Charles Loos & Jean Paul Musette founded Abraxis in 1975. In 1977 their 1st album came out and was produced by Les Lundis d'Hortense (LDH) label. Abraxis makes Jazz-rock and follows the way of Weather Report or Hatfield and the North to write music.
Abraxis might be seen as a Belgian super group as some of the members are coming from great other bands...
Charles Loos (piano, keyboards) -- from COS
Dirk Bogaert (flute) -- from WATERLOO and PAZOP
Paul Elias (guitar)
Jean-Paul Musette (bass) -- from WATERLOO and COS
Tony Malisan (drums)
Jacky Mauer (drums) -- from ADAM'S RECITAL, WATERLOO and PAZOP
Submitted by Chas Kit on October 23, 2007 - 10:04pm. Abstract Sound | Abstract Sound | US | New Jersey | CBM | Gray Sounds | Sound of Sou Something of a mystery, my understanding is that although their second 45 has a Brooklyn, NY address on the label, the band was actually from Springfield, NJ. The misspelled Your Gona Break My Heart has some cool slide effects on the intro, a fine guitar break and lots of echo. It was released with the band listed as the Abstrack Sound, on the CBM label in 1966, with a moody Judge Him If You Can on the flip. On their second record, the stomping I'm Trying, they're called the Abstract Sound. This one was released twice in 1967, on the Gray Sounds and Sound of Soul labels, and was produced by E. M. Gray. Bill Monetti and C. Catena wrote their songs, along with Denis Dreher on the second 45. However, the Gray Sounds release lists Dreher as co-writing I'm Trying while the Sound of Soul release gives him co-credit on Blacked Out Mind. BMI lists him on both songs along with Monetti, and drops Catena altogether! Obviously someone screwed up the credits somewhere along the way. To make things still more confusing, the labels are reversed on my copy!
ABLUTION from Sweden came to be after combining bassist John GUSTAFSON and keyboard player Peter ROBINSON (later in BRAND X) from the heavy prog act QUATERMASS with ex-members of BALTIK: Bjorn J:SON LINDH on flutes, drummer Ola BRUNKERT and guitarist Janne SCHAFFER (best known as a session guitarist for ABBA). Joining them on additional percussions was now deceased Malando GASSAMA and Barry de SOUZA on the trumpet. Together they released one self titled album of progressive fusion with a pronounced funk sound.
MINIMUM VITAL creates some very lush vocal textures with very interesting harmonies. The music has some very infectious rhythms. They mix art-rock influences from YES, an amazing virtuosity coming from fusion, many innovations and a deep mark from medieval and southern European traditional musics. From these diverse elements, France's MINIMUM VITAL has certainly its own individuality on the desk of progressive rock.
"Esprit D'Amor" is certainly the most original expression from the Progressive field of the last ten years! The warm voices and the happy, energetic and direct Progressive music possess a huge musical charisma.
Abus Dangereux is the brainchild of Pierrejean Gaucher, the guitarist of the band. His love for music began at age 10 when he received for his birthday the single Let It Be by The Beatles. It made him continue to explore this music and got Deep Purple and Pink Floyd albums. This lead him to listen to prog - Yes, Genesis, King Crimson and from there he got to know fusion and jazz based prog bands such as Soft Machine, Gong, Magma and Mahavishnu Orchestra. However it would take several more years until he became aware of modern jazz. He also started playing a guitar alone in his room at this time.
At the age of 18 (1977) he started Abus Dangereux. The name was chosen as a reference to a health warning on cigarette packets (the first bassist was a heavy smoker). As he recalls the first album, Le Quatrieme Mouvement, was a band effort in that everyone did their part in composing the tracks. So the heavy fusion and Zeuhl influences are not solely Gaucher's "fault". Looking back or rather listening back, he gives much credit to the keyboardist Eric Bono. However the lineup for the first album was temporary and hired for the studio recording. Only Eric Bono and Laurent Krewina played before with Abus Dangereux. The album itself was recoreded in London at Rockstar studio in December 1979. They had to trim the music from 2 hours to around 40 minutes for the recording.
This album contains, as Gaucher said in an interview, all the music influences he absorbed until then, which explains the trimming down that was needed. He also states this is an immature album, and finds his guitar playing horrible. And still, he is proud of this album. And he should. This thrilling release has exciting fusion based tracks with Zeuhl references which can be heard in the drumming and bass.
Between this first album and the next, Gaucher went for six months to Berklee (Boston) to study music where he discovered modern jazz and it inspired him to start composing more jazz-oriented music. In accordance with this, the next albums were more jazz-rock in nature. In the meantime the band dissolved and the only remaining member was Alain Mourey the drummer.
Abus' instruments included vibes and marimba and in January 1981 Benoit Moerlen joined the group for several shows before the temporary break. However this was to end with the Live album (1985) when the Gaucher shortened the name to Abus (1986) and started using computers and programming in his music.
The shortening of the name was to reflect the new face of the band, the attempt to reach larger audience and the new sound. In 1991 came the last Abus album, Maneges and a south-American tour. Gaucher was tired with the band and continued with his new project New Trio in which he focused more on his guitar playing.
