Sub Rosa Belgium Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Univers Zero's new album follows the lineage of its ten-years-older predecessor Phosphorescent Dreams, originally released only on CD in Japan in 2014, and reissued as an LP on the Sub Rosa label in 2019. Lueur is the fruit of two years' work and reflection, the foundations of which were laid by Daniel Denis (keyboards, drums, percussion...), then enriched by the contributions of Nicolas Dechene (guitars), Kurt Bude (clarinet / bass clarinet) and Nicolas Denis (bass, percussion, vocals), all three present on this new project. With this reduced line-up, Lueur offers a dense journey, rooted in the balance between power and calm, raging and serene sound. A balance struck between complex arrangements and more contemplative moments, this album continues the avant-rock tradition of Univers Zero, and features both long and short pieces, vacillating between electronic, tribal and haunting hallmarks.

Review: After an outstanding first volume, Sub Rosa returns to its Spectra Ex Machina series for further deep dives into the world of occult and paranormal activity through the prism of sound and music. This second volume is concerned with musician mediums and features unexpected contributions from such luminaries as Aleister Crowley, Anton LaVey, Joe Meek and Uri Geller. Sourced from obscure archives, this collection of live seances and other such explorations of unexplained phenomenon has a chilling, seductive quality which taps into our innate curiosity about what lies beyond the mortal realm. It's a niche topic for a compilation, but one which suits the studious folk at Sub Rosa down to the ground. The results are, as ever, incredibly compelling.