Category Archives: Aqsak Maboul

Founded in 1977 by Marc Hollander and Vincent Kenis, Aqsak Maboul already contained some of the key elements of the Crammed æsthetics: eclecticism, internationalism, deliberate and playful mixing of forms, cultures and genres. “Un Peu De L’Âme Des Bandits” was recorded by a lineup featuring English musicians Fred Frith and Chris Cutler. More intense and “experimental” than the first one, this album’s music contains complex, completely written sections as well as totally improvised hardcore ambient pieces, not to mention drum machines, bassoons, sampling before samplers existed, Bulgarian, Pygmy, Polynesian and Delta Blues voices, tango, a Turkish tune, crypto-punk or pseudo-Varese music… Even the most ambitious moments of “…l’âme des bandits” are infused with Aqsak Maboul’s customary playfulness: “Tango” for example is based on various existing tangos, the scores of which were cut-up, shuffled and randomly glued back together; the musicians then proceeded to learn the resulting “opus”, and actually performed it live in one take; “A Modern Lesson” contains recorded fragments taken from every single other track on the album; the last section of “Cinema” is an improvised impression of a late-night program on Bulgarian radio…etc…. Un Peu De L’Âme Des Bandits was released on vinyl by Atem, Crammed Discs (002,002) in 1980. In 1996 re-released on cd by the same labels under the name Aksak Maboul. This is the vinyl version.

Tracks:

1. Modern Lesson
2. Palmiers En Pots
3. Geistige Nacht
4. I Viaggi Formano La Gioventù
5. Inoculating Rabies
6. Cinema
   a. Ce Qu’ On Peut Voir Avec Un Bon Microscope
   b. Alluvions
   c. Azinou Crapules
   d. ge Route Brra! (Radio Sofia)

(Tracks 6a to 6d are recorded as one track: Cinema)

Link removed upon request of Aksak Maboul & Crammed Discs, you can download (pay) or buy it here.

enjoy