Altered Zones

Lindsay Powell from Ga'an says:
We couldn't help but pick one of our favorite from the Zeuhl realm! "Vilna" is the second track on Weidorje's 1978 self-titled release, a band featuring Bernard Paganotti (an Aquarius, and the bassist on Magma's Üdu Wüdü).

One of our interests as musicans is the place where the spirit meets the mind-- the physicalization of the soul, and the means by which we get there. To me, "Vilna" realizes this place in the most eloquent way. The spiritual and supernatural presence of Magma is still there, but the clinical reality of Paganotti's rehearsed and mathematical attention to detail stands at the forefront. We are presented with Steve Reich-ian polyrhythms played on beautifully-toned Rhodes pianos, tight-knit compositional complexities. Yet despite the technical outfit of Weidorje, this is still perhaps one of the most accessible songs in the entire Zeuhl catalogue. In the Magma track "Hhai" we experience an intentional spirituality, a progressive incantation of epic proportions. In "Vilna," however, we experience the spirit in our own right. We are given an extremely coherent piece of music (mathematical: the mind), and through our own way of listening, we find the visceral swell within our own interpretation of the movement (the voice: the spirit). We haven't been able to get this track off our minds since first listen, and it's an honor and a privilege to share it with those who haven't heard it.

MP3: Weidorje: "Vilna"

Ga'an is out now via Captcha Records. Head over to Vibes for a video of Ga'an performing "Servant Eye" at Brooklyn's Shea Stadium this past weekend