Se você gosta de música de Alma e voltada para o Futuro, se você tem obsessão por estética sonora diferenciada e ao mesmo tempo tem um respeito incondicional pelos tesouros do passado, e melhor - se você gosta de música sem preconceitos de gêneros e datas, sejam bem vindos à nova comunidade 'Electronic Soul'.

If you are addicted to Soulful & Cosmic sounds, if you're obsessed by a music esthetic based on identity and originality, if you have an unconditional respect for the past treasures and at the same time you're willing to look for the future, and most of all - if you like music without any genre and date preconcepts, welcome to the new 'Electronic Soul' community.

Ei-lo...

Masterpiece da banda e com certeza tem seu lugar nos tops do progressivo, mas não sei se é top 3 não!!

Belo disco, que como todo bom disco de prog, é 1000000000 de vezes mais compreensível quando se escuta do primeiro ao último minuto sem intervalos.

Enfim, todo bom disco de progressivo deve conter e contar uma história...

Ta ai os cara: velhin, no auge da virtuose, 2 bateras(!!), formação praticamente original, fazendo a sonzera...

Nektar - A Tab in the Ocean (1972)

Link 2 - 4 shared - Nektar a Tab in the Ocean

ps.: os caras continuam em turnê, e tão roletando a europa... seria nada mal curti um shozin do Nektar na alemanha hein carajazz??

Fri 25th Jul 2008 Rengsdorf (near Bonn) Germany Rock and Blues festival
Sat 26th Jul 2008 Dietikon Switzerland Sounddock 14
Sun 10th Aug 2008 Bochum Germany Open Air - Bochum
Fri 7th Nov 2008 Leverkusen Germany Scala Jazzstage
Tue 11st Nov 2008 Pratteln Switzerland Z 7 Konzertfabrik
Thu 13rd Nov 2008 Lorsch Germany Musiktheater Rex
Sat 15th Nov 2008 Schwerin Germany Der Speicher
Sun 16th Nov 2008 Berlin Germany Frannz Club
Fri 21st Nov 2008 Hannover Germany Musikzentrum
Mon 24th Nov 2008 London UK Borderline
Fri 1st May 2009 Glenside Philadelphia PA USA Keswick theater

Jeden z koncertów Acid Mothers Temple. - W archiwach jest ich więcej, o wiele. Warto, jeden z lepszych zespołów japońskiej psychodelii.

Smegma to klasyka psychodelicznego noise już od lat 70tych. Weterani Los Angeles Free Music Society, a to o czymś świadczy.

Blob znowu jest zdrowym psychodelicznym jamującym zespołem. Po tamtej stronie psychodelii, ostrzegam. Wciąż świetne.

Initial ma swoje przestrzenne jazzujace krautrocki. Nareszcie coś dla miłośników większej ilości melodii.

Minimum Dwelling Unit to rock'n'rollowa muzyka konkretna. Mi się podoba. O co chodzi?

Żyjecie? To dobrze.

Matotumba to eksperymentalny, plemienny i psychodeliczny rock. Rytualne bębny, space i krautrockowe nalecialości, ogólny trans, praktycznie bez wokali, nie licząc krzykow i zaśpiewów bez wyraźnych słów. Czuć tu trochę improwizacji i jamowania, klimatu Hawkwind. Niekoniecznie muzyka dla każdego, ale warto dać im szansę.

Gdyby Anglicy w latach 70tych wyznawali Woodoo, mogliby brzmieć jak Matotumba.

Nella musica dei Notwist convivono tanti umori diversi, talvolta persino opposti: ottimismo e disillusione, malinconia e allegria. Tutte passioni veicolate mediante canzoni che suonano semplici e colpiscono per la loro immediatezza, ma che in realtà sono il risultato di uno stile fortemente stratificato, nonché coltissimo nel suo rielaborare in modo originale stilemi provenienti da quasi tutti i generi musicali del Novecento.

Le dieci ballate di Neon Golden - un album che sorprendentemente ha ottenuto anche un ottimo successo commerciale - si distinguono proprio per questa preziosa capacità di citare senza emulare, di costruire dei bouquet musicali che esalano cento fragranze diverse ma nessun odore in particolare.  

