Jürgen Karg - 1977 - Elektronische Mythen

Jürgen Karg 

1977

Elektronische Mythen

01. Die Versunkende Stadt - Atlantis (21:32)

02. Vollmond - Selene (21:06)

Jürgen Karg / 4 EMS Synths, Digital instruments (sequencer 256), 5 tape machines, mixers, reverbs, filters, EQs

JÜRGEN KARG is a classic-period obscure and eccentric German artist, mastering the sound of electronic conceptual music with an extra touch of experimentation and loud-punctured art. His only solo record is the rare "Elektronische Mythen" ("Electronic Myths"), released in 1977. Kärg is more known however for his collaboration in Wolfgang Dauner's "Psalmus Dei", along jazz artist Eberhard Weber and other musicians. As much as Dauner's successful album speaks of profound (and somewhat eclectic) music, Karg's album is not to be skipped by connoisseurs, being on the verge of heaviness, trippiness, avant-garde and cerebral electronic convulsions, still staying focused on complex, atypical, intense and resourced music. Strange and artistic, Kärg's work shows the late 70s aren't at all dried out of electronic abstract experiences.

Brewed with a professional gear of electronic/processing equipment, the album, composed of two side-epics, is both a schematic and free, incisive work, starting from the base of free-synth electronics and dense artificial sound and extending to a fragmentarily drilled concept of art and a surreal impression of a pressured, clamping "kosmische" dream, in light of experimental and less-musical style connectors. "Elektronische Mythen" is, at the surface, an outburst of programmatic electronic art and a technical/mechanical work of sounds, becoming, in the essence, a serious, minimal and provocative play.

Karg's album is referenced as a mixing (or shifting, in an random and torrid way) work of concrète electronic (the "academic" side) with krautrock, electroacousticism, tone/tape music and space, surreal, abstract or noise bits (the "hyper-artistic" side), names like François Bayle, Edward ZAJDA, Conrad SCHNITZLER, Asmus TITCHENS, KLUSTER or STOCKHAUSEN coming in mind the same way.

Jürgen Karg's solitary classic is definitely a demanding, obscure, artistic recommendation, fitting in the electronic prog current more in an extensive than formal way.

Magnificent electronic fresh shower that can be called as "non-melodious Hydrus", as if we would enjoy cool clear flavoury Japanese sake.

The A Side "Die Versunkende Stadt - Atlantis" sounds more powerful and violative one than "Vollmond - Selene" upon another side. A ghostly horrible Fantasia beneath his inner mind I imagine. So tense, as if a thin thread in his mind would likely to get broken easily. Unstable but grabs the ground apparently. His powerful attitude and eventually such an earache / headache was constructed purely with his fragile brainstorm indeed. Nothing flamboyant nor formal but pure soundscape by his soul, phantastik.

On the contrary, for me one of the most important progressive electronic ambience this obscurity titled "Vollmond - Selene" is. Obviously this brilliant kaleidoscope sounds like sea waves breaking upon the shore and retreating, sometimes dazzling tone bullets launched here and there. Regardless of some instabilities, no suspicion he would throw so many beautiful electricities which get unified and merged together quite precisely and rigidly. Yes, sounds like we would get a dreamy illuminated illusion via his warm, hearty, but chilling sound eccentric inorganic suite.

Very controversial that each of us could understand or realize what he wanted to do via this mysterious stuff. One might feel he should be a depressor, or another he be a mischievous and childish. Yeah dunno which is correct, and whether both are true or not. But hey, that's all right anyhow. We should make sure that he would have created what he'd meant to do through his inner (and outer?) space, and created such a mysteriously precious electronic suite. No suspicion this album be a gem, and makes sense why nobody knows such a gem.

Get a fruitful atmosphere, and let yourself squeeze into another dimensional dream.

My Solid Ground - 2001 - SWF-Session

My Solid Ground

2001

SWF-Session

01. Hysterical (2:48)

02. BBB (6:41)

03. Superconstellation (2:38)

04. Short Waves (6:55)

Bonus tracks (2001):

05. Drive (5:25)

06. Grand Nightmare (6:35)

07. 1-40 (9:51)

08. The Cruzifixion (4:11)

09. Frogster (4:16)

10. Moonclouds (On Earth) (4:10)

11. Mystery Metal Thing (11:12)

Bernhard Rendel / guitar, vocals

Karl-Heinrich Dörfler / bass, vocals

Andreas Würsching / drums

Ingo Werner / organ, piano

There are two parts to this album, first 4 tracks are the SWF recordings which were made two months after the first album, so they have the original line-up and very similar to the self titled album. Those tracks are mostly instrumental and they are more like those creative ones from the old album; no replacement for "Dirty Yellow Mist" , "Hysteria" is a decent loud opener though and all the other tracks have good psychedelic qualities to a degree, "BBB" for example.

Tracks from 5 to 11 were made only by Rendel in 2001. They are a bit of a mixed bunch that remind a bit of King Crimson's ProjeKct albums, at the moments jaming good and then going into ambient waters with weird sounds. Lots of electronic experimentation as well, with Rendel using distorted vocals that would make some industrial bands jealous. Robert Fripp's solo albums also might give you a bit of an idea of what this sounds like as would maybe under a bit of stretch late 80's Crimson, in terms of sound that is, I don't think they are as good. Also, don't expect the long "Mystery Metal Thing" to be the new "Dirty Yellow Mist".

Overall, Rendell's solo part of the album isn't my cup of tea and It's not something I will get back to any time soon but the SWF sessions are good though, nothing mind blowing great, but if you liked the first album then you will like these as well as they are more of the same and they won't disappoint. And you will probably want to hear what Rendell can do solo, just out of curiosity.

My Solid Ground - 1971 - My Solid Ground

My Solid Ground 

1971 

My Solid Ground

01. Dirtyellow Mist (13:07)

02. Flash Part IV (2:19)

03. That's You (2:23)

04. The Executioner (3:32)

05. Melancholie (4:19)

06. Handful Of Grass (2:45)

07. Devonshire Street W1 (3:29)

08. "X" (3:43)

Bernhard Rendel / guitar, vocals

Karl-Heinrich Dörfler / bass, vocals

Andreas Würsching / drums

Ingo Werner / organ, piano

In 1968, at age 14, he had learned how to play guitar, formed his own band and three years later released an album whom many still consider a psychedelic Krautrock classic. Not bad for a small-town German boy who is now producer, composer and music lecturer at Maintz University. He is Bernhard Rendel, founder of MY SOLID GROUND; the other band members were keyboard player Ingo Werner, bassist Karl-Heinrich Dorfler and drummer Andreas Wursching. In 1970, at the Morfelden Studio in Frankfurt, they recorded a short track ("Flash") that won second place in an amateur competition hosted by Sudwestfunk (SWF) Radio. A year later, they released their album with nationwide success. Despite this, some of the band members started to quit and Rendel suddenly found himself with a totally new line-up. Their plans for a second album unfortunately never materialized and in 1974, Rendel himself quit to pursue university studies.

The opening track on their self-titled LP certainly lives up to the album's reputation: a 13-minute epic of dark, heavy space rock with crunching guitars and acid riffs, distorted vocals, lots of long droning keyboards - imagine a mix of early FLOYD ("One of These Days") and THIRSTY MOON. However, the rest of the album (or most of it) is fairly mainstream, being made up of rather conventional hard rock. A recent re-release CD version includes some excellent bonus tracks, among which is a 24-minute psychedelic Krautrock tour de force featuring incredible guitar soloing.

