If there's one band that embodies a French rock sound free from Anglo-Saxon conventions, it's Magma. Founded in early 1969 by Christian Vander, the band made a powerful impact with their first double album, Kobaïa. Drawing on jazz, soul, free jazz, contemporary music, and influences like Coltrane, Stravinsky, Bartók, and Zappa, Vander brought together audacious musicians and, with the Kobaïan language, invented a completely original universe.
The music of this first album, narrative in style, is jarring and teeming with life, but never gratuitous: soulful brass, offbeat sonic punctuations, and Klaus Blasquiz's commanding vocals combine to create an ensemble that is both intense and unique. More than fifty years later, this first Magma album retains all its innovative and surprising power: a true landmark.