Free System Projekt/Brendan Pollard/Hashtronaut "Time Out Of Mind"
Influenced by the Avant-Garde experiments of Karlheinz Stockhausen and the trippy Rock music of early Pink Floyd, along with the Minimalist patterning of Steve Reich and Philip Glass and time suspending qualities of Indian music, Berlin-based artists like Tangerine Dream used new kinds of instruments to create a new kind of music - which was not only based on compositional and technological factors but also on a unique political and social climate. Free System Projekt, Brendan Pollard and Hashtronaut are among an ever-growing group of people who express themselves in a mode established in the unique Spacemusic realizations first heard in a now long-gone Germany of the early 1970s. Each an established artist in their own right, they work together to great effect on the CD Time Out of Mind (77'14"). Phaedra, Rubycon and Ricochet ring in our ears as this album unfolds. Often using gear specific to the original Spacemusic era, this ensemble replicates the arrangement and instrumentation as well as the mood and atmosphere of the classic LPs of the day. Exercising exquisite non-narrative tendencies, they leave enough space between sounds and notes so that imagination may fill in meaning for each piece. A wonderful tension is felt between the mechanistic sequencer patterns cycling beneath the line of an ascending lead melody - sounded with a voice that utters no words. These and other subtle profundities expose the elemental power of this music. The genre has aged remarkably well - now on into an age of digitized sound. The impression of deep consequence still remains in the founding works while the generations that have followed continue to open up new and interesting territory. The experience is inexplicable but utterly satisfying.
Tune in to STAR'S END this weekend for music from Time Out of Mind, the new CD by Free System Projekt, Brendan Pollard and Hashtronaut
Other Reviews of Interest:
Arc Live on STAR'S END 11.15.09
Together, Mark Shreeve and Ian Boddy are the duo of Arc
and continue a tradition of experimentation through collaboration -
both live and in the studio. Rexamining the sequencer spacemusic of the
'70s through the creative lens of two masterful electronic musicians, Arc realizes music that is evocative and compelling.
This duo hits on all the
major aspects of the Spacemusic genre, their melodies are human,
rhythms machine-like, harmonies ethereal and the range of timbres they
create to voice their music are original and extraordinary. Arc
filters the past into a vital contemporary landscape without sinking to
cliche. Their music is a sincere exploration of the mood and mystery of
the Spacemusic genre.
Mark Shreeve and Ian Boddy
have a great deal in common. They both independently rose to icon
status - catalyzing the 1980's UK synth scene - through the release of
several remarkable studio albums and numerous legendary live
performances; Shreeve notorious for his muscular, testosterone fueled
electro-music and Boddy for his prog-influenced symphonic synthscapes.
Arc will be making their Stateside concert debut at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia on Saturday 14 November 2009. For complete details, please access: www.thegatherings.org
Following The Gatherings Concert in Philadelphia Arc
and their music making equipment will be moved over to STAR'S END
Ambient Radio for a live in-studio radio performance of all new
original Ambient material. Tune in to the 11.15.09 broadcast of STAR'S END for the live on-air radio concert beginning at 1:00am at 88.5fm WXPN in Philadelphia or access the live webcast.
Arc STAR'S END Profile
Jason Sloan Live on STAR'S END 11.22.09
Exploring sound, texture and atmosphere, the music of Jason Sloan
is smooth and spacious. It opens up and fills ambient areas with the
slow motion of sustaining chords and a gradual metamorphosis of timbre.
By adding the elements of rhythm and melody, his works provide a
surprisingly deeper examination of the interior landscape. With layers
of reverberant e-bow guitar over sampled percussion loops or cloud-soft
synth pads churning alongside digital-age beats, Sloan's musical ideas
posses a shimmering exuberance. Expanding beyond the uniformity of
structure found on his early drone-like works, the energy of the new
fuller arrangements is subdued by dreamy atmospherics. Sparking then
smoldering, his music plays out across an ever-changing landscape - and
deserves praise for aiming so high.