MY SOLID GROUND was the brainchild of a young 14-year old guitarist Bernhard Rendel who had a brief moment in the limelight with his band's one and only album released in 1971 although his success was limited to his native Germany. Originating from Rüsselsheim near Frankfurt am Main, Rendel was blessed to have parents who nurtured his talent and even allowed him to practice his craft at home. HIs parents were so supportive in his efforts of joining in on the burgeoning Krautrock party that they even assisted in organizing the events for their underage son.

Formed in 1968, MY SOLID GROUND was pretty much the solo work of Rendel who provided guitars and vocals and the band went through meany lineup changes before the team of bassist Karl-Heinrich Dörfler, drummer Andreas Würsching and Ingo Werner on organ and piano would record the band's sole eponymously titled album which was released in the autumn of 1971. Although popular in Germany for a short time due to the band appearing on live radio broadcasts as well as winning second place in an amateur competition hosted by Sudwestfunk (SWF) Radio, MY SOLID GROUND has remained one of the more obscure Krautrock bands over the decades at least until the modern era when such bands have found a revived popularity thanks to the wide ranging influence of the internet.

The MY SOLID GROUND album is for all intents and purposes two completely different albums with the first lengthy 13 minute track "Dirty Yellow Mist" providing one of the coolest tripped out psychedelic rock tracks of the whole Krautrock era and the rest of the album featuring shorter guitar driven hard rock songs that sound more out of the English or American scenes than what was going on in Germany's psychedelic scene but nevertheless they are performed so well and capture the essence of the heavy rock verging on proto-metal of the early 70s that despite the recipe for disaster somehow works quite well as the band still incorporated tidbits of psychedelia within the standard rock compositions such as on the heavy psych "The Executioner" which adds plenty of tripped out Krautiness to the mix.

One of the most misleading aspects of this album is the ridiculous album cover which features a cast of cartoon pigs holding up the band on its boldly scripted moniker but despite the rather uninspiring cover art, the music contained within is anything but. More than anything Rendel had a keen ear for tight rhythmic drives, catchy melodic ear worms and a sense of production values that allowed the individual instruments to play well together. While the opening sprawler is right out of the "Saucerful Of Secrets" playbook, the second track "Flash Part IV" jumps into something more akin to Sir Lord Baltimore while "Handful Of Grass" is more of a folk tune with mid-tempo acoustic guitars and piano runs but for the most part MY SOLID GROUND delivered a run of solid guitar heavy rockers.

While the band was supposed to continue on, Rendel had a difficult time keeping members and they dropped out one by one until he returned with a new lineup after moving to Frankfurt and lasted until 1974 but never managed to release a second album. Rendel scrapped the whole rock star dream and went the academic route where he became a music lecturer at Mainz University as well as a producer and composer. With a renewed interest in all things prog in the 21st century, this MY SOLID GROUND album found a second coming with a remastered reissue emerging in 2001 on the Alcinious label which featured the original album as well as an album's worth of extra material that Rendel had produced over the years and in the process almost doubling the album's length. Despite the silly cover art and the stylistic consistency, this one surprised me that i liked it so much.

The strength of this one is clearly the strong melodic hooks that work whether the band is in full-on psychedelic mode or rocking the house with heavy guitar laden heft. The album may be inconsistent in stylistic approach but more than makes up for it in strong material. Don't let the stupid looking album cover detour you from exploring MY SOLID GROUND because it's much more than the ground that's solid here. While the remastered bonus tracks are mostly different mixes and alternate vocal tracks, the original full length version of "Flash" at 25 minutes is a highlight and well worth the time. It mixes the space groove of "Dirty Yellow Mist" with jazzy drumming, classical piano rolls and a faster tempo and in a way summarizes all the disparate styles on board. One straight outa the underground and into timeless classic mode. Perhaps not the absolute highlight of the Krautrock scene of the 70s but one of the better melodic rock ones.

Baba Yaga - 1974 - Baba Yaga Featuring Ingo Werner

Baba Yaga

1974

Baba Yaga Featuring Ingo Werner

01. The Man Who Wants To Buy The World (2:47)
02. Waves (3:37)
03. In The Morning (3:00)
04. High Fly (4:45)
05. Rebekka (3:56)
06. Turdus Merula (4:32)
07. Powerful Hand (3:15)
08. Hommage À... (3:07)
09. Intoxication (3:21)
10. La Tombeau (4:30)

Winfried Schreiber / guitar
Jürgen Dyrauf / electric & acoustic guitars
Ingo Werner / piano, electric piano, organ, Mellotron, clavinet, synth, bassoon, gong, producer
Bernd Weidmann / bass, vocals
Joska Fiedermutz / drums, percussion

Named after the a fantasy, supernatural, rural female character, Baba Yaga should be considered as a solo project of German keyboardist Ingo Werner, after he left My Solid Ground .Actually his first production features widely unknown musicians such as Bernd Weidmann on vocals/bass, Jürgen Dyrani and Winfried Schreiber on guitars and Joska Fledermutz on drums, while Werner plays all possible kind of keyboards as well as the bassoon and the gongs .The first self-titled production of the group was captured as one of the endless recordings at Dierks Studio near Cologne and it was released in 1974 on the obscure Phonola label.

The first three tracks show a surprising laid-back British-styled Progressive Rock akin to CRESSIDA, FANTASY and GREENSLADE with romantic vocals, light psych influences and Werner's piano, organ and Mellotron in evidence in an attempt to offer a more melodic 70's Art Rock with an atmospheric lyrical content, very far from his previous work with My Solid Ground. With ''High spy'' a change of style occurs, this one being a mix of complex Prog Rock and Avant Folk with dense and complicated music full of electric piano and synths being followed by massive percussions and archaic flutes.''Rebekka'' is closer to smooth Psych/Prog with haunting Mellotron, soft electric themes and choirs leading the way in an atmospheric environment. With ''Turdus Merula'' another asset of Werner's musical background comes in evidence, a kind of cinematic Electronic/Prog with gongs, Mellotron and electric piano, followed by the almost Canterbury-like ''Powerful Hand'' with its complex structure, the British-styled vocals and the sudden breaks. As the album unfolds, its jazzy nature becomes more and more obvious, highlighted by the instrumental ''Hommage a...'', combining the improvised electric piano with the psychedelic rhythm section and a few Mellotron flashes in a typical Kraut/Jazz Rock track.''Intoxication'' kicks off as a furious Heavy/Psych Rock-er with scratching electric guitars, before Werner dominant piano lines produce some kind of Avant-Garde atmosphere. The closing ''La Tombeau'' shows a return to the flipside's opening mood, an instrumental piece entirely built around piano, synthesizers, Mellotron and gongs, creating a cosmic and spacey sound image.

Ingo Werner's ''Baba Yaga'' may be a confusing and not 100% convincing album with too many things going on in a very short time, but no one can accuse this man of not being a talented and flexible composer with some great ideas. This is diverse Progressive Rock with sights and sounds from almost the whole range of the movement, highlighted by its nice keyboard work. Chances are, every prog fan will find something to like in here. Rare, but recommended album.

It's almost unbelievable that Ingo Werner was even allowed to use the Baba Yaga name for two albums that are so drastically different you find it hard to believe Ingo Werner himself was involved with both, but I guess that's because he used the Baba Yaga name to pursue his artistic ambitions. On Featuring Ingo Werner, he fronts a regular five piece prog rock band, and on the next album Collage he simple collaborates with Iranian santoor and sitar player Nemat Darman for a much more freaky proposition. It's even more of a drastic sound change than when King Crimson changes lineups. Both Baba Yaga albums were released on the Cycle label and quickly became rarities.

