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 […]
Kawana is the fourth album by French Zeuhl ensemble Zao, released in 1976 on RCA Victor. Kawana represents Zao at a stage where their sound has fully embraced jazz-rock fusion while retaining traces of the Zeuhl energy from earlier albums. With the addition of Didier Lockwood on violin, the ensemble expands its expressive range, weaving […]
Osiris is the second album by French progressive ensemble Zao, released in 1974 on Disjuncta/Urus. The album marks a transitional stage for the band as it begins to diverge from the heavier Zeuhl influences of their debut Z=7L toward a more jazz-fusion oriented approach. The departure of Mauricia Platon left vocal duties to Yochk’o Seffer […]
Z=7L is the debut album by French chamber-rock/Zeuhl combo Zao, released in 1973 on Vertigo. Keyboardist François “Faton” Cahen and reedist Yochk’o Seffer formed the band after their early departure from Magma. The album integrates operatic female vocals, intricate instrumental interplay, and shifting rhythmic frameworks, producing an intricate tension between structure and improvisation. Mauricia Platon’s […]
Joël Dugrenot is a French bassist who played in the 1970s bands Clearlight, Speed Limit, and Zao. He went solo with the 1982 Spalax release Boomerang, followed by the 1984 Eurorock title See. His earlier tracks from the 1976–78 period constitute the archival disc Mosaïques. Backgrounds Joël Dugrenot was born Joël René Henri Dugrenot on […]
