening. Maybe not totally getting it, but still reading and listening. Keep em coming.

Permalink posted 12/10/2007
Follow

Groon says brz: there's definitely a Primus connection in the sense that the bass, rather than the guitar, is the dominant voice. (As a bass player myself, it's one of zeuhl's main selling points IMO). fistula: Ruins and Happy Family are only a small section of it. Apparantly zeuhl has rather a healthy following in Japan (that's probably a relative statement in the sense that I doubt it's a chart topper or anything, but still, it says something). madrid: glad you're enjoying it! If you can find it, and good luck on that, the whole album rocks. Mike: Glad you're still with us! II'm sure i's that kind of intense focus and determination that helped in their choice for you a Mogger of the week. :-) Seriously, though, thanks for listening, even if it's not quite your thing.

Permalink posted 12/10/2007
Follow

fistula spume says Why not a healthy following in Japan. They pretty much take any genre or two and mix em up and spit em out. They scope of what's going on in Japan now or since the early Shibuya-Kei leanings of the mid to late 80's is just nuts. I'm never surprised by what comes out of there or what they pick to ingest and regurgitate as a new/retro medium. I really enjoyed these posts. I'm going to have to do some research. Reminds me of a lot of jazz/prog stuff that I have plus maybe like speed math rock.

Permalink posted 12/10/2007
Follow

Doomsayer2001 says Okay, I can listen to the Happy Family song and it kicks butt, seriously, I love it. I can hear the song from Guapo in the comments and it too kicks some serious butt... but I can't hear the main song in your post cause it says I "need to sign up to rhapsody"... What is going on here? Do I have to pay to MOG now? I think not!

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Groon says First--glad you like the Happy Family and the Guapo. When I posted those I had a feeling you'd dig them. About the Rhapsody thing . . . I think that's the way this is going, and if it is, then I'm with you.

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Doomsayer2001 says Seriously killer tunage! I wish I could hear the ruins song.

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Groon says Yeah, me too. I wonder if I need to go back and change that somehow? It seemed to suggest that that wasn't intended, and they're going to fix it.

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Doomsayer2001 says Looks as though it's fixed, it's now a red button. BLOOD RED RED LIKE THE BLOOD OF A THOUSAND... ehhh... errr...somethingorothers.

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Groon says Yeah, but does the Ruins rock or what?

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Doomsayer2001 says I had one of their discs back a few years ago, I was at a different stage in life and I did not hold my interest. It didn't sound like this. This is pretty sweet. They are all over the place like a crazy drunk horse and rider! On a side note... I had like 15 MOG pages open... I was wondering why it was lagging.

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Doomsayer2001 says "It" did not hold my interest... not "I".

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Groon says Well, when your posts all of a sudden become the central point of MOG rage, what do you expect? :-) Yeah, this is a sweet track. They're not all like this, though, but I have about three of their albums, and each one has some choice tunes that make the whole purchase worth it.

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Doomsayer2001 says Good stuff, I'm gonna hafta check your other post out tomorrow night, I got to get to bed, we got hosed with ice today and the weather generally suck all around here today. Thus, I got to get up in about 5 hours cause of said ice. Good night Bro.

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

Groon says g'night. We're supposed to be at 81 degrees tomorrow. Not to rub it in or anything. ;p

Permalink posted 12/11/2007
Follow

madrid spacestation spain says i will hunt it down then, going to do alittle music shopping this afternoon for gifts. 81 degrees... damn, winter sucks

Permalink posted 12/14/2007
Follow

Groon says Let me know if you find it, and what you think! Winter? What's that?

Permalink posted 12/14/2007
Follow

Klyde says
Hmm. I think my sensibilities are a bit more it melody. Ignorance, I'm sure...lack of ear refinement? And yet the musicality shines. And your teaching is fun. On I go (so long after the fact).

Permalink posted 09/24/2008
Follow

Groon says
I don't think it's an ignorance or refinement issue, just of taste and what gets you going. As you've probably seen me say on these pages, the only thing I ask is that you listen with an open mind. The rest is gravy.

Permalink posted 09/24/2008