Upon listening to Featuring Ingo Werner, you may forget they were actually German, as they sound much like those early British bands, like Fantasy or Cressida, with a bit of Camel and Caravan, with jazzy passages. Nice use of Mellotron and vocals. Don't expect that Krautrock freakiness that is Collage, because you'll only hear hints of that. The music sounds more like 1972 than 1974, so it does sound a bit behind the times. Still it's a very good album recommended more for progheads than those wanting more off-the-wall Krautrock.

Baba Yaga - 1974 - Collage

Baba Yaga

1974

Collage

01. Mokscha (18:33)

02. Wadia (20:14)

Ingo Werner / Davoli & EMS synths, Solina String Ensemble, clavinet, Fender Rhodes, grand piano

Nemat Darman / drums, sitar, santur, tablas, congas, cymbals, gongs, timpani, vibes

Comprised of former Krautrock entrepreneur Ingo Werner, who up until this album had been in charge of keys and synths for My Solid Ground, and the highly exotic skills of Iranian percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Nemat Darman - Baby Yaga employ a somewhat eclectic cocktail of Eastern raga like textures, space voyager synth surfaces and the odd funk jazz moments. How is that for a mixture?

Being a huge fan of Aldous Huxley - and perhaps an even bigger fan of his novel Island, I jumped on this mother like a starved duck would a burger bun. The reason behind my exuberance is the fact that the first cut's called Mokscha, and anybody who's read Island will know what that stands for. Let me just get all of you people up to speed real quickly. The story goes something like this: The male protagonist of the novel is hired by a giant faceless oil company to investigate the possibilities of acquiring a small island for the intent of drilling black gold. Unfortunately he capsizes his boat on his way to his destination - and washes up on the shore. He gets medical attention, fed, insight into a society completely different than what he has experienced in the west - relying on both science and the old Eastern teachings. He gets philosophy lessons from small children, learn about a culture that attends to everyone instead of the few at the top - and so forth. In short, just like Plato's The Republic and Thomas Moore's Utopia, Island is a modern day take on a man made utopian society. Mokscha is a fungal extract used much like the Indians of the rainforest do - that is to digest this holy liquid hoping to achieve a higher form of awareness, a higher sense of understanding. On Pala, as the Island is called, Mokscha is applied as a gateway experience to adulthood. It's an integral part of growing up - experiencing the magic of life and how all things are interconnected. Without revealing too much of the plot, I will say that the Mokscha medicine does play its part in the story - changing everything around it - including our "hero".

This first track drives forth on manic Eastern billabong rapids - with the hammering of the santur. For those of you who don't know: The santur is a trapezoid-box with 72 strings in it. The player has two "hammers" for lack of a better word, which he uses in the same manner a piano player would, although this perhaps is a much closer musical experience. And boy - let me tell you, this instrument is like a couple of mice on amphetamine running wildly over some kind of harpsichord - the sheer tempo is insane. I get all these pictures of snake charmer ceremonies and dancing elephants decorated in orange and purple colours. On top of this we get tablas and other such percussive ornamentations, but where things start to get intriguing for the Krauthead - is when the synthesizers wobble their way into the track. They sound like electronic orchestrated brooms sweeping an invisible floor - swuuiiish swuuiish. They have a way of fluttering around in the music without ever having to land on anything solid. In many ways, Mokscha is like a precursor to the modern day hip-hop battle, but instead of two rappers having a go at each other, here we are faced with oriental traditional music served savagely and raw - and these snaking creepy synthesizer wielded segments of pure melting sorcery. The track goes back and forth - back and forth, and I can easily picture the otherworldliness and ethereal bewilderment of a Mokscha trip running its course.

Second and last track is Wadia. Now I don't know if this is intentional, but I can't help but draw parallels between the Indian Wadia family, who are this huge ship manufacturers belonging to the most powerful of establishments in the country - and the aforementioned oil company of which our male protagonist represents. I might be wrong but even so - the music doesn't exactly diminish in quality for this reason - let alone evaporate in thin air. Wadia starts off even further to the east. I definitely hear more of a Chinese flavour in the raw naked piano melody. It's no more than simple chord runs and improvisational textures performed ethereally and with a serene feel to them that sort of reminds me of Popol Vuh's Florian Fricke, - BUT it sure is beautiful. The track suddenly shape-shifts, and we're treated to analogue synths, wah wahing fat bass lines coming straight out of a George Clinton project, jazz styled drumming - and kapow we're in fusion country! It's a welcome change from the contour less lands of the lone piano, but to this listener the bridge feels somewhat forced and pasted on.

If you've been looking for a cross breed of Star Wars laser beams and Indian ragas, Shaft funky fusion and Chinese piano Zen - then look no further. This album is as original as they come, and although it may combine its ingredients rather clumsily at times, I still relish the fact that I can put this album on, whenever I wish to travel to the far east on a windswept voyage of maniacal santurs and wobbly synthesizer brooms.

BABA YAGA were not a proper group but a duo collaboration of MY SOLID GROUND's keyboard wizard Ingo Werner and iranian multi instrumentalist Nemat Darman. Both their albums had been issued in 1974 but it is their second one "Collage" which is the real brain melting obscurity. A hybrid of heavy electronic krautrock with ethnic spiced POPOL VUH exoticism and abstract THIRD EAR BAND cum early BETWEEN esoteric weirdisms, this is the best example of blissful far out krautrock grandeur.

Seesselberg - 1973 - Synthetik 1

Seesselberg 

1973

Synthetik 1

01. Overtuere - "Jeder ist heutzutage gluecklich"

02. Eintrachtkreis-Paranoia

03. Verhuetungsfreudenwalzer

04. Speedy Achmed

05. Studentenzucker

06. "Die Menschen sind gluecklich, sie kriegen, etc."

07. Phoenix

08. "Was Dir heute Freude macht, das verschieb etc."

09. Auszug aus einem Konzert in der Duesseldorfer Kunsthalle 1971

Eckart Seesselberg: Electronics

Wolf-J. Seesselberg: Electronics

Classic kraut-electronic noises and effects. Exclusively composed with "molecular" machines and played as sound installation. It features hypnotically building patterns, cyclical motifs, interlocking, moving frequencies, bizarre "astral" sounds and a great collection of electronic gadgets. Highly recommended for fans of proto-electronica (from first Kraftwerk to Conrad Schnitzler) and cosmic, sculptural electronics. An important musical and historical document...whatever you like or dislike this German curiosity.

Seesselberg's solo work express the anguish of how much the electronic fascination, avant-garde, obstruction of senses and technical volatilization evolves to an artistic phenomenon, an implacable hallucinating music, plus an equally fascinated and freaky hard imagination and timeless impression. The rest falls into obscure lapses (and never leaves that spot, the promotion of this music material is basically flat-line, only telling you spicy and best to describe emotions about an album that you can hardly book anymore, these days), spontaneous reasons of electronic velocities and well-designed kinds of artistic impulse and leaking visions, impossible unfortunately to concur with the biggest names of the genre.