Soundscape artist Jason Sloan plays live on the 11.22.09 broadcast of STAR'S END. Please tune in for details.
For photos of Jason Sloan live on previous broadcasts of STAR'S END, please access his STAR'S END Profile
For more about Jason Sloan, please access his official Website: www.jasonsloan.com
Desert Planet Discs - Top Ten
Imagine you are traveling at light speed in your spaceship somewhere out at the furthest reaches of the aural universe. Suddenly there is a malfunction and you must ditch it on a nearby deserted desert planet! Oh No! With little hope of rescue you are on your own for the foreseeable future. So what music would you want to have with you while you are waiting to be found?
STAR'S END asked this of avid listener Warren Seddon of Audubon, New Jersey. Warren's background includes having performed on synthesizer with the groups Snib, Autobahn and Ace Paradise, but he may be more well-known as spokesman for the Rat Island Raiders, a loose group of self-proclaimed pirates who frequent a small unnamed (and nearly uncharted) island on the Delaware River for toxic mid-life recreational activities. Their bi-annual weekend retreats out to Rat Island always culminate in listening to the live broadcast of STAR'S END Ambient Radio - amidst fog horns sounding, oil tankers passing and commercial jets landing at nearby Philadelphia International - all in the dark of night. A photo essay of one such trip may be accessed Here and Warren Seddon's Homepage Here
What with Warren being such an avid STAR'S END listener and an attendee and supporter of The Gatherings Concert Series as well, one imagines that he would come up with an interesting library of music while a cosmic castaway on Planet X. It's probably nicer there than out on the island - where he has been subjected to all kinds of poor weather and even worse human behavior! So, exactly what will Warren be listening to until the Space Rangers pop by to the rescue? Read on!
Top Ten Desert Planet Discs - Warren Seddon
Force Majeure by Tangerine Dream:
This is a listening staple out on the island. "Thru Metamorphic Rocks" has always been a favorite since it has great sequencing, as well as the great balance of the Tangerine Dream ensemble.
Concerts in the USA by Rudy Adrian:
Of particular interest is the track, "Island of the Pirates". I have been stranded on an island during an intense cosmic meteor shower, and we listened to Rudy's music and interview on STAR'S END. He even spoke to the brethren of pirates via the radio broadcast. Later, on his concert tour, he visited the island. Okay, so I am sentimental - okay, just mental.
The Demon Haunted World by Under the Dome:
Space travel requires mathematics as well as imagination. This CD combines both in a precise structure. A tremendous blend of rhythm and flow.
Empetus by Steve Roach:
Did I mention I like sequences? It's like locking your door and checking it two or three or four times - no that would be compulsive behavior... Anyway, this CD is a great collection of sequencer oriented compositions.
Meditationen by Spyra:
in particular the song "Future of the Past part 2". The guy's first name is Wolfgang. [Close, Spyra's first name is not "Wolfgang", it is Wolfram -ed]
To the Shores of Heaven by Jeff Pearce:
Calming and as peaceful as it gets. Don't forget to breathe. Plus Pearce plays guitar with a fork, in his stocking feet. Really he does! God knows why.
Everlasting Moment by The Ministry of Inside Things
If I was stranded on an alien planet, somehow I'm sure the two guys in MoIT would show up - somehow, and one would not enjoy the cold climate and the other would remind me that he is a vegetarian, and my luck would be that I would be on a planet inhabited by intelligent plantlife.
Stuntman by Edgar Froese:
I would take comfort in the energy this CD creates.
Archiac Modulation by Steve B-Zet:
This CD just sounds like space, maybe a bad choice, if I were truely stranded out there would I need to be reminded of space? Probably not, but I like the CD.
Solar Maxima by Orbital Decay:
Another great CD and I could imagine all the extra gear involved, can I bring the CD and it's composer's gear? These guys would have tons of junk to help you survive, and maybe, just maybe even a tarp. Don't leave home without a tarp.
Great! Thanks for participating Warren!