Instant

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, and the earthly and the spiritual—resulting in a deeply ritualistic fusion of zeuhl, progressive rock, jazz fusion, and choral experimentation. Built around compositions by 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 work of King Crimson and Goblin will immediately recognise the same sense of spiritual intensity, yet the band forged a musical language entirely its own.

Although the album was recorded in 1978 with the support of pioneering sound recordist Jean Roché of 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. 

Fortunately, thanks to a team of intrepid European record collectors and dealers, one copy was found and the band was tracked down. More than four decades later, Instant finally emerges from obscurity—a remarkable document of Toulon’s fertile underground scene in the late 1970s. Awarded the maximum rarity rating in Hans Pokora’s 1001 Record Collector Dreams. Remastered sound. Includes an insert with liner notes in English and French, rare photos, and a download card featuring bonus tracks: a newly recorded 2022 version of the album.