The Seesselberg's brothers evolve a thing that appeared common and mostly fascinating around the times and the linguine hedonistic movement of electronic and complicated music: the search for brand new characteristics (mostly finding a lot of motivation in the area of sounds, of fractures, of noises and of atomized tensions of music), ways of flagrant expression, experiment and exploitation, plus an immense feature of unnatural and dissimilar patterns of music adaptation - listening to a lot of the artistic or obscure kraut rock which dispenses of all its "beautiful melody" and "courageous timbre" for a couple of insane and psychotic monumental orchestrations, or to the same quality of electronic music, grasping the experimental and the sharp resounds, proves the 'addiction' and the fully massive art-crash within those boundaries. Seesselberg's recipe was to create their own set of instrumental equipment (and they reach a set of electronics, synths, modulations and phasers beyond any calm and simple notion of musical-based technique, permitting them to move forward, into experiment and expression), plus based all their "Dusseldorf sub-school" train of thoughts towards a kind of unpredictable and very toughly and roughly balanced unique music amplitude, reaching the likes of Kluster and Schnitzler having revolutionized, based on impossible atonalities and dark spirits of sounds, the classic system of the eclectic genre. Some basic tangent characteristics with the psychedelic and kraut rock embers are made, but mostly this is a wild session of classic cold electronica.

The album synthetik 1 is composed of nine pieces, much to the sense of a dark concept and an independent stroke of composition. There's no rhythm and subtle line to follow in this album made of hollow, sharp-turbulent, astral-numb, technical apprised and hard trend-setting sounds, noises, music meter volatilizations and general impacts of synth-swirls. Everything is a dark and impressionable scratch, to the extent that excessiveness means the achievement of high drifts and impeccable motions. Nothing, except some vibrations and some colors, sheds light on how this burden can be interpreted leisurely or how melodies or simple electronic ideas can be depicted or can replace the ideal of mass experimentation. Since it also gains a stubborn quality of compelling more and more by each minute, it can appear heartless and drafty, cynical and made of an unstoppable imagination - true to a point, the Seesselberg experiment actually culminates at a point of electronic music not being randomly improvised, but produced, in a conservatory way, under coaled, deep, intrinsic and introverted fibers. A work impressive by its nature.

The sad part remains how this album had only 600 copies, how the Seesselberg brothers stopped only at this album and how, since neither apparently continued on other levels and into other bands their work and their etherized style. A cruel, but perhaps not absolutely astonishing fate. Another volume or two of synthetik wouldn't have presented in no way a loss or a deviance of this profoundly technical and somber-artistic vision.

Obviously very difficult and with a lot of unromantic, unnatural and unmelodious power to impress, this album is a very powerful experiment recommended to the very high artistic and architectural music one can love. A classic of its kind, though it simply proves a work of obscure and unwonted strength. Kluster, Schnitzler and other kraut-heads or electro-machinists did, theoretically, a similar kind of exploding art, some a couple of times more interesting, but that's not even close to relevant.

Tyll - 1975 - Sexphonie

Tyll

1975

Sexphonie

01. Tim (5:00)

02. Sexphoni (1:37)

03. Asiatische Liebeserklarung (3:43)

04. Paranoia Eines Verliebten (2:25)

05. Nervenzusammenbruch Einer Gitarre (4:52)

06. Siammesische Uberraschung (2:58)

07. Kristinas Traum (1:39)

08. Delirium Song - Grammophon (7:09)

09. Rita (2:47)

10. Suzie Steno (3:03)

11. Fur Michael Pfadfinder (2:43)

12. Morgenlicht (1:31)

Günter Klinger / drums

Achim Bosch / bass

Teflon Fonfara / guitar

Susanne Schempp / vocals

Ulrike Schempp / vocals

Michael Scherf / vocals

This album proved to be a rather frustrating release for me. Out of the box, it comes on like a freight train, with some of the coolest prog/psych I've heard in a long, long time. The material found here is highly diverse with examples of heavy psych, hard rock and other forms of great prog. On tap are numerous psych effects and excellent fuzz guitar, all complimenting the very compelling song writing. And this seems to go on and on, one song after the other, across the whole of the first side. But with the side 1 closer, we are exposed to a portend of what is to follow on the next side. There, the material devolves to comparatively much less interesting, male/female, German vocal, folk-based rock. Not to say there aren't some good tracks to be found there as well, but nothing near the bar set on the top side. Though the original vinyl is now quite rare, I'm sure to be keeping an eye peeled for a copy, as this is the kind of record I simply cannot be without in my collection.

Tyll were one of a handful of Krautrock groups on the Kerston label (Gaa, Epidermis, Proton 1 concert), a label known more for schlager, classical, and church music. Sexphonie is a very disparate album and each track is different from the other. You'll hear fiery fusion workouts, folk rock, world fusion, straight up hard rock, and even some politrock (tongue in cheek apparently) sung in German. Steadfastly using the native language, Tyll will remind the listener of groups such as Drosselbart, Prof. Wolfff, and Franz K. The latter gets a further comparison due to the copious use of heavily affected electric guitar. On the spacier tracks, label mates Gaa are a fair comparison. And in many places I also hear the unique composition style of Lily's excellent V.C.U. album. Perhaps a bit too scattered to be a classic, but definitely one of Krautrock's more interesting footnotes.

In 2016, we finally have our first authorized reissue. Mental Experience, Guerssen's Krautrock specialty label, have released the album on CD. It sounds like it's from the master tapes, and features liner notes from Alan Freeman, including an interview with Tyll's founder Teflon Fanfara (what a name!). Excellent all around, though no bonus material was found apparently.

Zarathustra - 1972 - Zarathustra

Zarathustra 

1972

Zarathustra

01. Eternal Light

02. Mr. Joker

03. Past Time

04. Nightmare

05. Sad Woman

06. Ormuzd

Michael Just: bass, vocals

Wolfgang Behrmann: drums

Wolfgang Reimer: guitar, vocals

Ernst Herzner: vocals

Klaus Werner: organ

Originally released in 1972, as far as I know this is the obscure German heavy progressive band's sole record. However, I believe there is another collective of the same name - out there somewhere. Just make sure you have the right cover + that the CD is on the Second Battle label.

Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche, Zarathustra is originally from Hamburg. Born in the early 1970s, the group brings together bassist Michael Just, drummer Wolfgang Behrmann, guitarist Wolfgang Reimer, singer Ernst Herzner and organist Ernst Herzner. In 1972 the quintet released an eponymous album on the Metronome label.

Made of six tracks with oscillating short and long pieces, this disc offers heavy and symphonic prog krautrock. It begins almost a capella with a cavernous organ in the background in “Eternal Light”. Then after a few choruses, a heavy and boring guitar riff imposes itself. Next comes “Mr. Joker,” a galloping song reminiscent of Uriah Heep. “Past Time” is the longest piece, 9 minutes on the clock with the return of this heavy riff for a hard rock close to Deep Purple. The guitar carves out some good heavy solos and the organ is menacing. “Nightmare” which follows alternates deceptive sweetness and shattering moments with dizzying organ. The overwhelming 3 minutes of “Sad Woman” reveals a title in the rhythm 'n' blues register with a celestial bridge. The LP ends with the 7 minutes of “Ormuzd” with this organ that is barely taking off and this tenacious guitar. But inflated with helium this piece takes off in a heavy, dramatic, vaguely disturbing and disenchanted atmosphere. Great way to end a record but also a career. Indeed, due to lack of promotion of this LP, the group disbanded shortly after. To listen without moderation.

