Interview by Gary Hill
Translation both ways of this email interview was done by Aymeric Leroy

Music Street Journal: Univers Zero has been around for quite some time. How have things changed over the years?

Daniel Denis: The group has existed now for thirty-two years. The music of UZ evolved through the changes in personnel. For my own part, I also learned a lot from outside the group, and over the years discovered other sources of inspiration. For instance, my seven-year stint with Art Zoyd was very fruitful, for instance learning to use the sampling technology which that group fully mastered.
The main objective that I defined at the time I formed a new UZ line-up was that the music should continue to move on, and break with its past image, which was too dark and lugubrious. Twenty-five years ago, we went a little too far in that direction, because we wanted to distinguish ourselves from the other bands. There was a little provocation in there, similar to what the punk bands were doing at the time. I've always believed that there's nothing intrinsically negative or morbid about the music I write (and this is still the case today). Quite the contrary, actually, I've always seen it as energetic, vital and quite serene. With some of the "key" pieces I wrote in the old days, like "La Faulx" ("the scythe") or "La Ronde" ("the round"), I intended to present a series of scenes and images, the same way a movie director, a painter or a novelist could. I thought it exciting to recreate, with my own vision, atmospheres from the Middle Ages - popular witchcraft, inquisition, but also alchemists and cathedral builders.
The next stage for Univers Zéro is to perform and record new compositions created by the various members of the band. Hopefully this will open new possibilities for us in terms of shapes and colours.

Music Street Journal: If you had to pick one album or one song that really typifies Univers Zero better than any other, what would it be?

Daniel Denis: That's difficult to say, because every album, every period or line-up was important in its own way. In all humility, it's a bit like taking away one of H.P. Lovecraft's novels from his complete works. Something would be missing.

The whole interview is here: http://www.musicstreetjournal.com