Biography
Two French ensembles have drawn their appellation from Yog Sothoth, the infernal sentinel H.P. Lovecraft placed at the threshold between dimensions. While that threshold was imagined as a fixed point of cosmic dread, the later group channels the creature’s energy into accessible global sounds as it traverses French avenues. Lovecraft also invented a composer-violinist whose performances could dominate listeners through occult force; the 1990s Yog Sothoth, by contrast, operated as a polished yet broadly appealing world-music collective. An earlier French band had already used the same name for progressive-rock explorations reminiscent of Gong and Can.
Lionel Mauguen, a founding guitarist of the 1990s lineup, assembled an ensemble whose instrumentation and thematic range mirror the wide-ranging appetites of contemporary Gallic musicians. Typical performances interweave jazz phrasing, klezmer ornamentation, Turkish melodic modes, Eastern European rhythmic patterns, North African percussion, and Arabic vocals delivered by Sofiane Saidi.
Lionel Mauguen, a founding guitarist of the 1990s lineup, assembled an ensemble whose instrumentation and thematic range mirror the wide-ranging appetites of contemporary Gallic musicians. Typical performances interweave jazz phrasing, klezmer ornamentation, Turkish melodic modes, Eastern European rhythmic patterns, North African percussion, and Arabic vocals delivered by Sofiane Saidi.
Albums
