It’s been a while since I shared with you what was going on, and my disappearance – as it often turns to be – has few to do with me laying low, rather with way too many urgent matters at hand that has to be resolved or participated in. First off, things are fine, probably even more hectic than I could wish for. The main reason for silence from my side regarding Transport Aerian is that I’ve been called to the flanks of my little musical cause and was particularly busy working with my two other projects. One of them you, surely, already have a notion of an avant-metal band Fabulae Dramatis, that has just released their second album and now working hard on promotion and playing live shows all over to bring the new programme to the thankful audience. With their avant-garde heavy music, well-thought stage appearance and a video footage synced with the performance, I feel home on stage, but it does take a lot of my time and energy, as, since me, Isabel Restrepo and Daniel Diaz have formed the band back in 2012 it has indeed evolved into a very promising act that I consider well worth every invested hour.
Finally, there is one more project I will be working on in the next coming months, but I’m not allowed to talk about it just yet!
However, despite me being busy on all fronts, it doesn’t mean Transport Aerian becomes dormant. While I haven’t managed to set up a live line up sufficient to bring out Therianthrope in all its complexity live, so I ruled out this possibility, as if I can’t get the audience coming to the concert into my ideas at their fullness, I’d rather not do it at all, the studio album is doing pretty well, and I have just obtained the information that the limited edition copies at MRR are in fact sold out, but more copies are on their way, which might become available again within two or three weeks, and for now my entire digital discography is set with a significant discount! I’m also working on the in-depth blog regarding every song and every artwork on the album, that is to be published in the course of this year.
A new CD composed by Andy Tillison and the birth of a brand new “band”
Andy is busy putting the final touches to the debut album from his exciting new project:
“THE KALMAN FILTER”
Andy has occasionally released solo albums of an electronic nature over the years. “Fog“, “Murk” (available on the downloads page at the website shop) & “Durch” have been popular additions to the catalogue with their crossover of Berlin School electronica and ambient Jazz atmospheres.
The Kalman Filter is a new name under which Andy now wishes to work in this field in order to build a separate thread from The Tangent – but a thread which can perform live and in the future add new participants on its route to becoming a fully-fledged band.
The debut album was initially named “A Drink of The Wilderness” but as with many new ideas it grew and evolved and has developed a life of its own, the album has now been re-named “Exo-Oceans” to better reflect the mood of the writing. You can support this new project right from the beginning by pre-pre-ordering the album, receive album sleeve credits and get the opportunity, via a link emailed to you, to access a private downloads page which will enable you to listen and to keep some of the early writing that won’t make it to the album stage after this musical turn of events, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse of the creative process.
Or of course you can opt to pre-order the album in the usual way and wait to hear the finished product which should be ready for manufacturing very soon, we have 3 options to suit your pocket.
At the website you can read an extended story penned by Andy about how the music came to be, a strange, intriguing adventure also featuring a special friend and much-loved member of the progressive music scene – the album is nearly complete and you can read the story full and for free at the website.
THANK YOU to all who have already contributed to the new Kalman Filter project by pre-pre-ordering, fan-funded releases such as this are truly bread and butter for all Andy does and quite literally keeps him in the studio and so the next Tangent album is also on its way thanks to your support, more news on this later in the year.
TANGEKANIC
The Tangekanic tour of the US and Europe in 2017 was a huge success and new drummer Steve Roberts fitted in so quickly he was offered the job of official Tangent drummer before they even set off.
Thank you for your patience and an apology for those of you who have pre-ordered the Tangekanic live CD “Hotelcantaffordit”– The guys originally promised a January 2018 release date but at that time they were unaware that Luke would be joining his all-time musical hero Francis Dunnery on tour and Jonas would be invited to play bass with The Steve Hackett band – of course, we are delighted and exceedingly proud of them both but this meant that the mixing, mastering, and manufacturing of the album was left in Andy’s capable (but only two) hands and so, while it is almost ready to go, it has been delayed slightly. It is sounding amazing, very live and immediate, focussing on songs from Dot, Slow Rust and Spark in the Aether and I am sure it will be a treasured memory for those who attended the shows and will enable those unable to attend the gigs to get a taste of the atmosphere and energy of the Tangekanic live shows, the CD also includes the brand new and first “Tangekanic” track “Sanctuary in Music” which was written right before the first show and caused quite a stir with several mentions in the music press and a few tears of emotion among those who got to hear it for the first time. The shows were so well received and the band members from The Tangent and Karmakanic enjoyed working together so much that there are no plans for Tangekanic to record a studio album, so watch this space!
