Jack Dupon: Demon Hardi
If I could use one word to describe the music of the French band Jack Dupon, it would be ‘strange’. This is avant progressive rock that lends itself well to the RIO movement. The music is very difficult to describe and is very eclectic so if you are into the avant-garde you should continue reading.
Not to be fooled, Jack Dupon is a band and not one individual. Hailing from France, the band includes Arnaud M’Doihoma (bass, vocals), Gregory Pozzoli (guitars, vocals), Thomas Larsen (drums, percussion, vocals) and Philippe Prebet (guitars, vocals). Their new album is called Demon Hardi and is the follow up to their debut released in 2008.
The main highlight of this disc for me is the guitar playing of Pozzoli and Prebet. While angular rhythms and discordant chords attack the listener from all possible angles there are also some pretty moments that break up the madness that is Jack Dupon. There is also a good dose of guitar infused psychedelia that works rather well in many of these songs. The one negative is the French sung vocals. They are just not very tuneful but I suppose they do suite the rather bizarre style of music. I believe a more melodic approach would have added that much more contrast to the jarring sounds found throughout the disc. That said, the humour of the band does shine through in the vocals and Frank Zappa has to be a major influence. The music of King Crimson would be another apt comparison, although not vocally.
The instrumental « Sombre traffic » is one of my favourites with an almost circus-like beginning, Eastern tinged guitar rhythms and a touch of the psychedelic. The guitar playing here is a highlight. More of that psychedelic ’70s influence can be found in the hard driving « Le château de l’éléphant » where the band’s playing is pretty mind-bending. The avant-prog of « Marmite » is another strong tune with razor edged guitar work adding to the quirky melody along with some tricky time sigs and various musical change ups.
The album’s last song is the eclectic « Oppression » featuring off kilter grooves and guitar styles ranging from Eastern to psychedelic to intense angular jamming. The band slows down the tempo to include more melodic guitar phrasings and a languid bass line which nicely contrasts the more frenetic passages.
Aside from the vocals, which will surely be an acquired taste, this is a very good album of Zappa influenced music which should garner much attention from the avant and RIO crowds. Musically, this is exciting stuff indeed.
Added: July 31st 2011
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score: 
Onze Bis
We had so much fun for a week at Eleven Bis in Vichy. A week concluded by a crazy concert performance.
The filming and recording is nickel, now remains the making of a *Mega* Clip with all this stuff… Thank you and we love you all
Guts of Darkness
Chronique
Attention, chaud devant, disque volant ! Ivre, fou, glouton, ché-per ! Froussards s’abstenir; dans ce grand-huit où volent plumes et éclats de mélodies évoquant derviches d’Asie et d’orient, il y a de quoi être pris de vertiges et de haut-le-cœur. Quel drôle d’accueil, déjà : une chorale lo-fi et pochetronnée jumelée par une guitare vue à travers une lentille fish-eye. Mon conseil : entamez direct par le plat de résistance, Raymond, pièce certes plus riche mais surtout furieusement dansante. Si la notion de tube à un sens dans le domaine, ô combien mal gardé, du rock in opposition moderne, alors c’en est un, et qui ne concède rien de sa folle expérimentation.
Lire la suiteThe land of absinthe
Autumn Tour 2013
Great place in Germany : KUZE Potsdam
Thanks Bine F
On the Road again
L’accueil a été chaque fois magique, merci à Andy et Mathilda à Lohr, à Allan et Alex à Giessen, à Charly et Andreas à Wurtzburg et à Bine et son équipe à Potsdam.
C’est fou ce qu’une série de super rencontres et quelques bons concerts peut donner la pêche! On the road again!
JackDupon au Luxembourg – par Mathis
JackDupon in Studio
Quelques news…
Après deux mois en studio avec des conditions idéales, d’espace, de son, de matos et d’environnement, l’enregistrement du nouvel album de JackDupon est terminé.
Tous les membres du groupe ont fait le choix délibéré de partir un peu dans l’inconnu, avec des pistes mais rien de vraiment figé, rien d’établi et apparemment ils y ont pris beaucoup de plaisir, ce qui n’est pas toujours le cas en studio.
Le résultat est plutôt étonnant, même pour eux et le son est incroyable. Maintenant place à Etienne Mazoyer qui a déjà produit « Bascule à Vif » pour concocter un mixe génial, énorme, un truc qui déchire le lino!
De son coté, Fari-Hoo fignole les derniers détails de la pochette, ça avance tranquillement et ça va être « beau ».
La sortie est prévue fin mars et une méga tournée est en train de se mettre en place avec le nouveau tour manager, JackDupon va enfin jouer en Belgique ;-)
Performance with GONG at Les Abattoirs – 27/10/2012…
It’s a pity that it took the arrival of a group, now fully made up of Britons, to discover their [Jack Dupon] performance, but it is in your best interest to regard what is written in these pages.
Jack Dupon provided everyone with some progressive energy…funny and totally uncompromising, unabashedly groovy, with perfectly timed rhythmic breaks, controlled slide guitar and featuring the wild hair of their prolific bassist [and yes, the hair WAS extremely prolific].
Lire la suite
JackDupon on Wikipedia
Sea of Tranquility
Jack Dupon: Demon Hardi
If I could use one word to describe the music of the French band Jack Dupon, it would be ‘strange’. This is avant progressive rock that lends itself well to the RIO movement. The music is very difficult to describe and is very eclectic so if you are into the avant-garde you should continue reading.
Not to be fooled, Jack Dupon is a band and not one individual. Hailing from France, the band includes Arnaud M’Doihoma (bass, vocals), Gregory Pozzoli (guitars, vocals), Thomas Larsen (drums, percussion, vocals) and Philippe Prebet (guitars, vocals). Their new album is called Demon Hardi and is the follow up to their debut released in 2008.
The main highlight of this disc for me is the guitar playing of Pozzoli and Prebet. While angular rhythms and discordant chords attack the listener from all possible angles there are also some pretty moments that break up the madness that is Jack Dupon. There is also a good dose of guitar infused psychedelia that works rather well in many of these songs. The one negative is the French sung vocals. They are just not very tuneful but I suppose they do suite the rather bizarre style of music. I believe a more melodic approach would have added that much more contrast to the jarring sounds found throughout the disc. That said, the humour of the band does shine through in the vocals and Frank Zappa has to be a major influence. The music of King Crimson would be another apt comparison, although not vocally.
The instrumental « Sombre traffic » is one of my favourites with an almost circus-like beginning, Eastern tinged guitar rhythms and a touch of the psychedelic. The guitar playing here is a highlight. More of that psychedelic ’70s influence can be found in the hard driving « Le château de l’éléphant » where the band’s playing is pretty mind-bending. The avant-prog of « Marmite » is another strong tune with razor edged guitar work adding to the quirky melody along with some tricky time sigs and various musical change ups.
The album’s last song is the eclectic « Oppression » featuring off kilter grooves and guitar styles ranging from Eastern to psychedelic to intense angular jamming. The band slows down the tempo to include more melodic guitar phrasings and a languid bass line which nicely contrasts the more frenetic passages.
Aside from the vocals, which will surely be an acquired taste, this is a very good album of Zappa influenced music which should garner much attention from the avant and RIO crowds. Musically, this is exciting stuff indeed.
Added: July 31st 2011
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score: