Zeuhl (pronounced [d͡zøːl]) means celestial in Kobaïan,[1] the constructed language created by Christian Vander.[2] Originally solely applied to the music of Vander's band, Magma, the term zeuhl was eventually used to describe the similar music produced by French bands,[3] beginning in the mid-1970s. Although primarily a French phenomenon, zeuhl has influenced recent avant-garde Japanese bands.[4]
Zeuhl typically blends progressive rock, symphonic rock, fusion, neoclassicism, avant-rock, and vocal elements of African-American spirituals and Western military call and response.[citation needed] Common aspects include dissonance, marching themes, throbbing bass, keyboards including piano, Rhodes piano, or organ, and brass instruments.[citation needed] Zeuhl shares much in common with the Rock in Opposition movement, and many bands have participated in RIO festivals.
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[Z]euhl sounds like, well, about what you'd expect an alien rock opera to sound like: massed, chanted choral motifs, martial, repetitive percussion, sudden bursts of explosive improv and just as unexpected lapses into eerie, minimalist trance-rock |
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—Dominique Leone, Review[5] of Magma's 2004 album K.A on Pitchfork Media
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Zeuhl
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| Japanese bands |
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