Piotr Kurek: Edena

Black Sweat Records (BS008)

 

Piotr Kurek is a Polish composer and multi-instrumentalist living in Warsaw who has done various collaborations and released stuff on compilations since 2006. Edena is his third album after Heat released in 2011 and Lectures (2009). Edena first saw the day of light in 2012 as a limited tape release, but has now been released on very limited (150 copies) vinyl as well. Kurek uses electronics, synths and organs as well as sampled and looped sounds to create very hypnotic, weird and pulsating sonic worlds. There are enough melodies to keep things interesting. Some of the tracks bring to mind the old synthesizer gurus like Tangerine Dream (that’s the stuff I like the most) while some are more experimental and maybe modern as well. There are only six compositions on this release making it last just about 30 minutes, but those minutes are used well. I do enjoy this album and can recommend it to those who like experimental synthetized music. You can also buy the album in digital form from Kurek’s Bandcamp site.

piotrkurek.bandcamp.com

 

Kosmos: Salattu maailma

Kosmos (004)

 

 

Kosmos is a psychedelic folk/prog band from Turku, Finland, and this is their fourth album. I’ve really enjoyed all their previous efforts, and this one is really great as well. On their previous album Vieraan taivaan alla (2009) the band also went into more electric, almost space rocking direction, but here they are back to their folk roots but with some symphonic prog elements. The acoustic guitars, Mellotrons, organ, female vocals, flutes, bass, drums etc. are all still there. They draw their influences mostly from the psychedelic and progressive folk and rock of the early 70s and that’s easily detected in their sound and vibe.

The 38-minute album has seven tracks. The opener is the beautiful and melancholic title track “Salattu maailma” that has pretty acoustic guitar and Mellotron and wonderful, magical melodies and mysterious vocals (all in Finnish, but translation in English is also given). This reminds me a bit of Renaissance. Excellent! “Simpukka” starts off with some sounds of the waves and seagulls plus lovely acoustic guitar and then the lovely, clear female vocals of Päivi Kylmänen join in. This is a more folky affair. “Loitsu” rocks a little more and has a positive, sunny vibe with some guesting violin player as well. “Peili” sees the band return to their usual, more melancholic and peaceful folk mode. On side two, the seven-minute “Tuuli” starts off in a very gentle but psychedelic way. It starts to move with a mid-tempo beat sometime after the two-minute-marker, and we get a nice violin solo among other things. The most psychedelic track of the album is the longest song “Uni” that is very deep, mysterious stuff with male narration and weird sound effects. This one has a rather dark atmosphere and I like it a lot. The album is finished with a quite Indian sounding cover version of the excellent Pekka Streng classic “Takaisin virtaan” that works really well. Streng must have been one of the band’s biggest influences since the beginning and this is a worthy tribute to their long-dead but never forgotten prophet. The vinyl version comes in an amazing open gatefold cover and is limited to 500 copies. The album is also available as a factory-made CD-R with proper cover art. One of the best bands in Finland right now I think!

www.nic.fi/~ovaltone

Montibus Communitas: Hacia Aquellos Bosques de Inmensidad

Trouble in Mind Records (TIM055)

 

Montibus Communitas is a collective of psychedelic freaks who record their ritualistic, spiritual jam sessions live at a studio in Lima, Peru. They have been devoting their improvised music to Mother Nature since 2010 and have several recordings available, but this album recorded late in 2011 is the second one to be released on vinyl following the self-titled album in 2012 on Cosmic Eye. It’s quite hard to describe the music of Montibus Communitas, but the band mostly uses just acoustic instruments (guitar, percussion, cymbals, violin, exotic sounding flutes etc.) so I guess it could be labeled as psych folk, but it’s quite different to anything I’ve heard before. There is also some electric guitar to give a bit more rock-like feel to it at times. The music definitely has an “out-of-this-world” vibe to it, or maybe this is how they experience the world out there. The music takes the listener on a journey that is very beautiful, hypnotic and mysterious but sometimes also quite hard and demanding. Not that the very repetitive music in itself is that hard to digest, but the vibes can get very powerful at times if you totally dive into their aural prayers and invocations. There’s a certain South American element in the music (especially on the flutes and percussion), but the band has also taken in some influences for example from the late 60s/early 70s communal kraut rock freak-outs of Amon Düül, Amon Düül II, Popol Vuh, Kalacra etc. There are just four, long instrumental tracks on this album and I just simply love them all. Warmly recommended!

www.facebook.com/montibuscommunitas

Cannibal Movie: Mondo Music

Yerevantapes (YER003

 

This Italian duo took their name from a bizarre movie genre made mostly by some deranged Italian directors in the 70s and 80s. The instrumentation only includes a drum set and an old Italian organ, but that’s enough to create an occult, scary, experimental and psychedelic carpet of sound that seems totally improvised. Mondo Music that is apparently their third release was originally released last year on tape (C30), but has been re-released this year on vinyl and I’m glad about it. It’s also available in digital form from the band’s Bandcamp site. The release includes just two tracks, but they are both over 13 minutes in length. The music is sometimes quite droney and experimental, but the organ that often sounds rather distorted also plays melodies. On the first part the drummer lays down some heavy, primeval rhythms and uses lots of cymbals. The second part is much more peaceful, hypnotic and meditative, and only has a quite subtle beat. Think of Pink Floyd playing “Set the Controls…” in Pompeii. Very nice! I’m looking forward to some new sounds by this instrumental duo.

 

http://cannibalmovie.bandcamp.com

 

 

Check out the solo album by ex-Dark Sun synth wizard Mik Ronik: Palemoon!

