Monthly Archives: October, 2015

MUSIK FOR AUTOBAHNS VOLUME 2.

MUSIK FOR AUTOBAHNS VOLUME 2. The compilation market has to be one of the most competitive markets. Every week, hundreds of compilations are released. They vary considerably in quality, and range from the good, bad and indifferent. However, very occasionally, a compilation stops a critic in their tracks. That was the case with Gerd Jenson’s …

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GLORIA-GEISTER.

GLORIA-GEISTER. Just two years have passed since Gloria released their eponymous debut album. Since 2013, Gloria’s star has been in the ascendancy. They’re regarded as one of the rising stars of the German music scene. However, things were very different when Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, Mark Tavassol, and Tim Schierenbeck first started making music. Back then, music …

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HARMONIA COMPLETE WORKS.

HARMONIA COMPLETE WORKS. All too often, groundbreaking music is overlooked upon its release. It’s only much later, that the music’s importance and innovation is recognised. Musical history is littered with examples. This includes Harmonia, Germany’s first supergroup.  Harmonia featured members members of Neu! and Cluster. They decided to form a new group, and went on …

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GILES PETERSON PRESENTS-SUN RA AND HIS ORCHESTRA TO THOSE OF EARTH…AND OTHER WORLDS.

GILES PETERSON PRESENTS-SUN RA AND HIS ORCHESTRA TO THOSE OF EARTH…AND OTHER WORLDS. During a career that spanned six decades, Sun Ra released around 125 albums. These were no ordinary albums. They featured Sun Ra and His Orchestra combining Egyptian history and space-age cosmic philosophy with freeform jazz. It was unlike anything anyone had heard …

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BOY-WE WERE HERE.

BOY-WE WERE HERE. Valeska Steiner and Sonja Glass first met in 2005, at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. They were both students on a pop music course.  Singer Valeska Steiner had travelled from Zurich in Switzerland, to join the course. Bassist Sonja Glass was local. She had been born in Hamburg, and lived …

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INTERVIEW WITH HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS-A LIFE MAKING MUSIC.

INTERVIEW WITH HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS- A LIFE MAKING MUSIC. The words pioneer and innovator are often overused. However, it is a fitting description of Hans-Joachim Roedelius. He is, without doubt, one of the most inventive and influential musicians of the past fifty years. His music has influenced several generation of musicians. And Hans-Joachim Roedelius has released more …

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BRIAN ENO-AMBIENT 1/MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS.

BRIAN ENO-AMBIENT 1/MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS. After leaving Roxy Music in 1973, Brian Eno’s career changed direction. Instead, his attention turned to ambient and electronic music. This was a controversial decision, given Roxy Music were one of the most successful British bands of the early seventies. Brian Eno’s creativity was being stifled. He felt he’d much …

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LARAAJI-AMBIENT 3 (DAY OF RADIANCE).

LARAAJI-AMBIENT 3 (DAY OF RADIANCE). Despite being one of the most innovative musicians of his generations, Laraaji still remains one of music’s best kept secrets. That’s despite releasing nearly thirty albums. Many of these albums showcase Laraaji’s unique ambient sound. Best known for playing the zither, Laraaji’s music is best described as a fusion of …

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RIM AND KASA-TOO TOUGH.

RIM AND KASA-TOO TOUGH. Music was in Rim Kwaku Obeng’s blood. Both his father and uncle were master drummers. So it was no surprise when he followed in their footsteps. He started life as Samuel K. Mfojo, in Begoro, Ghana. However, when his career in music began, he adopted the name Rim Kwaku Obeng. He …

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PRIVATE WAX VOLUME TWO.

PRIVATE WAX VOLUME TWO. Nowadays, when a record company releases a successful compilation, the followup follows hot on its heels. Sometimes, only six months or a year has passed. However, it’s a case of striking while the iron hot. After all, it’s not easy for record companies to make money nowadays. So a successful compilation …

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INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL ROTHER-50 YEARS MAKING MUSIC.

