♠ All musicians through Univers Zero's different incarnations

THE MUSICIANS 2008

Daniel DENIS
A self-taught drummer, percussionist and composer who also plays keyboards. In 1970, at the age of 17, DENIS, along with Jean-Luc Manderlier, form ARKHAM, an avant-garde rock trio. In 1973 he plays some concerts with MAGMA. NECRONOMICON, a new group co-founded with Claude Deron, evolves into UNIVERS ZERO in 1974. By and by Daniel DENIS emerges as its leader and principal composer. Alongside of his work with UZ, he also plays with PRESENT, recording several CDs with them. In 1985 he joins ART ZOYD for the first time, for a „live“ presentation of the music they composed to accompany Roland PETIT’S ballet „Le Mariage du Ciel et de l’Enfer“. In 1993, after releasing two CDs under his own name, he is again invited to join Art Zoyd and take part in their film-cum-concert productions of „FAUST“ and „HÄXAN“. Over a seven-year period he takes part in a number of performances where a live soundtrack, written and performed by the group, accompanies screenings of these two classic silent films. These performances will take him to numerous countries across the globe. In a joint effort with the Orchestre National de LILLE he also takes part, as a member of ART ZOYD, in three cycles of „Dangereuses visions“, from 1998 to 2000. 2002 sees him composing for le Théâtre, as well as writing a commissioned piece for ART ZOYD, which will be performed by MUSIQUES NOUVELLES and ART ZOYD as part of „Expérience de Vol 4“ under the direction of Jean-Paul DESSY.

Michel BERCKMANS
Plays the bassoon, english horn and the oboe, as well as writing and performing music for the stage. He is also a comedian.
Over a three-year period he plays in productions of contemporary groups such as Orpheus, Trio Martinu, etc., as well as acting as a stand-in bassoonist for the Orchestre de la RTBF and the Orchestre National de Belgique.
He joins a number of groups, among them UNIVERS ZÉRO - from 1975 to 1980, and 1998 to the present - with whom he records six CDs: „1313“, „Hérésie“, „Ceux du Dehors“, „The Hard Quest“, „Rhythmix“, and „Implosion“. From 1978 onwards he works with VON ZAMLA (Sweden), AKSAK MABOUL (Belgium), JULVERNE (Belgium), ART ZOYD (France), L’AMPLEUR DES DÊGATS, MUSIQUE FLEXIBLE and, more recently, AMBUSH and UTSIKTER (Sweden), playing, and recording as well.
From 1986 onwards he also joins a number of stage companies as musician-cum-actor, such as the Théâtre du Tilleul, the Théâtre de la Galafronie, the Théâtre de la Casquette, the Théâtre de l’Evni, etc., for whom he writes or co-writes most of their music. He produces and directs a number of events, such as, for the World Fair of Lisbon, the sonic environment of J-C de Bemels’ „Périacteur“. In 2000 he directs, at Maubeuge, „U.B.I.Q.U.E.“, a production in which ART ZOYD are joined by 50 musicians of the Val de Sambre.

Martin LAUWERS
Plays the violin. He win the prize from the Conservatoire Royal de Musique at Liège. He has played with Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles and sometimes with the Luxemburg Philarmonic orchestra or the Opera royal de Wallonie.
He plays with the bands „Rom“ and „Funk Sinatra and from time to time he joins different chamber music orchestras ( contemporary music, improvisation....)

Dimitri EVERS
Plays electric bass and is composer, arranger and programmer. He is a very versatile artist and was working in the JazzStudio d'Anvers (Antwerp) until 1995 with several other artists (M. WEYLER, P. VAN DORMAEL, P. VAIANA, C. JORIS, B. SLUYS and P. HERTMANS). Along his career, he took part of various groups playing in a sort of different styles, as Youri OF GROOTE' S project (instrumental fusion), HYDRA d.a.r.m (from France; rap; distributed by Wagram/FZM), Modern Jazz Club (big band jazz), Marcel Sel (funk pop), Concors Ora (experimental music under direction of Pierre VAN DORMAEL), Longa Quartet (spanish flamenco jazz), among others. He was also a studio bass player for Charlie, Red Ash, Maxence, MdC & the Crazy boots feat. Kamara, MoonMan, Kundalinî, and took part in the production of about fifteen albums.

Pierre CHEVALIER
Plays keyboard. He started taking private lessons of piano at the age of 7 and studied the classical repertoire; he took solfege and harmony courses at the Brussels Conservatory.
He became a member of Present in 1998, toured and recorded with Present ever since, occasionally contributing as a composer as well on the recent recordings by the band.
He has also recorded with, among others: Vaya Con Dios, Pierre Vervloesem, Mellon Gallia and Ntoumos, with whom he is also touring occasionally. Pierre has various other musical and non-musical side-projects, including a song-oriented pop band (Bang Lassi) in which he composes and performs under a fake identity, and an experimental duo with guitarist Reginald Trigaux called Liquidation Totale.

Kurt BUDÉ
Clarinet, saxophone.
After the academy at Maasmechelen, he went to study classical clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory, followed by courses in jazz clarinet and sax at Den Haag.
He has played and recorded with, among others: Michel Bisceglia, Jo Lemaire, Chris de Bruyne, the Brussels Big Band, Johan Verminnen, Musique à 9, Musica del vivo, Oscar Wallas, Photis Ionathos, Soledad, Assam, the Ballet de Flandres, etc.
He is a lecturer at the Académie and the Conservatory in Brussels.

THE VIDEO DIRECTOR
Philippe SEYNAEVE
Visual artist and video director

He holds a diploma from ENSAV de la Cambre, a workshop for painting and tridimensional research.
He also teaches visual arts, and won the second prize in the Concours Unisys in 1987.
He reaps awards at the „Jeune peinture belge“ competition, held at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, in 1986, 1988, and 1994. In 1991 he wins the first prize at the „Noir et blanc“ awards at the Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique. In that year he is also awarded a grant („Bourse de la vocation“), and in 1995 he wins the Hainaut Arts Plastiques award.
Since 1986 a number of expositions of his work have been held at various places (Brussels, Charleroi, Tournai, etc.).
In 2002 he creates the visuals for the exposition event „Jonction Nord/Midi Bruxelles“ as well as for Daniel Denis’ composition „Shanghai Revisited Talks“, where these pictures are projected as an accompaniment to music simultaneously performed by Art Zoyd and Musiques Nouvelles at the „Arbalestriers“ in Mons.

In another joint venture with Daniel Denis, he worked on a visuals-cum-music production which they performed live for the opening of a cycle entitled „Bruxelles/Brussel“, at the Forum des Images in Paris in June 2003.

Univers Zero 2004


Small photos using by permission from NEARfest www.nearfest.com