Category Archives: Avant Garde
THE BEST BOX SETS OF 2016-PART 1.
THE BEST BOX SETS OF 2016-PART 1. Having looked at the best of the new albums released during 2016, it’s now time to look at the best box sets released during the last twelve months. These box sets range from lovingly curated, luxurious, limited editions to budget box sets. There’s something for everyone and every …
THE BEST BOX SETS OF 2016-PART 2.
THE BEST BOX SETS OF 2016-PART 2. Klaus Schulze-Dark Side Of The Moog Volumes 1-4. When Klaus Schulze agreed to collaborate with Pete Namlook, little did he realise that this was the start of a partnership that lasted fourteen years. The first volume in the Dark Side Of The Moog series was released in 1994. …
THE WENGER BROTHERS-LIFE AFTER JODI, THE IODI YEARS.
THE WENGER BROTHERS-LIFE AFTER JODI, THE IODI YEARS. Many years ago, a friend bought a copy of Henri Charriere’s Magnus Opus Papillon in a thrift store. Straight away, was hooked by this story of injustice. For the next week, he sat engrossed. Gradually, he neared the end of this hefty tomb. With thirty pages to go, …
GANDALF-JOURNEY TO AN IMAGINARY LAND.
GANDALF-JOURNEY TO AN IMAGINARY LAND. Prior to embarking upon a musical career, and becoming one of Austria’s most accomplished, innovative and successful musicians, Gandalf travelled extensively. That’s why the talented multi-instrumentalist never released his debut album Journey To An Imaginary Land until 1980. By then he was twenty-nine. However, soon, Gandalf would make up for lost time. …
LAURENCE CRANE/ASAMISIMASA-SOUND OF HORSE.
LAURENCE CRANE/ASAMISIMASA-SOUND OF HORSE. It was eight years ago, at the 2008 Ultima festival in Oslo, that Norwegian group Asamisimasa premiered White In Berlin, which had been written by Oxford born composer Laurence Crane. Neither party realised that this would prove to be the start of a fruitful musical partnership. Since then, Asamisimasa have travelled …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1. Adam Holmes and The Embers-Better Still. Just two years after releasing his debut Heirs and Graces, Edinburgh based singer-songwriter returned with his much-anticipated sophomore album Better Still. This time around though, his backing band The Embers receive equal billing. They play an important in the sound and success of …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2. Ches Smith-The Bell. Up until the New York Winter Jazzfest in 2014, Ches Smith had always been a sideman. That night, he led his own trio. Two years later, Ches Smith’s move from sideman to bandleader was complete when he released The Bell on ECM. He assumes the …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 3.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 3. Fire!-She Sleeps, She Sleeps. Back in Fenruary, Fire! released their fifth studio album She Sleeps, She Sleeps on Rune Grammofon. Just like previous albums by Fire! and the Fire! Orchestra the music on She Sleeps, She Sleeps was groundbreaking, influential and innovative. It was also captivating, progressive, genre-melting music. …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 4.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 4. Jóhann Jóhannsson-Ophee On Orphée, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s turned his attention to the beauty and the process of creation. Orphée features Jóhann Jóhannsson tracing a path from darkness into light. Inspiration for Orphée comes from the opéra bouffe Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld). It was written by Ludovic Halévy, …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 6.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 6. Qluster-Echtzei. Forty-seven years after he first co-founded Kluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius keeps the memory of Kluster and Cluster alive with Qluster. They released their sixth album Echtzeit on Bureau B during 2016. Echtzeit marks a stylistic departure from Qluster. It’s much more ambient sounding album. Qluster combine elements of …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 7.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 7. Sunanna-Triangle. Triangle is Susanna’s eleventh album and first for four years. It was released on Susanna’s own SusannaSonata label, and is no ordinary album. Not by a long chalk. Instead, Triangle is a twenty-two song cerebral epic, where Susanna muses and meditates on mortality and religion. It’s a powerful album, …
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1 For years, I’ve been writing about the Nordic Wave scene, which is, without doubt, one of the most eclectic and vibrant in Europe. During that period, I’ve witnessed the rise and rise of the Nordic Wave. There’s no sign of the bubble bursting. Quite the opposite. This latest …
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2.
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2. Hedvig Mollestad Trio-Evil In Oslo. In July 2016, the Hedvig Mollestad Trio released two albums. This includes the live album Evil In Oslo. It was released by Rune Grammofon and is the Hedvig Mollestad Trio’s first ever live album. Evil In Oslo is a tantalising taste of the …
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 3.
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 3. Nicklas Sørensen-Solo. Ever since 2010, Copenhagen based instrumental rock trio Papir’s star has been in the ascendancy. One of the men behind Papir’s success was guitarist Nicklas Sørensen, who released his debut album Solo on El Paraiso Records. He set out to experiment on Solo. However, on other …
KLAUS SCHULZE-THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOOG BOX SETS.
KLAUS SCHULZE-THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOOG BOX SETS. By 1994, Berlin School pioneer Klaus Schulze was a veteran of German music. He had been making music for twenty-five years. His recording career began back in October 1969, when Klaus Schulze played on Tangerine Dream’s debut album Electronic Meditation. Eight months later, Electronic Meditation was released …
YES-TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS-DELUXE EDITION BOX SET.
YES-TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS-DELUXE EDITION BOX SET. After a three month break, Yes’ 1972-1973 Close To The Edge Tour was due to resume on the 8th of March 1973. This was the fifth leg in what had been a gruelling world tour. The new lineup of Yes had criss-crossed the world, playing North America and …
IKARUS-KRAUTROCK’S NEARLY MEN.
IKARUS-KRAUTROCK’S NEARLY MEN. In Greek mythology, Icarus, the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, who created the Labyrinth, met a tragic ending. Icarus and Daedalus were desperate to escape from Crete. So Daedalus constructed wings made of feathers and wax. As Icarus prepared to make his escape, Daedalus warned his son of complacency and hubris. …
CONRAD SCHNITZLER/SCHNEIDER TM-CON-STRUCT.
CONRAD SCHNITZLER/SCHNEIDER TM-CON-STRUCT. One of the most important and influential figures in German music was Conrad Schnitzler. He was a composer, concept artist and one the leading lights of Germany’s electronic music and avant-garde scenes. Conrad Schnitzler was also a musical pioneer, who created music that was innovative and often, way ahead of its time. …
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