Come Consequence, un pezzo pieno di grazia e, allo stesso tempo, traboccante di emozioni, nel quale il gruppo tedesco usa l'elettronica in modo discreto ma penetrante, umanizzando il secco beat sintetico con un morbido arpeggio di chitarra e la voce sognante di Markus Acher.

LINK: monografia su Ondarock, testo della canzone

Speaking of frail, avant boy/men, so recently I discovered Arthur Russell, whose experimental dance music is a beautiful blend of ambient sounds, disco beats, cello, and "golly gee the world is big isn't it?" lyricism. Russell died in the early 90's of AIDS in relative obscurity outside the artsy music circles in New York. Only recently has his music been opened to a wider audience with the reissue of some of his albums. Rolling Stone wrote in 2004, "If Nick Drake had lived long enough to make records with New Order, they might have sounded something like this" of the LP World of Echo and it's not a bad analogy. However, I think it's a bit more like if Daniel Johnston made records with Autechre, but it's similar point being made about what a frontrunner he was in terms of hybrid music. Russell's story is as fascinating (he played cello for Ginsberg's poetry readings, was an early East Village pioneer in the 1970's and collaborated with Philip Glass and David Bryne to name a few) as his music is original.

Arthur Russell is, as my friend Josh put it, "dance music you can't dance to." This brought me back to IBM (Intelligent Dance Music), a form of "electronica" which hit its height in the mid-90s, but is constantly being revised and revisited by artists such as Boards of Canada, Architecture in Helsinki, and The Field. The pioneers of the 90's boom, like Autechre, Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) and Squarepusher, are still quite active as well. Here is a sampling of my homage to IDM and to Russell, a mix full of intellectually important bleeps, bings! and scratches. But with some faux world music from Williasmburg and a little neo-Italo Disco (hello Simian Mobile Disco!) thrown in there. Uh, and Daft Punk and Radiohead too. 

2.20.08

Arthur Russell--Calling All Kids: This song is like if the producers of PBS's Square One took drugs and hung out with Steve Reich (see below). Which, if you think about the early 80's, is really not that improbable of a scenario.

Estro--Driven 

I Want I Want—Digitalism 

Every Day—AFX: Richard D. James channeling Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby.

Wait for the Summer—Yeasayer: I tried describing Yeasayer the other night and I ended up saying something along the lines of “It’s like when Eno and Byrne collaborated, but uh, less Eno and more lesbian.” That’s totally not the right way to describe them (that actually sounds kind of like Thievery Corporation, come to think of it), but I love this sorta World sound, as made by post-TV-on-the-Radio (yes I am told that is a genre now) Brooklynites.  

Sleep Deprivation—Simian Mobile Disco 

Neuschenee 78--Neu! : I am also a fan of Germans channeling world music in the 1970s.

Over the Ice—The Field  

Up the Ladder—Radiohead: Best track, in my opinion, off the second cd of the In-Rainbows package. “I’m a puhhh-ppet/you can almost see the string.” Oh Thom! You and your masochism!

Montreal—Autechre 

Musique—Daft Punk: I have a lot of fond memories from high school of driving around in my first boyfriend’s car listening to Daft Punk's Alive during the spring of the first year of the 21st century. He drove a Volvo station wagon.  He also wore one of those backpacks that cross across your chest and fasten with velcro (does anyone remember those?). And once he wore man-capris (manpris?). I always thought he was a little gay for liking his Volvo and Daft Punk so much, not to mention wearing that backpack and those manpris, but I accredited it all to the fact that he is French. However, in my dating life post high school, I’ve been involved a lot of guys who looooove Daft Punk. Dudes who don't wear man-pris. So, I guess I was wrong. I have come to realize it's perfectly normal for straight guys to like Daft Punk, French or non-French. It still perplexes me a bit, but uh, Daft Punk is still awesome! Those backpacks, though, well, not so much. Ditto the man-pris.

