Representative Albums: "Les Espaces Inquiets/Phase IV/Archives II: 1984-1987," "Symphonie Pour le Jour Ou Bruleront les Cites/Musique Pour L'Odyssee /Gener," "Phase IV"
Representative Songs: "Symphonie Pour le Jour Où Brû," "Deux Images de la Cité Imbéci," "La Ville"
Biography
The French avant-prog unit (with no member actually named Art Zoyd) formed around the core of bassist Thierry Zaboitzeff, percussionist Jean-Pierre Soarez, and violin player Gerard Hourbette, with guitarist Rocco Fernandez, pianist Patricia Dallio, percussionist Daniel Denis (who later formed Univers Zero) and a changing lineup of half-a-dozen additional instrumentalists. The group's first album, Symphonie Pour le Jour Ou Bruleront les Cités, was self-released in 1976, followed by albums for Recommended and the French Atem label. The year 1982 brought their acknowledged masterpiece, the double-LP Phase IV. Two subsequent albums, Les Espaces Inquiets and Le Mariage Du Cial Et de L'Enfer, were followed by a Zaboitzeff solo album, Prométhée, in 1984. Zaboitzeff and Hourbette continued the group into the 1990s, composing the music for the Faust soundtrack album released in 1995 on Atonal. The Ubique live album followed in 2001, performed by a massive ensemble including Hourbette, Dallio, Denis, and Mirielle Bauer, a former member of Pierre Moerlen's Gong. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Like other members of the Rock in Opposition movement, Art Zoyd fuses progressive rock and jazz with contemporary classical music. Like fellow RIO member Univers Zéro, they are also influenced by French Zeuhl bands such as Magma. Today, Art Zoyd is best described as an electronic music group, and works primarily for film and ballet.
Selected discography
Symphonie pour le jour où brûleront les cités (1976)
Musique pour l'odyssée (1979)
Génération sans futur (1980)
Phase IV (1982)
Le Mariage du ciel et de l'enfer (1985, for a ballet by Roland Petit)