Electric Sandwich - 1972 - Electric Sandwich

Electric Sandwich

1972

Electric Sandwich

01. China (8:07)

02. Devil's Dream (6:20)

03. Nervous Creek (5:07)

04. It's No Use to Run (4:03)

05. I Want You (5:27)

06. Archie's Blues (4:55)

07. Material Darkness (5:04)

08. On My Mind (3:24)

Bonus track on CD release:

09. China (single edit) (3:05)

Jörg Ohlert / guitar, organ, keyboards

Klaus Lormann / bass

Jochen Carthaus / saxophone, harmonica

Wolf Fabian / drum

Electric Sandwich were formed in late 1969 by a group of German students from Bonn. The band initially consisted of four musicians, all of whom had already played with other bands: bass player Klaus Lormann had been playing with "Chaotic Trust"; lead guitarist Jorg Ohlert used to be with "Slaves of Fire"; drummer Wolf Fabian, the founder of the band, had been touring with a band called "Muli and the Misfits", and singer Jochen "Archie" Carthaus sang with the "Flashbacks". Their own material has been recorded into the legendary Dieter Dirks Studio in Stommeln (1973 Brain catalogue). The music contains typical spaced out, freak n roll improvisations with many jazzy rock ingredients, folkish accents and Mellotron excursions.

German band Electric Sandwich's self-titled debut from 1972 appeared on the legendary Brain Records label and was produced by German rock notable Dieter Dierks, but any suggestions that it has connections to Krautrock are pretty much completely inaccurate. However, the terrific English language album has much to recommend about it, having far more in common with psychedelic, soul, blues, R&B and horn-based rock with a touch of jazz here and there, with traces of Hendrix, Ten Years After, Santana band, Nosferatu, Message and even Out of Focus popping up throughout.

Eight-minute opener `China' certainly comes the closest to the Krautrock tag, an acid-rock instrumental with stormy washes of drifting distortion, exotic percussion and Jörg Ohlert's fuzzy electric-guitar soloing. `Devil's Dream' is a smouldering vocal rocker (not a trace of an accent in sax/harmonica player Jochen Carthaus's voice, though!) with bluesy guitar soloing weaving around Wolf Fabian's nimble drumming throughout an extended lightly jazzy improvised middle, and just listen to the way the distorted sax melts and bleeds from about the 3:47 minute mark! Side one closer `Nervous Creek' then jumps between the frantic and mysterious passages of fellow German band Message's first two albums `The Dawn Anew is Coming' and `From Books and Dreams', but also adds in a splash of wild Hendrix-flavoured rock.

There's more bluesy rock on `It's No Use to Run' with a rough n' raspy vocal, spirited harmonica and plenty of slow-burn electric guitar licks, and `I Want You' is purring and dreamy with tougher bursts of relentless harder-edged guitars, tasty Out of Focus-like sax wafting and whirling Hammond organ. `Archie's Blues' is unsurprisingly a bluesy meander that's a real showcase for guitarist Ohlert and his killer strangled electric guitar slinging, and `Material Darkness' closes the album with drowsy chiming guitars and almost whispered vocals that are punctuated with dirty sax blasts, trickles of pristine Mellotron veils and Klaus Lormann's thick bass. It's definitely one of the more ambitious moments of the album, although it proves to be a little anti-climactic with not much in the way of a big ending.

The CD reissue includes a short infectious bonus track of exclusive 1973 single `On My Mind', a cool and confident pop/rocker with strident electric guitar around a raw lead vocal, as well as its b-side, a three minute remix/edit of the album opener `China'.

Although it's far too structured and `clean' to be considered a Krautrock album, `Electric Sandwich' is endlessly melodic with strong song-structures that still allows for plenty of jamming and improvised instrumentation that the talented young musicians deliver with exceptional skill. It's a damn shame that the band dissolved in the same year this album was released, but it's nice that their legacy is preserved with this one cracking bluesy psychedelic stunner.

Colin Wilkie & Shirley Hart - 1969 - Wild Goose

Colin Wilkie & Shirley Hart

1969 

Wild Goose

01. Icy Acres 4:07

02. Fourth Flight 7:00

03. Snowy Sunday 6:57

04. Willow And Rue 4:25

05. Lament 3:28

06. Ich Armes Maidlein Klag Mich Sehr 6:43

07. Sweet Primroses 5:05

Alto Saxophone, Flute, Trombone – Emil Mangelsdorff

Alto & Tenor Saxophone – Heinz Sauer

Bass – Günter Lenz

Drums, Darbouka, Tambourine – Ralf Hübner

Soprano & Tenor Saxophone – Joki Freund

Vocals – Colin Wilkie

Vocals – Shirley Hart

Painting – Tilman Michalski

Recording date: February 19th, 1969, Walldorf, Tonstudio, Frankfurt

Awesome, unusual album which combines elements that would at first sight be completely incompatible: 1) British folk music, whaling songs, medieval German folk and 2) improvised fusion of free jazz & hard bop (I call it free bop, don't know if it's a common term, but describes the Mangelsdorffian kind of music quite well).

Definitely worth hunting, could be quite hard to find though. Open minded listeners will be rewarded with some unique and outstanding music that won't wear out even after repeated plays.

Free jazz encounters the English folk song. With his perceptive arrangements, Saxophonist-arranger-composer Joki Freund, a major force in German post-war jazz, captures and combines the atmospheres of both genres. English couple Colin Wilkie and Shirley Hart began as wandering troubadours, and traveled on to become a mainstay on the bourgeoning European folk scene of the ‘60’s. The core of the accompanying Hessen Radio Jazz Ensemble is trombone icon Albert Mangelsdorff’s Quintet, a group that changed the shape of German jazz in the 1960’s. Wilkie’s Icy Acres follows the tradition of English-Scottish whaling songs. Based on an old sea shanty, Fourth Flight features impressive solos by Mangelsdorff and tenor saxophonist Heinz Sauer. On the impressionistic Snowy Sunday a pulsing 6/8 rhythm propels Albert’s brother Emil’s flute, a vocal interlude, and Freund’s impassioned soprano solo. Willow and Rue has a processional feel before breaking out into a swinging Mangelsdorff solo. Played in quartet, Lament mourns the death of a child, with Shirley the solo vocal and Albert accompanying. Based on a 14th century folk song, Joki Freund’s Ich armes Maidlein klag mich sehr represents a tour de force of arranging. The traditional English love song Sweet Primroses receives affectionate treatment by Wilkie and Hart and a passionate solo by Sauer. With songs handsomely sung, sensitive arrangements, and an ensemble that includes Mangelsdorff’s quintet at its height, this album proves that folk and jazz are soul siblings at heart.

Ardo Dombec - 1971 - Ardo Dombec

Ardo Dombec 

1971

Ardo Dombec

01. Spectaculum (4:02)

02. Supper Time (3:19)

03. A Bit Near the Knuckle (4:32)

04. Clean-Up Sunday (6:50)

05. Downtown Paradise Lost (5:52)

06. Oh, Sorry (0:08)

07. 108 (4:36)

08. Unchangable Things?! (5:58)

Bonus tracks on 2002 CD reissue:

09. Heavenly Rose (3:54)

10. Open the Door, Open Your Mind (2:11)

11. Young and Strong (3:15)

12. Riverside (4:15)

Helmut Hachmann / saxophone, flute

Harald Gleu / guitar, vocals

Wolfgang Spillner / drums, vocals

Michael Ufer / bass

Not much is known about ARDO DOMBEC except that they were an early 70's German prog band who released an album with a heavy, bluesy, and slightly jazzy feel, ending up barely sounding German at all. Often compared to COLOSSEUM, their music features a lot of saxophone, often matched by electric guitar and flute. Their arrangements are upbeat and bright, yet the lyrics are rather dark and cynical in contrast. The band consisted of Helmut Hachmann on sax and flute, Harald Gleu on guitar and vocals, Wolfgang Spillner on drums and vocals, and Michael Ufer on bass.

