Sentient: Live at the Real Music Club Brighton

4 Zero Records (FZ014)

 

This is a 75-minute CD/download release of a live gig by entirely improvisational jazzy psych/kraut/afro/groove rock band Sentient. This trio features Here & Now/Planet Gong etc. members Steffe Sharpstrings on guitar and vocals and Steve Cassidy on drums plus Gary Subassa (Karmanix, Mecca, Dave Howards Singers) on bass. This is their debut album recorded at their debut gig in 2012 and does not include any overdubs so you get the stuff as fresh as possible.

There are five long jams on the CD. “Awaken” starts off with some wonderful glissando guitar and the mood is very tranquil and spacey. Slowly the band get moving faster and the playing gets more energetic and we also get some great solo guitar work. “On the Other Side” is another almost twenty-minute-long jam that begins in a lazy, jazzy mode but gets more intensive sounding something like Gong or The Ozrics. Later on we also get some dub vibes with some vocals as well. Great stuff! “Everything Makes a Difference” is the shortest track at 7:04 and this is very emotional, laid-back and quite minimal stuff also including some vocals. I’m sure the Here & Now fans will recognize the main riff of “Nearer” but there’s also plenty of spacey jamming involved. Very Gong/Steve Hillage styled going with psychedelic effects and I’m enjoying this very much! Also “A Is for Anarchy” uses old Here & Now riff as a starting point and there are lots of spacey sound effects in the background. Another highlight for me! If you are a fan of Here & Now and/or like psychedelic, innovative, improvisational and rhythmically advanced music with some anarchy thrown in check this band out!

www.4zerorecords.co.uk