Crawling Wind

Crawling Wind was released in 1981 on the Japanese ‘Chaos International Series’ label and features the tracks ‘Toujours Plus à l’Est’, ‘Before The Heat’, and ‘Central Belgium In The Dark’. This is the first vinyl reissue of this legendary EP. ‘Toujours Plus à l’Est’, as the title suggests, is heavily influenced by the traditional music of Eastern Europe, particularly Bulgaria. It also pays tribute to the iconic catchphrase of Professor Calculus (Tournesol), the character from the Belgian comic series Tintin.

‘Before The Heat’, played live a few times, is an ambient composition by Andy Kirk, who is part of the EP’s lineup alongside Daniel Denis, Guy Segers, Alan Ward, and Dirk Descheemaeker.

‘Central Belgium in the Dark’ is a live improvisation from a period when Univers Zéro dedicated part of their concerts to complete improvisation. What makes this recording unique is that one of Andy Kirk’s effects pedals picked up and emitted the sound of a mysterious radio signal, seemingly coming from “nowhere,” especially noticeable at the end of the piece.

The title of this improv is a nod to contemporary composer Charles Ives’ work Central Park in the Dark. ‘Central Belgium’ refers to the
concert venue where the piece was recorded (Haine-St-Pierre).

This EP was named one of the greatest Belgian albums of all time by MOFO magazine in February 2000, a rock magazine from the ’80s.