INSTANT lives between worlds, channeling cosmic energy, ancient chants, and progressive power.
Formed in Toulon, southern France, in 1976, Instant emerged from the local progressive underground with a singular artistic vision inspired by the philosophical concept of Yin and Yang. Their music sought to inhabit the invisible space between opposing forces – between silence and sound, the earthly and the spiritual – resulting in a deeply ritualistic fusion of zeuhl, progressive rock, jazz-fusion and choral experimentation.
Built around the compositions of Jean Cortes and Bernard Kalef, and elevated by hypnotic female vocal harmonies, Instant developed a sound that sits naturally alongside the great French zeuhl tradition. Fans of Magma's Köhntarkösz era, Eskaton, Rialzu or the more exploratory side of King Crimson or Goblin will immediately recognize the same sense of spiritual intensity, yet the band forged a language that was entirely its own.
Although the album was recorded in 1978 with the support of pioneering sound recordist Jean Roché (L'Oiseau Musicien), its story took a dramatic turn. Pressed by Pathé Marconi in 1981, the LP was ready for release when the sudden disappearance of the project's patron brought everything to a halt before the artwork could even be printed. The musicians eventually left Paris, abandoning boxes of records in an attic. When the house was later emptied, virtually the entire pressing was destroyed. Only around a dozen copies survived and luckily thanks to a team of Euro intrepid record collectors and dealers one copy was found and the band tracked down.
Instant finally emerges from obscurity more than four decades later: a remarkable document of the fertile Toulon underground scene of the late ‘70s .
Maximum scale rarity in Hans Pokora’s 10001 Record Collector Dreams book. Remastered sound. Insert with liner notes in English / French and rare photos. Download card including bonus tracks (a 2022 newly recorded version of the album).