More discussion about the live shows and links to place pre-orders for the album at www.thetangent.org
We are very grateful to our fantastic new webmaster Chris Elliott for taking care of the website and providing regular news updates, we try not to send too many emails to people but for those of you who prefer not to use social media the website will now be regularly updated with news, new music (please check the downloads page as more back catalogue is planned for release there) and Andy’s musings about life, music, the Universe and pretty much anything else he can think of, so please keep checking back when you have time.
For those who embrace social media and would enjoy regular interactive chat, the odd live video blog and discussion about all things Tangent and music, in general, please feel free to join our very popular, polite and friendly Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/alltangentmembers/
Melodic Revolution Records Feature Album January/February 2018 | Blå Lotus Tube Alloys
Label –Melodic Revolution Records Release Year – 2018 Country – Sweden Genre – Heavy Progressive/Psychedelic Rock
Band Members
Fredrik Andersson – Hammond Organ and Farfisa Organ/Mellotron/Synth’s/Electric Piano/Flute and Vocals Linus Karlsson – Bass Guitar/Theremin & Random Sound Effects Wiktor Nydén – Drums/Percussion
1. An art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, especially manual skill, 2. Skill or dexterity 3. Skill or ability used for bad purposes; cunning; deceit; guile. 4. The members of a trade or profession collectively; a guild
When a band makes a album they frequently use words like write, record, produce, engineer and master. That conventional wisdom is not wrong whatsoever and those words are very appropriate to use to describe the album making process. Now when some people work on a project like a album they use attention to detail in every facet of that process. Attention to said detail can be called craft, crafting or even crafted once the process has reached its completion.
To craft something is to take extra attention to detail by carefully using a special set of skills to get a special set of premium results. This is exactly what Sweden’s Bla Lotus have done with their Melodic Revolution Records debut Tube Alloy’s. When we think of Sweden and progressive rock or metal music we usually think of Opeth or a Pain of Salvation, Flower Kings, Änglagård, Anekdoten, Spiritual Beggars,Nad Sylvan, etc …
Bla Lotus are a serious heavy prog band that carry various old school influences of late 1960’s to early to mid 1970’s stoner fried psychedelic music to a modern age of listener. Bla Lotus are a Hammond Organ lovers paradise combining elements of Rick Wakeman and Jon Lord meets Per Wiberg – Spiritual Beggars to craft a very unique melodic stringed section which is highly due the fact the band has no guitar whatsoever with the various Hammond, Mellotron and other synth’s. The fact they do not have a piece like a guitar does not cheapen the product at all. Even in the description on their official Facebook page says, ” Progressive rock trio. No six-strings allowed”.
For a band that started only two years ago in 2016 they have developed such a tight cohesive sound. On Tube Alloy’s you can certainly notice that Fredrik Andersson – Hammond Organ and Farfisa Organ/Mellotron/Synth’s/ElectricPiano/Flute and Vocals , Linus Karlsson – Bass Guitar/Theremin & Random Sound Effects and Wiktor Nydén – Drums/Percussion all mastered the craft at their individual instrumental roles much like musical journeymen. Now a breakdown of Bla Lotus Tube Alloy’s track by track.
Trajectory begins heavily with a very deep bass/drum rhythm section that is soon met in perfection with a Hammond Style organ. From the first hooks the band transports the listener to the 1970’s based chord progressions and passages with a modern relevant sound. Fredrik Andersson definitely display’s his extraordinary finger talent on the synth sections on this one. Trajectory is also a instrumental track that gives the listener the appearance it serves as a smooth seamless transition intro to the next track Omnistellar Firefly.
Omnistellar Firefly picks up quite smoothly from Trajectory. This starts off in a very psychedelic manner much like the psychedelic music coming out of San Francisco California,London England or New York at the time. With very deep rhythm toned chord progressions and vocals that echo like a LSD trip this is any psychedelic purists paradise. You literally do not need a synthetic substance nor drug to feel the full melodious effect the band is portraying here. This also reminds me very much of the late great Jon Lord’s solo material with the orchestra.