My red hot car-- Sqaurepusher

End of the World—The Shocking Pinks: Newish dream-pop, distributed in the US from our friends at DFA.

Blue Jeans 2.0—Ladytron: I also like when 21st Century Germans channel the Bangles as well.

Electric Counterpoint/Slow--Steve Reich                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Enjoy! And please let me know if you have any problems.

Innanzitutto un grazie a F. di Twisted Mem8ries, al quale devo la scoperta di questo atipico gruppo di post-rocker italiani. I genovesi Port Royal si presentano come un crocevia di influenze, un calderone di umori nordici (Sigur Ros, sempre loro...), british (Mogwai, Labradford) e teutonici (l'immancabile kraut rock). Tutto già sentito quindi? Neanche per sogno. La band italiana si caratterizza infatti per un sound veramente personale, che si esprime attraverso il linguaggio del post-rock (accumuli di suono, crescendo), ma lo fa attraverso una strumentazione e una sensibilità prettamente elettronica. Il risultato lo si ammira in piccoli trip psichedelici come Putin vs Valery, che funzionano tanto come musica da tenere in sottofondo, quanto come composizioni per appagare l'intelletto. Praticamente il massimo che si può chiedere ad una canzone. 

LINK: monografia su Ondarock, pagina su MySpace

P.s.: scusate per il video, praticamente un porno. Però dovevamo risollevare un po' gli ascolti e il fattore F, si sa...

P.p.s.: la playlist continua a non funzionare... per ora continuiamo con i video (porno) a bassa qualità, sperando nella resurrezione di Musicwebtown. Prima di Pasqua possibilmente...

Nati a Chicago a metà degli anni '90, i Tortoise si sono fatti conoscere in fretta come uno degli ensemble più clamorosamente talentuosi che la storia del rock abbia mai conosciuto. La loro parabola artistica è legata a doppio filo a quella del cosiddetto post-rock, un genere musicale nato convenzionalmente con Spiderland degli Slint (1991) e che, di convenzione in convenzione, ha finito per mischiare in un unico calderone gruppi tra loro abissalmente diversi, accomunati soltanto dall'aver prodotto qualcosa che in quel momento storico sfuggiva alle classificazioni esistenti. Delizia di tutta la stampa alternativa dello scorso decennio, il post-rock è stato mitizzato ben oltre i propri (pur grandi) meriti, per poi finire nel mirino di una furia revisionista che ha preso piede negli ultimi due anni. I Tortoise sono forse il gruppo che più di tutti ha funto da punto di riferimento per dare un volto al fenomeno: "colti interpreti della musica del futuro" secondo la critica di ieri, "freddi manieristi in preda ad onanismi compositivi" secondo quella di oggi. Un destino ironico. Ancora più ironico se si considera che, tutto sommato, i Tortoise con il post-rock (almeno nella sua odierna accezione) c'entrano poco o niente. Il loro stile è semmai debitore al jazz, specialmente nella sua variante fusion, e al dub, filtrato attraverso la lezione dei grandi gruppi tedeschi anni '70 (Neu! e Can). Tutte influenze ben evidenti nella straordinaria Swung from the gutters, un pezzo strumentale che permette anche di apprezzare l'incredibile ricerca timbrica che coinvolge tutti i membri della band.

LINK: monografia su Ondarock, pagina su MySpace

Difficile scrivere di quello che il sottoscritto ritiene uno dei migliori cinque album della storia del rock. Difficile perchè Hosianna Mantra, al di là della straordinaria importanza storica che ha avuto per la musica degli anni '90 e Duemila (anticipando di fatto di una ventina d'anni il fenomeno della new-age e della word music), è prima di tutto un disco intessuto di emozioni purissime, un'esperienza estetica per definizione irriducibile alle parole. I Popol vuh, gruppo tedesco formatosi intorno alla figura carismatica del compositore Florian Fricke, cercarono con questo LP di costruire una sorta di ponte spirituale tra la religiosità cristiana e quella indiana. Ne scaturì una vera e propria messa, nella quale la musica colta occidentale si fonde con i canti vedici e i mantra induisti, dando vita a composizioni liquide ed eteree. E' un'epifania del trascendente, del divino, della purezza dell'amore e in definitiva di tutto ciò che, al contario del linguaggio, la pratica musicale è capace di significare e rivelare.

