L'Ensemble Rayé

L'ensemble Rayé is a quirky and generally lighthearted band with roots in the European avant-prog scene of the '70s and '80s, which included such groups as Henry Cow, Samla Mammas Manna, and Picchio Dal Pozzo. Switzerland's principal contribution to this innovative scene was the band Débile Menthol, formed in 1979 and varying in size from seven to nine members. Featuring a wide array of instrumentation, including violin, reeds, keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums, Débile Menthol mixed post-punk and new wave energy with Rock in Opposition elements to create adventurous and virtuosic music that was nevertheless much lighter in tone than such RIO mainstays as Univers Zero and Art Zoyd. Two important members of the band were Jean-vincent Huguenin (aka Jean 20 Huguenin) and Cédric Vuille, who would continue a musical partnership long after Débile Menthol came to an end in 1985. The two musicians decided to form L'ensemble Rayé in 1987, and the debut L'ensemble Rayé disc, Même En Hiver/comme Un Pinson Dans L'eau, was first released on vinyl in 1990, with each side of the disc devoted to compositions and arrangements by one of the pair (the "Même en Hiver" side featured Vuille and the "Comme un Pinson Dans L'Eau" side featured Huguenin). The album provided the two musicians the opportunity to display their skills on a wide array of instruments, with Huguenin revealing particular talents on guitar and Vuille on both guitar and clarinet; multi-tracking and a host of guest musicians gave L'ensemble Rayé the sound of a full band on most of the tracks. The debut CD's style and approach were continued on the second L'ensemble Rayé disc, 1993's Quelques Pièces Détachées, with Huguenin and Vuille again composing most of the concise, RIO-flavored avant-rock and European folk-jazz tunes, and a diverse cast of musical supporting characters assisting on bass, drums, hurdy-gurdy, keyboards, saxophones, and more. Saxophonist/clarinetist Pierre Kaufmann made some particularly strong contributions to the album and henceforth would be considered a permanent member of the band.

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