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL ROTHER-50 YEARS MAKING MUSIC. During the early seventies, the German music scene was thriving. It was one of the most vibrant in Europe. Some of the most influential and innovative music was being released by German bands. This included the holy trinity of Can, Kraftwerk and Neu!. Along with Amon Düül II, …

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THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE-FREEDOM: ATLANTA POP FESTIVAL-VINYL EDITION.

THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE-FREEDOM: ATLANTA POP FESTIVAL-VINYL EDITION. On the 4th of July 1970, Jimi Hendrix journeyed 100 miles south of Atlanta. His destination was the second Atlanta International Pop Festival. It was being billed as the second Woodstock, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience were about play a starring role. When The Jimi Hendrix Experience …

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SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST-OCTOBER 4TH AND 5TH 1968-VINYL EDITION.

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST-OCTOBER 4TH AND 5TH 1968-VINYL EDITION. As promoters go, Bill Graham was one of the best. He seemed to have the uncanny knack of spotting bands on their way up. Often he managed to book bands just before they made it big. This meant when a band …

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MILES DAVIS AT NEWPORT 1955-1975-THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOLUME 4-VINYL EDITION

MILES DAVIS AT NEWPORT 1955-1975-THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOLUME 4-VINYL EDITION. It was in 1954, that Elaine Lorillard and her husband Louis founded the Newport Jazz Festival. Elaine’s love affair with jazz began in 1943.  She was twenty-nine, single and was living in New York when she first heard jazz music. This was very different to …

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EJI OYEWOLE-CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.

EJI OYEWOLE-CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. In the sixties and seventies, the Nigerian music scene was thriving. New bands were constantly being formed. Similarly, new artists were making an impression on Nigerian music. This included Eji Oyewole. However, the flautist, saxophonist and future bandleader was different from his contemporaries and peers. Eji Oyewole was born in …

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TUXEDOMOON AND THE CULT WITH NO NAME- BLUE VELVET REVISITED.

TUXEDOMOON AND THE CULT WITH NO NAME- BLUE VELVET REVISITED. After the commercial and critical failure of Dune in 1984, David Lynch knew that his next film had to make an impression on critics and filmgoers. There was no buts. So David Lynch made a conscious decision to write a much more personal story. The …

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DAVID GILMOUR-RATTLE THAT LOCK.

DAVID GILMOUR-RATTLE THAT LOCK. After a career than spanned forty-seven years, Pink Floyd released their final album, The Endless River. It was the end of an era. Pink Floyd had been a musical institution. For six decades, Pink Floyd had provided the soundtrack to the lives of several generations. However, realistically, The Endless River had …

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AKSAK MABOUL-ONZE DANSES POUR COMBATTRE LA MIGRAINE.

AKSAK MABOUL-ONZE DANSES POUR COMBATTRE LA MIGRAINE. Deep down, everyone has a dream. For most young musicians, it’s to record and release an album. That was Marc Hollander and Vincent Kenis’ dream in the spring of 1977. They  had recently formed a new band, Aksak Maboul, and were determined to record and release an album. …

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LITTLE BOB STORY-OFF THE RAILS AND LIVE’78.

LITTLE BOB STORY-OFF THE RAILS AND LIVE’78. By 1977, punk was at the peak of its popularity in Britain. For the last year, bands were being formed from John O Groats to Land’s End. Suddenly, it seemed, everyone was a musician. That was all very well. However, there was a problem.  Many of these bands …

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CHVRCHES-EVERY OPEN EYE.

CHVRCHES-EVERY OPEN EYE. It was 10.30pm, when there was a knock at the door. The old couple from up the stairs stood there almost embarrassedly. “Could you possibly turn it a wee bit. We’re trying to sleep?” This actually happened to Chvrches during the recording of their new album Every Open Eye which was recently …

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