N.B.: Il video incluso in questo post è più un documento storico che un vero e proprio videoclip. Per ascoltare il pezzo nella sua interezza vi rimandiamo come sempre alla playlist settimanale del blog.

LINK: monografia di Ondarock

 Here is what allmusic.com has to say about Kraut Rock:

Kraut Rock refers to the legions of German bands of the early '70s that expanded the sonic possibilities of art and progressive rock. Instead of following in the direction of their British and American counterparts, who were moving toward jazz and classical-based compositions and concept albums, the German bands became more mechanical and electronic. Working with early synthesizers and splicing together seemingly unconnected reels of tape, bands like Faust, Can, and Neu created a droning, pulsating sound that owed more to the avant garde than to rock & roll. Although the bands didn't make much of an impact while they were active in the '70s, their music anticipated much post-punk of the early '80s, particularly industrial rock. Kraut rock also came into vogue in the '90s, when groups like Stereolab and Tortoise began incorporating the hypnotic rhythms and electronic experiments of the German art-rock bands into their own, vaguely avant-garde indie rock. 

To listen, go to http://www.imsmarterthanyou.com and click the link in the upper right.

Track Listing:

1. Father Cannot Yell (7:01)
2. Mary, Mary So Contrary (6:16)
3. Outside My Door (4:11)
4. You Doo Right (20:20)

Can's debut album, Monster Movie, opens with the sounds of a Lou Reed-style side-project exploring punk and electronic music. The high highs and dissonant, feedback-laden guitar quickly bring to mind Cloud Taste Metallic-era Lips. As the drum and bass take things for an intense, slightly loopy twist, Mooney (half of the inspiration for the name of modern quintet, The Mooney Suzuki, Mooney's replacement Damo Suzuki being, of course, the other) begins a Morrison-esque poetry/chanting session. "Father Cannot Yell" ends with nothing short of punching, pounding and squealing ecstasy.

Again sounding a bit like the Velvet Underground in steady, jangle-rock production, Can uses a common, traditional nursery rhyme for inspiration on "Mary, Mary So Contrary." Karoli's violin and Mooney's emotion and spontaneity hold things together for an otherwise fairly straightforward piece, actually slightly reminiscent of "Heroin" towards the end.

"Outside My Door" really rocks my ass off for four straight minutes. It reminds me of some sort of pre-punk southern rock symphony written by a bunch of European lads. Though the chorus recalls Manzarek and The Doors, listening to "Outside My Door" is like seeing fossils of the ancestors of all garage, punk and progressive bands since the late sixties.

The final track checks in at just over twenty minutes, allegedly cut from a jam session originally running between six and twelve hours long (depending whom you ask), mixed and mastered by bassist Holger Czukay. A playful and uplifting track, "You Doo Right" highlights the repertoire of player Jaki Liebezet better than the previous three. What seems to be a heartfelt, lyrical celebration of love, Malcolm Mooney's yelping draws comparisons to early Gordon Gano at times. Any one song that can seem to combine this with Mogwai-like progressive qualities and flicks and splatters of Pearl Jam's No Code, all while being very entrenched in the roots of African tribal music, should be respected for the important part in musical history that it is.

"You Doo Right" did in fact stir up the new sound, the future of Can, heard on the following albums, Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi. The only drawback I have with Monster Movie is the lacking production at some key moments. As far as debut's are concerned, however, this one is as ground-breaking as any other rock group's from this era.

Can, 1968

Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli, Irmin Schmidt, Holger Czukay, Malcolm Mooney

Can, 1989

Holger Czukay, Michael Karoli, Irmin Schmidt, Malcolm Mooney, Jaki Liebezeit

Can, "Vernal Equinox" on the BBC, 1975

Brian Eno's Tribute to Can

Album Unity: 7
Longevity: 9
Musicianship: 7
Originality: 10
Production: 5

Total Score: 38