Their only album, entitled simply "Ardo Dombec" (1971), collects just about everything the band has ever recorded. At times, their jazzy material flirts with pop and at other times, it sounds downright baroque. The band obviously enjoys strange and complex rhythms, SOFT MACHINE style. Although they seem to favour vocal tracks (which aren't exactly their forte), it is in the instrumental sections that they truly shine. Technically speaking, the musicianship is fairly good but the compositions may lack a little inspiration and excitement.

Ardo Dombec differs from other folk-blues-fusion-hard rock bands of the early 70's by the presence of omnipresent visceral saxophone arrangements that remain pretty structured, sometimes reminding the Dutch fusion band Solution. Because of the aforementioned subgenres, Ardo Dombec perfectly falls into the art rock category. The drums and bass are often very fast, rhythmic and complex, flirting with fusion elements, and reminding the early Camel without the keyboards. Despite their German origin, Ardo Dombec have nothing to do with the krautrock subgenre. The lyrics are sung in English. The tracks are pretty progressive for 1971. Many flute parts a la Jethro Tull, Focus and even Camel add some interesting variety; the track with the very pleasant visceral harmonica exhibition also shows how versatile the members can be. The music is quite addictive, disciplined and structured: this allows me to qualify the album as excellent. Some catchy tracks, combined with the typical lead vocals, should even slightly remind the listener a sophisticated Elvis Presley!

Spectaculum A set of truly fun(ky) grooves, infused with sax stabs that I would be very surprised if the Hip-Hop community had already exploited to death (if they haven't then keep this one to yourself!). The intial energetic groove is taken back a few gears to something altogether more slinky, before re-asserting itself after a subtle Can-styled strip-back. For fans of the more obscure, there's a passing similarity to Kaputter Hamster here.

There's no holding the grooves back in Supper Time, with quasi-operatic vocals suggesting Arthur Brown. Fun details expose themselves in the music, and the same tempo drop-back technique is used, bringing about a kind of harmonised Doors flavour. A searing dissonant guitar solo scorches its way across the musical landscape, bluffing wildly, but colouring effectively. The band, all the while, providing a some-nonsense, rock-solid boogie.

I'm again reminded of the Kaputter ones in A Bit Near the Knuckle, which is more of the same - solid jazzy, funky grooves, quasi-operatic vocals, time changes, wandering bass lines and fun details in the musical structure. Here, the slower section gets even slower and more laid-back, hinting at Pink Floyd, but with a jazzier, groovy edge and some fun chord leaps - and an even more fun build-up back to the verse. The vocals here are again a cross between Arthur Brown and Jim Morrison, featuring declamations with a core of anger, and the sax dominates proceedings without overpowering them. The solo, particularly is a wicked toe-tapping groove, around which the sax slithers and slides to tremendous effect.

A flute suddenly takes the sax's dominant position for the start of Clean-Up Sunday, a story about a girl halfway between Cinderella and Eleanor Rigby, it seems. Featuring the flute so heavily lends a natural Jethro Tull flavour at some points - but suddenly we drop into the jazziest, funkiest groove so far - around 1:36, and the flautists' vocalisations recall Ian Anderson very strongly indeed - but with something added in the humour department, comical without being ridiculous - a very good job indeed.

Some awesome jazz touches jump out of the groove before it suddenly dies, giving way to an acoustic guitar, which noodles around a little, appears to settle, fades out completely, then gives way to some parallel 5th chanting over tinkly bells, evoking a monastic kind of feel - suggesting the Sunday spirit of the piece, although not for too long. Another groove is laid down on us, with flavours of Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit, and this grows, bar-by-bar back to the song and the story we've pretty much forgotten about by now!

No real surprises at the start of Downtown Paradise Lost - we're back to the sax dominated texture for an R&B flavoured number about the Red Light District. Despite some hugely emotive outpouring from the singer, and some very enthusiastic kit work from the drummer, there's not a huge amount of excitement to this song, despite its subject matter - although you can clearly hear RAP around 2:25 - to think that rap didn't take off as a genre until at least 10 years later (probably more)!

Here's where the song really hots up, as the story hots up - the music punctuates the action, before dropping into a sultry and suggestive harmonica-topped, hip-shakin' groove. Can't think why they didn't use the sax instead - but it does show up for a turn, before the story is resumed.

Heh - good job I've got a CD, instead of the vinyl (well, you try finding a vinyl copy!), or I might have been fooled by Oh Sorry, a vinyl owner's nightmare.

This is followed by the most progressive piece so far, 108, with a glorious acoustic guitar intro - really, this is how an acoustic intro should be written and played - none of your simple two-chord even-note picking rubbish here - PROPER guitar playing!

I could listen to an album of this, but then the flute joins in and makes it an even more pleasurable listen. OK, the chord sequence IS based around 2 chords here, but it's still fun and interesting, as the flute soars, warbles and chirps beautifully.

The album closes with the rockin' Unchangable Things, which, ironically changes persistently as it progresses over a solid bass groove, before dropping into the sax solo which sounds like it might have been lifted from a Gong album in terms of the overall sound produced. There's then another change to a new groove - and OK, I got the joke in the first sentence. Teutons and their musical jokes, eh?

Monster groove alert around 3:20 - this one's a killer, replete with psychedelic, noodly, wah-drenched guitar solo, which pulls out all the stops to avoid becoming predictable - and largely succeeds.

Despite the English words, a fantastic, fun piece of Krautrock, recalling many of the greats and the obscurites of that genre, but without truly going into full-blown Kosmische, a tremedous work of jazz/funk with wondrous grooves for all to enjoy and nice details in the arrangements to stop Proggers falling asleep.

A real pleasure to listen to and review - and nicely within this particular field of Progressive Rock. I even hung around for the bonus tracks, which are, yes, you guessed it, a lot of fun. Excellent addition to your collection - although maybe not if you don't like funky grooves (and who doesn't? 

Flute & Voice - 1971 - Imaginations Of Light

Flute & Voice

1971

Imaginations Of Light

01. Imaginations Of Light (13:15)

02. Thoughts (10:13)

03. Resting Thinking About Time (9:47)

04. Notturno (8:12)

Hans 'Flute' Reffert / acoustic & electric guitars, bass recorder, wooden flutes

Hans 'Voice' Brandeis / sitar, electric guitar, Vocals

A German duet composed by multi instrumentalists, FLUTE & VOICE is totally devoted to "world" and acoustic experimentations combined to rock. The guitarist Hans Reffert "Flute" (whose reputation is strongly approved in Mannheim region) formed the band with Hans Brandeis "Voice" in 1969. They have rapidly shared their common interest for Indian sitar. At the beginning of the 70's this duet provided an inventive "ethnic" rock sound with an abundant use of sitar, raga ingredients. Their music is a fantastic cross section of different moods and playings: dancing flute lines, jazzy & folk guitars accompaniments, a mysterious tone provided by the sitar. The communication between the instruments is full of beauty and introspection.

They started to record their first album "Imagination of Light" in 1970. In 1973, they recorded the second album of their career "Hallo Rabbit". They made many performances in Germany for clubs or during special festivals (German Jazz Festival 1972 in Frankfurt). In 1974, the band disappears after Brandeis move to Berlin.

An impressive, innovative band whose music is an opened door to our inner perceptions. Really outside of time.

