Madrid 1984: Markus Breuss (switzerland), Pelayo F. Arrizabalaga and Justo Bagüeste found Clónicos, a poly-stylistic experience under the influence of K.H. Stockhausen, Edgar Varese, Fred Frith, John Zorn, The Art Ensemble of Chicago... Hardcore, free jazz, Chinese, contemporary and any other kind of music working together to find explosive new formulas difficult to classify without losing track of their meanings in the process. Open to a great variety of expressive forms, they use everything from primitive percussion to high-tech synthesizers and samplers, along with invented instruments (electrified springs and triggered transistors), classical musical instruments such as the trumpet, bass clarinet and cello, as well as toy guitars, hubcap and "super Constellation" airlines.
Markus Breuss, a musician with a solid musical education, is the director and main composer. The band had permanent changes during ten years. The first line-up, next to free-rock, including Markus Breuss (trumpet, fliscornio, tube, percussions, voices, turntables, synthesizer, tapes, invented instruments and toys), Pelayo F. Arrizabalaga (baritone sax, turntables, paint, voice), Victor -Polanski- Vázquez (guitar, voice), Justo Bagüeste (tenor sax) y Celes -Coyote- Arbizu (drums). The last line-up, more poly-stylistic, including Breuss & Arrizabalaga plus Antonio García (guitar), Susana Kulia (voice, percussion), Rlcardo Fuentes (keyboards), Luis Escribano (bass, cello), Pedro López or Inma Crespo (drums) and a-one strings section. Other collaborators, in recordings as live performances, are Llorenç Barber, Antón Ignorant, Pedro Garhel, Luis Paniagua, Fátima Miranda, Juan A. Arteche, Wade Matthews, Javier Corcobado, Poch, Victor Nubla, Javier Colis, Juan Crek, Ajo...
Clónicos is a radical, provocative and avant-garde propose. In fact, their quality made them to take part in the prestigious Möers Festival (Germany), for instance.

Samuel B. Jr.

• Aspetti Diversi (LP/CD, Linterna, 1985)
• Figuras Españolas (Gasa, 1988, LP)
• Copa De Veneno (CD/LP/cassette, Ed. Cúbicas, 1990)
• Esquizodelia (CD, Triquinoise, 1995)
• Clónicos/1996 - El mundo del fin del tiempo (Soundtrack) (CD, Doronko, 2001)
• Burnt Hits (CD, Doronko, compilation, 2002)

"Ambitious project designed by Markus Breuss.../... From conceptualism to viscerality, Clónicos have opened too closed doors. Cross them." (Guillermo Castaño - ROCK DE LUX)

" 'Copa de Veneno' is like a resonance box where Markus Breuss, Pelayo Arrizabalaga and many faithful hosts make everything possible, where each groove reveals unexpected surprises and unpredictable turns." (Quim Casas - ROCK DE LUX)

"The new artefact of Clónicos is full of jazz and ethnic references, tributes and experimentation. 'Esquizodelia' is an open work, with about twenty guests, distributed all through the 23 tracks of the album and directed by Markus Breuss." (Antonio Murga - ROCK DE LUX)

" 'Esquizodelia'. Nessuna definizione e' possibile per qucsto complesso spagnolo che dice di se di essere un gruppo-laboratorio formato da musicisti provenicnti dalle aree piu' disparate (musica improvvisata, new age, contemporanea, rock, minimal, jazz) ; e di rappresentare l'ultimo gradino di una linea storica che prende le mosse da Charles, lves e passa attraverso Luciano Berio, Alois Zimmermannn, John Zorn e Art Ensemble of Chicago. La sua musica, talvolta sconcertante ma sempre attraente, e' fatta di suoni strumentali e reali, rumori, silenzi e alta tecnologia. Gli esecutori di base sono Markus Breuss, tromba; Pelayo Arrizabalaga, sax alto; Ricardo Fuentes, tastiere; Susana Kulia, voce; Pedro Lopez, batteria: ma tutti sanno suonare altri attrezzi e sono bravissimi." (Franco Fayenz - IL GIORNALE)

"A fingerpicked guitar plays skewed Flamenco riffs; homs flare with dissonant bursts; a vocalist sings in an atonal manner after Schonberg. After hearing this CD ('Esquizodelia'), one has to ask what they put in the water in Europe that prompts such playful yet blatantly loony stuff. An eclectic not-too-grahng mix of off-kilter sound and rhythms, with touches of cabaret Pop, Jazz, and skronking improv; though the words don't resonate in Anglo ears, the hushed tones of a Latina woman oozing sexuality lends further myshque to this curiosity. This Spanish sextet not only provides lots of ophons (23 tracks) but is fairly successful in making the styl~shc mergings work." (Brad Balfour - NEW REVIEW)

"Ein Flop und viel solides Handwerk belm New Jazz Fostival In Moers. Soliditat uberwog, so etwa beiden ausgeklugelten Arrangements von Joachim Ullrich und Klaus Konig fur die WDR Big Band, im Trio der lyrischen Pianistin Myra Melford, bel der zwischen Jaarock und Free Jazz pendeinden Big Band 'Soft on the Inside' des britischen Saxophonisten Andy Sheppard, dem reinen E-Gitarrenquartett um Fred Frith oder in der theatralischen Jazz-Performance der spanischen 'Clonicos'. Die acht New Yorker von 'Doctor Nerve' haben sich wie die 'Clonicos' darauf spezialisiert, Grobstadt-Sound mit Computer-Musik und schrillen Gltarren, angereichert mit Blaser-Wucht zu schaffen: ein rockiger Publikumserfolg." (Werner Wenzel - RHEIN ZEILUNG KOBLENZ)

Kan-Tsi-La (excerpt)

Lue is Bäng (excerpt)