Mephistopeles is a much more methodical groove laden piece. The rhythm and stringed sections definitely have a method to their madness and specific purposes in the body of the track or song itself. At 8:09 this is the second longest song on Tube Alloy’s and allows the band much more freedom to display their own skills while building a unified body of work. The echo vocals really accentuate the psychedelic feel to the song. The organs play in perfect time to the bass and drums within the rhythm section much in the vein of Deep Purple’s Space Truckin‘.
Moebius fades in quite subtly. This is most definitely the most experimental Avant Garde psychedelic track on the album. It is also a straight away progressive psychedelic track with standard stringed section and rhythm section until about a quarter or half way mark and then the experimental elements come into play. The experimental section works on all three major channels of the auditory senses, the right channel, the left channel and center channel. The band engineers this quite brilliant into a full surround sound package on the listener.
Recreational Nuke is the shortest track on the album, however do not be deceived it is still as full of progressive twists and turns and time signature changes. It may start a little slowly however do not let that be the focus. There are huge Hammond organ and rhythm sections. This is arranged perfectly within the album allowing a bit slower pace for the listener to begin to absorb the tracks of the album as a collective. It may require a few spins and listens for this to make sense to the listener. The psychedelic vocals are as strong on this as every other song on the album as well.
Indian Money starts out with big pounding and deep drum based rhythm sections. The drums are semi isolated allowing for a more heavier sound before the bass and Hammond and other organs come into play. This track takes all the various elements the band employed within the album as a collective. This one is written much like it was orchestrated or a symphony.
There is certainly a massive ground swell of this style of psychedelic progressive rock. Look at it like a over inflated balloon or a underground caldera waiting to burst through. I believe Bla Lotus will be at the forefront once this style of progressive psychedelic rock really takes off. This style of music will be the next significant genre to take off and bands like Bla Lotus will headline the pioneering spirit and craft of this style of music. Once this style does take off again Bla Lotus Tube Alloy’s will be one of those future essential albums any fan of the genre must have. This is why I give Bla Lotus Tube Alloy’s and 5/5.
Featuring Gong Alumni Francois Causse, Benoit Moerlen and Hansford Rowe!
Montreal – Gong Expesso featuring Gong alumni Francois Causse, Benoit Moerlen and Hansford Rowe with guitarist Julien Sandiford’s new album titled “Decadence” is now available for pre-order!
Says Hansford, “ ‘Decadence’ is the title tune on the new Gong Expresso album. Here the word means ‘falling away.’ I hope this tune and all the music on the album somehow addresses this in an unadorned, direct way. When I play with these 3 musicians I am convinced there is something special happening, a coming together. Benoit Moerlen (vibes, marimba) and Francois Causse (drums, perc) and I began playing together in early 1977 in PM’s Gong and our rapport is of the kind only long term relationships can provide. On the other hand Julien who is 25 has been alive less time than I have been playing with the others. Yet our musical relationship feels infinitely long. We are recording in two cities, Paris and Montreal. Francois’ studio in Paris is a tuned percussion church and Piccolo Studios in Montreal is owned by Denis Savage who is co-producing with the band. He is known for his work with Celine Dion.”
PM’s Gong was a major branch of the massive Gong tree. In the mid 1970’s drummer Pierre Moerlen separated from Daevid Allen marking an end to the Flying Teapot period and a powerful jazz/rock unit was formed and signed to Virgin Records. Pierre’s brother Benoit Moerlen, Hansford Rowe, Francois Causse, Allan Holdsworth were core members. Many major guests joined them both on albums and touring. Mick Taylor, Mike Oldfield, and French violinist Didier Lockwood were key participants. Mike Oldfield occasionally used the PMG rhythm section for touring also calling on members for albums such as “Ommadawn”, “Incantations”, “Exposed” and “Platinum.” Pierre Moerlen sadly passed away on May 5th, 2005.
In concert Gong Expresso mines their huge repertoire and has exceptional guests joining them regularly. Along with the release of their new album, the band will be releasing a new video soon.
Gong Expresso’s “Decadence” will be distributed digitally worldwide through The Orchard on Feb 20, 2018.
Power of Prog are thrilled to announce that on Friday 2.2.2018 we will premiere the latest video Behind the Curtain by Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius
Behind the Curtain is the second video form the bands latest release Guilty of Innocence released September 29, 2017, via Melodic Revolution Records.
Guilty of Innocence is the 5th studio CD by electric violinist Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius. The album features guest appearances by guitarist Alex Skolnick (Testament), keyboardist Rave Tesar (Renaissance), and guitarist/vocalist Randy McStine(The Fringe).
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