Magma are a French avant-garde rock band from Paris, formed in 1969 by drummer and keyboardist Christian Vander. During the 1970s, they released six proper studio albums and a live disc on the Philips, Vertigo, Utopia, and Eurodisc labels. Their debut, Kobaïa (1970), introduced the Kobaïan language and ritualized vocal arrangements. 1001° Centigrades (1971) and […]
Zao was a French Zeuhl ensemble, active during the 1970s and later sporadic intervals. Between 1973 and 1977, they released five albums on Vertigo, Urus, and RCA, beginning with their debut Z=7L, which featured François “Faton” Cahen on keyboards, Yochk’o Seffer on saxophones, and Mauricia Platon on vocals. Their second album, Osiris (1974), saw Seffer […]
Weidorje was a French Zeuhl band that released a self-titled album on Cobra in 1978. The project was headed by once-and-future Magma members Bernard Paganotti and Patrick Gauthier, who both played on the 1976 album Üdü Ẁüdü, which featured a song called “Weidorje.” Members: Bernard Paganotti (bass, vocals), Patrick Gauthier (keyboards), Kirt Rust (drums), Jean-Philippe […]
Köhntarkösz is the fifth album by the French Zeuhl ensemble Magma, released in September 10, 1974, on A&M. The album presents a brooding, atmospheric exploration of the mystical narrative surrounding Köhntarkösz, a seer who enters the tomb of the ancient sage Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré to uncover hidden knowledge. Bandleader Christian Vander shapes the album around the title cycle, unfolding […]
Üdü Ẁüdü is the sixth studio album by the French Zeuhl ensemble Magma, released on September 10, 1976 on RCA’s Utopia imprint. The album marks a shift toward bass-centered pulses and industrial futurism while retaining the group’s experimental roots. Worldbeat fusion and ghost-dance motifs permeate the shorter tracks, while the side-long epic develops a tense, […]
Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh is the fourth album by the French Zeuhl ensemble Magma, on May 6, 1973, on Vertigo (France) and A&M (abroad). The previously rejected, more acoustic choral version becomes electrically amplified here, driven by dense brass voicings, sharpened percussion, and the addition of guitarist Claude Olmos and bassist Jannick Top, whose arrival replaces […]
1001° Centigrades — initially titled Magma 2 — is the second album by the French Zeuhl ensemble Magma, released on October 5, 1971, on Philips. The narrative from their first album continues as the Kobaïans return to Earth and share their knowledge, ultimately meeting resistance that culminates in confinement and ideological tension. Louis Toesca and […]
Magma is the debut album by the French progressive-rock band Magma, released in October 1970 on Philips. The double-album presents a sprawling concept about refugees abandoning a doomed Earth to build a society on the distant planet Kobaïa, conveyed largely in the constructed Kobaïan language. The ensemble combines jazz-rock frameworks with classical phrasing, shifting pulses, […]
Univeria Zekt were an alter ego of French super-band Magma, supplanting the popular nameplate for the 1972 release The Unnamables on Thélème Philips. Members: Christian Vander (drums, vocals, percussion), Klaus Blasquiz (vocals, percussion), Francis Moze (bass, organ), François Faton Cahen (piano), Claude Engel (guitar, flute, vocals), Teddy Lasry (saxophone, flute, organ), Jeff “Yochk’o” Seffer (saxophone), […]
Teddy Lasry (born 1947) is a French multi-instrumentalist and composer who joined Magma for their first three albums and released numerous library tracks between 1975 and 1987 on Patchwork and Sonimage. Two Lasry albums appeared on RCA Victor during the late 1970s, including the popular 1976 release E=MC². Background Teddy Lasry was born Teddy Albert […]
Claude Engel is a French guitarist and songwriter behind the 1972 instrumental jazz-funk album 99% Pop on Tele Music, followed by the 1976 CBS folk-pop albums Claude Engel and Fantasmagory. Background Claude Engel was born in 1948 in Paris, France. From 1960, he played guitar in the variety orchestra led by his father while studying […]
Patrick Gauthier (born Feb. 27, 1953) is a French keyboardist and composer who played in Heldon, Magma, and Weidorje during the 1970s. In 1981, he released the album Bébé Godzilla on CY Records. Discography: Bébé Godzilla (1981) Sur les Flots Verticaux (1993) Le Morse (1996)
Laurent Thibault is a French studio musician and producer who co-founded Magma. In 1979, he released the album Mais on ne Peut pas Rêver Tout le Temps on Ballon Noir. Background Laurent Thibault was born June 24, 1946, in Paris. His father was Belgian, and his French mother sang in cabarets. He met Francis Moze […]
Francis Moze is a French bassist, keyboardist, and composer who played in the bands Magma, Rhésus O, Troc, and Gong during the 1970s. In 1982, he released the solo album Naissance on keyboardist Andy Elmer’s one-off label Harps Prod. Background Francis Moze was born on February 2, 1946, and trained for about ten years as […]
Didier Lockwood (Feb. 11, 1956 — Feb. 18, 2018) was a French violinist with Seventies stints in Magma, Surya, Synthesis, Visitors, and Zao. Starting with the 1976 Music-Zag release Jazz Rock, he made thirty-plus albums for MPS, JMS, and other labels. Background Didier Lockwood was born Didier André Paul Lockwood on February 11, 1956, in […]
