Debut work of the Belgian duo founded by multi-instrumentalists Mark Hollander and Vincent Kenis. A musical laboratory open to the contributions of countless musicians, Chris Cutler and Fred Frith certainly standout names who collaborated on the second work of 1980.
The band's name is programmatic; "Aksak" in Turkish means limping and "Maboul" means crazy. Two terms that summarize the spirit of Aksak Maboul's music.
"Onze Danses Pour Combattre La Migraine" from 1977 is a work that inspires wonder, a canvas spattered with the most varied colors, with indefinable forms, with ever-new details that previously went unnoticed. A canvas one must view from the proper distance to have a complete perspective and fully appreciate its value.
17 short sound fragments that follow one another seamlessly, from experimental electronics to jazz, ethnic music, quasi dance music, chamber music, and smoky cabaret music.
A labyrinth, a succession of small, always different spaces. Shifting from the dreamy electronics of "Saure GurK" to the very Kurt Weill-like melody of "Milano Per Caso" that I could see on Dagmar Krause's lips.
Henry Cow, Slapp Happy, Zappa are the first names that come to mind. Music open to the most varied influences but indisputably of European origin.
Progressive, in the broadest and most indiscriminate sense of the term. Progressive in continuous evolution, anarchic, without fixed rules.
Record that should not be seen as a succession of individual episodes, but as a work in progress to be assessed as a single entity, given the depth of material addressed.
If it can be a quality guarantee, the work is included in Mr. Nurse With Wound's personal playlist.
Mark Hollander will found the historic "Crammed Records", label of Tuxedomoon, who owe something to these whimsical tracks, American but with very present European atmospheres in this work.
Recommended work, which will hold not a few surprises for all adventurous listeners.
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