The opening track directly announces the colour of the whole album. We are introduced into a relaxed, peaceful, mystical universe full of "eastern" influences. This first composition is entirely improvised for sitar with an addition of melodic, emotional vocals. The second track "thoughts" is essentially composed for an electric guitars duet played with a beautiful jazzy felt, always mixed with an "introspect" sense of arrangement. "Resting Thinking about time" is a fantastic "ethereal" composition divided into long guitar interludes. A very beautiful song. "Hello rabbits" has an evident hippie accent with soft guitar parts and prominent vocals. "Scottish rock" is a great folk, "pastoral" ballad built around a classical guitar structure, well played with a bright, technical and "relaxed" solo. The song which closes the album is a dreamy, short tune played on electric & acoustic guitars with the presence of amazing lyrics. A very creative album and a delicious musical moment. A must to discover for every fan of "indo"folk rock and krautrock first years.

Goa Et Franky Bourlier - 1974 - Horizon

Goa Et Franky Bourlier

1974

Horizon

01. Introduction Pour Gestation Sonore À La Neï Contrebasse 3:00

02. Gestation Sonore Pour Neï Contrebasse 10:00

03. Gestation Sonore Pour Crystar 5:00

04. Gestation Sonore En Date Du 1er Octobre 1974 15:00

05. Tala 3:00

Goa Alloro

Franky Bourlier

Deeply tripped higher key sonic investigations from the Bourlier brothers, both known more from their work in the NWW-list and Futura label unit Horde Catalitique Pour Le Fin. All sounds included here are from self-made or modified instruments, the overall approach coming off like an acid informed Lasry/Baschet recording.

Ju-Par Universal Orchestra - 1976 - Moods And Grooves

Ju-Par Universal Orchestra

1976

Moods And Grooves

01. Funky Music 3:15

02. Beauty And The Beast 3:00

03. Time 3:08

04. Chicago Calypso 3:22

05. Mocha Velvet 4:18

06. Is Anyone Listening 3:12

07. Flute Salad 4:47

08. Gotta Get-A-Way 3:52

Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ken Soderdlom

Bass – Lou Satterfield

Drums – Quinton Joseph

Flute – Rich Rudoll

Guitar – Phil Upchurch

Keyboards, Arranged By – Dick Boyell

Percussion – Derf Walker

Strings – Elliot Golub, Ev Zlatoff Mirsky, Carl Fruh, Len Chausow, Sam Thaviu, Sal Bobrov

Trombone – Ralph Craig

Trumpet – Art Hayle, Murray Watson

Vocals – Bonnie Herman, Kitty Haywood, Vivian Haywood

One of THE indie soul treasures of the 70s -- a wickedly funky record that blends together jazz, soul, and club -- and which stands out with a sound that's all its own! You may well know the tag "moods and grooves" -- as the record's had an influence on countless scenes, and has been referenced by many artists over the years. But nothing beats this original set, a sublime batch of electric grooves performed by a core combo of electric keys, bass, and congas -- augmented by sweetened strings and some occasional chorus vocals -- bad-stepping around the grooves in a mostly-instrumental mode that rivals (if not betters) some of the best funky soundtrack work of the decade!

In 1976, John "Juney" Garrett and Richard Parker launched Ju-Par Records in Detroit and immediately arranged for distribution to be handled by the giant Motown empire, an association that lasted through 3 albums before ceasing the arrangement. One of those albums was the one you see here converted to CD format with the same title - Mooves & Grooves - by an aggregation assembled by Garret and Parker they named The Ju-Par Universal Orchestra.

This assembly consisted of guitarist Phil Upchurch (who had a 1961 # 29 Billboard Pop Hot 100 hit with You Can't Sit Down, Part 2 as The Philip Upchurch Combo for the small Boyd label), trumpeters Art Hayle and Murray Watson, tenor/baritone saxophonist Ken Soderdlom, flutist Rich Rudoll, trombonist Ralph Craig, bassist Lou Satterfield, keyboardist (and producer-arranger) Dick Boyell, percussionist Derf Walker, drummer Quinton Joseph, and vocalists Kitty and Vivian Haywood and Bonnie Herman.

As a vinyl LP the contents were: A1. Funky Music (3:15); A2. Beauty And The Beast (3:00); A3. Time (3:08); A4. Chicago Calypso (3:22); B1. Mocha Velvet (4:18); B2. Is Anyone Listening? (3:12); B3. Flute Salad (4:47); B4. Gotta Get-A-Way (3:52). As a CD converted by Traffic Entertainment Group the same order runs 1 to 8. Sleeve notes are by John Edwards, WJLB Detroit radio host of "Jazz on A.M."

In June-July 1977 as single from the album saw Funky Music go to # 32 R&B and # 101 Hot 100 Bubble Under as Ju-Par 8002 b/w Time. That appears to be the only single released by the group, and since both sides are part of the CD, that will certainly please completist hits collectors. Short on lyrics, it most definitely is funky, but personally, I think if the Djs had flipped it over now and then, the B-side, Time, would have become a much bigger hit for the group. Beauty And The Beast and Flute Salad would have made another great paring as a single.

Yoruba Singers ‎- 1974 - Ojinga's Own

Yoruba Singers

1974

Ojinga's Own

01. Ojinga's Own

02. What To Do

03. Stay Away

04. Uncomprehensidensible Radio-Matic Woman

05. Neighbour Jean

06. Go-Go

07. Massacura Man

08. Woman A Dead Ya Fuh Man

09. Ka Duma

10. I've Got To Be Somebody

11. No Intension

Bass Guitar – Rudolph R. Hodari-Brandt

Drums – Ojinga

Drums, Vocals – Carlton Rogers (Sanyiki)

Flute – Felix "Jojo" Terrence

Vocals – Eze Rockcliffe

Percussion – Gregory Omallo

Percussion, Vocals – Keith Proffitt

Rhythm Guitar – Wilfred Lashley

Vocals – Cyrill Hodari Small, Eddie (Sac) Small, William Bascom

The 1974 debut album Ojinga’s Own and single Basa Bongo/Black Pepper by Guyanese Afro-Folk band The Yoruba Singers has been remastered for vinyl and digital.

The Yoruba Singers formed in Georgetown, Guyana in 1971. Despite their name they were not from Nigeria, but identified strongly with the area from which so many of the African diaspora in Guyana and neighbouring regions were originally descended.

The group started adapting Guyanese traditional folk music as well as writing their own - blending a mixture of protest, social commentary, blues, and genres inspired by the times. Beginning with 12 people sharing vocal duties, most of the early repertoire was inspired by folk songs that started life on plantations or in religious settings accompanied by a few sparse musical instruments.

Integral to the Yoruba Singers’ sound are echoes of Obeah traditions which are very closely related to the Santería religion of Cuba and the Orisha and Shango traditions of Trinidad and Tobago. Calypso and steel-band culture from nearby Trinidad and Tobago was to some extent part of the musical DNA of the group, but they were naturally also influenced by the massive volume of rocksteady and roots-reggae coming from Jamaica.

