Mad Unity -

Mad Unity was a Belgian jazz-funk studio project behind the 1975 album Funky Tramway on Vogue.

Members: Dan Lacksman, Gérard Sabbe, Janko Nilovic, Jean Pierre Onraedt, Koen De Bruyne, Nick Roland, Patricia Maessen, Pino Marchese, Richard Rousselet

Background

Mad Unity formed in Brussels, where Studio Madeleine engineers Roger Verbestel and Roland Leclercq established a production company with guitarist Nick Roland, bassist Pino Marchese, drummer Jean-Pierre Onraedt, and keyboardist Koen De Bruyne. The four musicians belonged to a network of Belgian pop, rock, and jazz sessionists.

Onraedt played in the Philarpopic Orchestra, a large ensemble formed by students at the Mons Conservatory. In 1972, he joined the late-period lineup of Roland’s band, Wallace Collection, then joined Onraedt in Shampoo, which accompanied Hearts of Soul, a Dutch vocal trio comprised of sisters Bianca, Patricia, and Stella Maessen. Marchese hailed from Salix Alba, the Brussells pop-comedy band behind the 1973 Vogue album Oh Mama.

De Bruyne, a classically trained pianist from the Antwerp Conservatory, played on 1972/73 albums by Ferre Grignard and Johan Verminnen. In 1974, he cut the jazz-rock Vogue solo album Here Comes the Crazy Man!, backed by Onraedt, Patricia Maessen, and trumpeters Richard Rousselet and Gérard Sabbe.

Rousselet also played in the jazz-rock group Placebo under keyboardist Marc Moulin. Synthesizer specialist Dan Lacksman shared the Verminnen session circle and made library tracks under the name Electronic System.

Mad Unity pitched a collaborative project to Janko Nilović, the Paris-based Istanbulite composer-arranger. Nilović proliferated as jazz-psych library musician with the 1969 Montparnasse 2000 release Psyc Impressions, followed by thirteen titles through the 1974 ensemble album Rythmes contemporains. He teamed with the Belgians as chief composer while sessions commenced at Studio Madeleine.

Discography:

Funky Tramway (1975)

References and notes

Jean-Pierre Onraedt — Biographie — Extensive firsthand history covering the Philarpopic Orchestra, Wallace Collection, Shampoo, the Brussels session network, and the founding of Mad Unity with Roland, Marchese, De Bruyne, Verbestel, and Leclercq. (Mémoire 60–70)
Janko Nilović Interview (2013) — Nilović discusses his Istanbul upbringing, Paris recordings, Montparnasse 2000, and the invitation from Belgian musicians to compose Funky Tramway. (It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine)
Janko Nilović — Albums — The composer identifies Funky Tramway as a commission from a Belgian friend and describes the Brussels musicians and recording arrangements. (Official Website)
Koen De Bruyne — Here Comes the Crazy Man! — The 1974 Studio Madeleine sessions and the participation of Onraedt, Rousselet, Sabbe, and Patricia Maessen. (Sdban Records / Bandcamp)
Salix Alba — Discography and Personnel — Identifies Pino Marchese as bassist and vocalist in the Brussels group and lists the 1973 releases. (My Favorite Bands / Discogs Data)
Johan Verminnen — De Jaren ’70 — Period photographs identifying Koen De Bruyne and Nick Roland in Verminnen’s early-1970s ensemble. (Official Website)
Dan Lacksman — About — The musician recounts his engineering background, acquisition of early synthesizers, and electronic recordings under the Electronic System name. (Official Website)
Richard Rousselet — Discographie — Session chronology covering Clark Terry, Placebo, and the Belgian jazz circuit from the late 1960s. (Official Website)
Mad Unity — Funky Tramway — Original album credits identifying Nilović as composer and arranger, the Belgian instrumentalists, Roland Leclercq, and Studio Madeleine. (Discom / Underdog Records)