(Progressive Electronic/Fusion) François Bréant (Francois Breant) - Voyeur Extra-Lucide - 1979/2003, FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

From www.progarchives.com:

After a really successful (artistically anyway) debut album, Bréant quickly recorded a second album, which would turn out fairly different, even if the principle appears much the same: making a soundtrack for a film that doesn't exists, but the titles giving you the general storyboard outlines. What strikes on this album is that in some ways, it's much more accessible (in a Vangelis style) but when looking at the line- up, long-time buddy guitarist Perru is missing (except on one bonus track), and even if Lacordaire and Arroyo are around, something is missing. Some with a new-agey type of jazz-fusion album, with the now obvious Magma bass.
Adopting a more informatics artworks, VEL was not recorded at Herouville studios like its predecessor and it was self-produced. These characteristics will turns the album a very different one from Sons Optiques, certainly less complex and more accessible, even a bit new-agey. Bréant playing much synths on this album than on SO, making the album less organic and less complex and if there wasn't, thankfully, Lockwood's violin helping out on half the tracks, but the absence of the guitar (except for one track and it's almost a joke) is too noticeable. The album closes on the only song that has vocals (Blasquiz and Stella Vander) and it's a ridiculous ditty that IMHO doesn't help the album

About the three bonus tracks (totalling some 9 minutes), we find again a bit the same deal as for Sons Optiques: 80's written and recorded pieces that were recorded for this album's release in 02. Of these three, only Fille De La Vie could've fit in with the original album, the other two... VEL is a much less interesting album than SO, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't have its own charms and should be forgotten about.

From www.proggnosis.com:

Like a logic continuation of the first album, Voyeur Extra-Lucide comes to prove that François did not waste the knowledge he must have earned by working with many renowned musicians from the 70’s French scene (pop and prog).
In fact, his delicate approach on a keyboard driven calm progressive shows a rare sensibility in creating sound tapestries of hypnotic calmness (with occasional voyages to less quiet streams). That basing sound is then enriched by several other instruments, played by guest musicians with a name in the prog scene. These are the cases of ex or current Magma and Zao members, such as Didier Lockwood, Stella Vander and Klaus Blansquiz, just no name a few.
The music here transports the listener to different pastures. If the opener Poursuite sur le Peripherique Nord is a symphonic piece, the main set of this release is nevertheless most oriented to Classic arrangements (L'Amour au Grand Air ), some jazzy intrusions (L'Obus Rouille Trouve Dans la Dune), some (close to) latin rhythms (Danse Rituele Talmouse), operatic choirs (Cadence D'Eperonnage) and chant (We ate the Zoo), Vangelesque electronics (Les Funeráilles Du Voyeur) and a whole lot of thoughtful instrument appearances over tile layers of washing keyboards.
Mainly calm, the music does sometimes become more “filled”, though avoiding extra complexity, while substituting that with tasty mini-soloing units or simply presenting an imaginative interplay. It also has some very curious incursions to what I would call Soft Zeuhl landscapes.

For the New-Age, Neo Classic and keyboard driven music fans, Voyeur Extra-Lucide will be of emphasized interest. It is richer than most New-Age and more diverse than common Neo Classic and it was, in good hour, taken out of obscurity into the light.
Not an absolute classic, but a nice addition to the collection of those who identify their tastes in these lines.

Francois Breant - keyboards (+ vocals on 9)
Emmanuel Lacordaire - drums & percussion
Pascal Arroyo - basses
With:
Didier Lockwood - violins
Mick Martin - guitars
Liza Deluxe - vocals & vocalizes
&
A few other additional musicians