Manduka - 1972 - Manduka

Manduka

1972

Manduka

01. Brasil 1500 10:30

02. Entra Y Sale 5:46

03. Naranjita 5:10

04. De La Tierra 4:21

05. Patria Amada Idolatrada Salve Salve 4:56

06. Oiticumana 2:05

07. De Un Extranjero 4:54

08. Qué Dirá El Santo Padre 4:46

Bongos – Eduardo Parra (Los Jaivas)

Congas – Gabriel Parra (Los Jaivas)

Flute, Charango – Patricio "Pato" Castillo (Amerindios)

Guitar – Baltazar Villas (Congregacion)

Harmonica – Julio Numhauser(Amerindios)

Photography By – Armindo Cardoso

Vocals – Soledad Bravo

Vocals, Guitar – Manduka

Mega rare 1972 Chilean release and debut album recorded by this Brazilian artist. Progressive psych folk at its best featuring members of Los Jaivas, Amerindios and Congregacin. A sublime combination of acoustic guitar sounds, percussions and delicate songwriting that may remind you of some other Brazilian artists like Os Novos Baianos or even Caetano Veloso. First album by Brazilian musician, poet and plastic artist Manduka. Originally released in 1972 on IRT, the album is a sought-after collectors item, especially among those who seek in its cultural richness, fundamental episodes of Chilean popular musical history. An essential record almost entirely written by Manduka during his exile years in Chile, away from his home in Brazil. It includes improvised jams and songs about Brazilian history, his own exile and the new cultures he got exposed to. A sublime combination of acoustic guitar sounds, percussions and delicate songwriting that may remind you of some other Brazilian artists like Os Novos Baianos or even Caetano. It includes a special cover version of Violeta Parra's 'Qu dir el Santo Padre'

It may come as a surprise to many to know that the psychedelic rock and folk movement of the late 60s and early70s was not confined to the USA and Europe. In fact, the massivecultural upheavals of the 1960s had spread far and wide and by 1967-68, musicians, artistsand writers across the world were exploring new ways to express themselves. This was noless the case in South America and it was during the late 60s and early 70s that an explosion of psych rock and folk produced amazing music that still inspires half a century later. The most well-known and celebrated South American movement from this era was Tropicália (also known as Tropicalismo), a Brazilian artistic movement that arose in the late 1960s that embraced music, poetry, visual arts and theatre.

Musicians who were part of the movement include Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes, Gal Costa, and Tom Zé. But it wasn't just Brazil that experienced a flowering of artistic freedom. Chile too had a movement called la Nueva Canción Chilena (Chilean New Song), a movement that captivated and elated a country during a period of social change. This was a powerful musical style that combined poetic lyrics with a haunting mix of traditional native wind and stringed instruments. It was born of and expressed the aspirations of a rising social class and political consciousness concerned with social justice and freedom. It was a time in which psychedelic rock and folk bands of the late ’60s and early ’70s like Los Blops, Los Jaivas, Aguaturbia, El Congreso, and Congregación mixed American and European rock with native Chilean and other South American forms. However, by 1973, the creative freedoms expressed by Chilean musicians, poets, writers and artists was abruptly curtailed when there was a violent CIA-backed military coup that overthrew the socialist government of Salvador Allende and installed the fascist dictator General Augusto Pinochet. The event caused many leading figures of the political opposition to be arrested, imprisoned and tortured. Thousands disappeared and were killed. In the context of such violent suppression and intimidation, many musicians sought asylum in neighbouring countries or even further afield, like the USA or Europe. One such musician and writer was Alexandre Manuel Thiago de Mello, otherwise known as Manduka.

Manduka was born in 1952 in Brasil, the son of the journalist Pomona Politis and the poet Thiago de Mello, and nephew of the musician Gaudêncio Thiago de Mello. At the age of 18 he moved with his family to Chile, ostensibly to escape the increasingly oppressive atmosphere of the military government in Brazil. Just as many members and supporters of the New Chilean Song movement would soon go into exile after the 1973 coup, Manduka had escaped one dictatorship in Brazil to go and live in Chile, very soon to experience its own military crackdown. Manduka became involved with the Unidad Popular, a left-wing political alliance in Chile that stood behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende in the 1970 Chilean presidential election. During this time, Manduka also established close ties with important Chilean artists and began to foster interesting musical ideas, mixing his Brazilian heritage with the Chilean culture he found himself rapidly absorbing. In 1971, Manduka was still only nineteen years old and he was already a leading figure in the local left intelligentsia (his father was very close to notable figures such as Pablo Neruda and Violeta Parra, a musician who set the foundation for Nueva Canción Chilena) and was close to other exiled Brazilians, particularly the singer-songwriter Geraldo Vandré. It was with Vandré that Manduka co-wrote his first songs, quickly making a name for himself with 'Patria Amada Idolatrada Salve Salve', sung by Venezuelan singer Soledad Bravo, winning a prize at the 1972 Festival of Aguadulce, held in Peru. Upon his return to Chile, Manduka received an offer from Julio Numhauser to record a record. Numhauser was a key member of the Nueva Canción Chilena movement and founder member of the influential folk music groups Quilapayún. He was also artistic director of the IRT label and the result was an LP composed almost entirely by Manduka, with songs and improvisations that, somewhat inevitably, alluded to exile, Brazilian history and his own encounters with Chilean culture.

The resulting album, 'Manduka' was released in 1972 and featured vocalist Soledad Bravo along with contributions from some of the leading progressive folk and rock musicians in Chile at the time including Numhauser himself, Patricio Castillo (a close friend and creative partner of political activist, poet and singer Victor Jara), Baltasar Villaseca of leading Chilean psych folkrock group Congregación, and the brothers Gabriel and Eduardo Parra, from popular folk rock group Los Jaivas. The album is a wonderfully fresh and exciting collection of sounds that fizz with energy and hope; one minute a lilting folk ballad, the next an up tempo foot stomping attack on the acoustic guitar. It is the sound of a creative mind at the centre of a flourishing artistic movement just months away from being crushed.

After the coup in September 1973, many of the leading figures in the Chilean music scene fled for their lives. Those that stayed payed a heavy price. An associate of Manduka, Victor Jara, was a key figure in the Nueva Canción Chilena movement. Soon after the coup, he was arrested and tortured. The guards smashed his hands and fingers, and then mocked him by asking him to play the guitar. He was then killed with a bullet to the head, and his corpse riddled with more than 40 bullets wounds. His body was put on display at a sports stadium as a warning then thrown out on the street of a Santiago shantytown. The stark contrast between the themes of his songs— love, peace, and social justice—and the brutal way in which he was murdered transformed Jara into a potent symbol of struggle for human rights and justice for those murdered during the Pinochet regime. This was the political context in which Manduka found himself and he had no choice but to flee to Argentina with members of Los Jaivas. In the years that followed, Manduka would continue to wander the world, living and working in Venezuela, Germany, France, Spain and Mexico, publishing records and books, scoring films, and collaborating with artists such as Naná Vasconcelos and Pablo Milanés. Manduka returned to Brazil in 1988 where he remained until his death on October 17, 2004, due to cardiovascular complications.

Soulful sounds from 70s Chile – and a record that easily rivals some of the best acoustic work from the post-Tropicalia generation in Brazil! Manduka's got a heady sound that's very much in keeping with his image on the cover – a freer sort of approach to the music than the decade before – with these long-flowing tracks that intertwine folksy elements and regional touches, but always with some slight undercurrent of jazz – almost at a level that rivals the acid folk of the UK scene of the same time, but with a definite deeper South American vibe. The vocals are sublime – extremely haunting, even beyong the boundary of language – and often recorded with some echo around them and the guitar, in a manner that recalls some of the best Geraldo Vandre material. Instrumentation includes some light backing on flute, bongos, acoustic guitar, and harmonica – often used in a gentle, watery sort of way. Completely sublime – one of those lost global gems you'll treasure for years –