The album also features Nik Turner on saxophone and flute...

http://palemoon.bandcamp.com/

Hazard Wings: Interstellar Torment

Krypta Records (KRYPTA 009)

 

Hazard Wings from Kajaani is a new Finnish punky, garage space rock band that played their first gig early this year in Helsinki. I was immediately blown away by their psychedelic, very energetic show that combined the space rock of Hawkwind to the high-octane blasting of MC5, The Stooges and maybe even The Dead Kennedys in a very hypnotic and mind-blowing way. The band is a brainchild of singer Vesa Moilanen, who has been in punk, hardcore and black metal bands before and now lives in Helsinki, I believe. After the show, I asked for a review copy of their very limited vinyl album recorded in 20011 and also got a CD version of it that I gave to Walter at Roadburn to see if he might be interested to book the band for the festival next year but I guess nothing ever came out of that. Well, at least my review will finally see the light of day now! There’s also a cassette version limited to 40 copies…

The album is just over 35 minutes in length, but I think that’s enough. The sound is just a bit too muddy and low-fi, but I still enjoy very much listening to this. The release is full of feelings of alienation, angst, anger, mental disorder and being fucked-up and warped-out beyond recognition. The fast and furious “Time Will Be My Grave” starts off the album and offers no mercy. The spacey analogue sounds are just perfect match to the hard-hitting, simple but highly effective punk rocking and Jello Biafra –styled vocals with almost lethal amount of delay. Then the band gets into slow, doomy and hypnotic grooves in “Bring the New Horror” and the spacey, swooshy sounds really fuck up your brain. “Death Machine” rocks fast and hard again in the punk rock style, and the psychedelic space sounds never fade out… “Tomb” is a darker, more experimental and atmospheric short instrumental piece that has its function and then it’s time for “Bone Idols of the Desert Planet (Part I)” that is again slower, gloomy and hypnotic stuff. There’s also some guitar soloing and Mana Mana vibe in there which of course is great! “Bone Idols of the Desert Planet (Part II)” has the same gloomy, ice-cold and mysterious feel to it and also some organ and I like it. The hardcore/punk gear is back on for the two-and-a-half-minute blast that is “Blind Horse / Castaway”. The last track “Kohti Reunaa” is sung in Finnish and is droney, harsh, very psychedelic and experimental stuff that just might bring you over the edge. I really hope to hear more stuff by this band also see them live again, but I’m not sure how active they really are with this project.

http://hazardwings.bandcamp.com

Dj Astro's Playlist, 18.10.2013 @ Supermassive Festival, Äänivalli, Helsinki

In no specific order:

Vespero: Anpeilen!
Tuber: Sex and Depression
Beautify: Junkyards: From the Morning
Eternal Tapestry: Marrow of the Wand
The Black Angels: Holland
Crystal Jacqueline: Play with Fire
The Soft Harted Scientists: Mount Palomar
Astra: Barefoot in  the Head
Hawkwind: Lord of Light
Psychic Ills: Western Metaphor
Eat Lights Become Lights: La Kraut III
Moon Duo: Been Gone (Life Coach Remix)
Permanent Clear Light: Constant Gardener
Pyramidal: Tempel Iaru
The Oscillation: No Place to Go
Baby Woodrose: Nothing Is Real
Temples: Keep in the Dark
Vibravoid: Doris Delay
Black Mountain: Mary Lou
Dead Skeletons: Kundalini Eyes (Dirty Artists Version)
White Manna: Sweet Jesus
Hawkwind: Space Is Deep
Lumerians: Dogon Genesis
Black Lizard: Boundaries
Jacco Gardner: The End of August
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound: Sunshine
Goat: Let It Bleed
Moon Duo: Sleepwalker
Black Science: Anywhere
White Manna: I'm Coming Home
The Cosmic Dead: Gustav Björnstrand:
Väljasoit Rohellisse: Siselinnad
Carlton Melton: Sarsen
Black Rainbows: Chakra Temple
Eat Lights Become Lights: Heavy Electronics
Christine 23 Onna: Fantastico
Suns of Thyme: Asato Maa
The Amazing: Gentle Stream
Mechanik: Did You Have to Take So Many Pills
Aqua Nebula Oscillator: Kill Yourself
Golden Void: Atlantis
Camera: Ausland
Papir: I
Spids Nogenhat: Mere Lys
Mugstar: Tangerina
Suns of Thyme: Some (God for Gods)
Electric Moon: The Inner Part
Vibravoid: Listen, Can't You Hear
Wooden Shjips: Those Shadows (Acoustic Version)
Master Musicians of Bukkake: Arche
Morgan Belt: Barbarian Kings
Verma: Ragnaraak
Hookworms: The Correspondent
White Manna: Ascension
Hawkwind: Psychedelic Warlords
Causa Sui: Euporie
The Amazing: Gone
Vista Chino: Plaets 1 & 2
Radar Men from the Moon: Heading to the Void
Magazine: Definitive Gaze
Giobia: Karmabomb
Tame Impala: Elephant (Todd Rundgren Extension)
Darkside: Are You for Real
Nik Turner: Fallen Angel STS-51-L
Uhrijuhla: Avaruuden lapsi
Earthless: Violence of the Red Sea
Monster Magnet: Mindless Ones
Aphrodite's Child: The Four Horsemen
Gong: Flying Teapot (A Sacred Rhythm Extention and Cosmic Overdub)
Saturnia: I Am Utopia
Mmoss: War Sux
Moon Duo: I Can See
The Oscillation: Corridor (Part I)
Roky Erickson and the Aliens: Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)
Föllakzoid: Trees (Moon Duo Remix)
Dead Skeletons: Dead Mantra