Mon Pire Cauchemar [2011]

Deepest View (Archive Volume 3) (2011). Following closely in the footsteps of their first two archival releases, Space Debris return with a third volume of live recordings and bits and pieces. Starting off in an unusually subdued mood, with moody acoustic piano, the 10-minute opening cut Mary-Joe-Anna nonetheless gets going eventually into another heavy jam from the band. The shorter Reprise of the Sun features some nice electric piano. Off course, throughout is the sterling organ work that is something of a signature sound for Space Debris, provided on some tracks by current keyboardist Winnie Rimbach-Sator and on others by former keyboardist Tom Kunkel. But let’s not forget the tight rhythm section of Peter Brettel (bass) and Christian Jäger (drums) and the endlessly creative guitar playing of Tommy Gorny…

The eighteenth century is probably the most extraordinary period of transformation Europe has known since antiquity. Political upheavals kept pace with the innumerable inventions and discoveries of the age; every sector of the arts and of intellectual and material life was turned upside down. Between the end of the reign of Louis XIV and the revolution of 1789, music in its turn underwent a radical mutation that struck at the very heart of a well-established musical language. In this domain too, we are all children of the Age of Enlightenment: our conception of music and the way we ‘consume’ it still follows in many respects the agenda set by the eighteenth century. And it is not entirely by chance that harmonia mundi has chosen to offer you in 2011 a survey of this musical revolution which, without claiming to be exhaustive, will enable you to grasp the principal outlines of musical creation between the twilight of the Baroque and the dawn of Romanticism.

Since Charly Records began working with the catalog of the fabled Texas label International Artists Records, they've released a steady stream of material by Lone Star psychedelic pioneers the 13th Floor Elevators, beginning with the definitive 2009 box set Sign of the 3 Eyed Men. But while Charly's releases have been beautifully assembled and annotated, they've also been created with serious fans in mind, rather than someone looking for the band's basic oeuvre. While a four-disc box set might seem a bit much for someone who just wants the basics, The Albums Collection is a thorough but elegant collection that delivers the Elevators' essential repertoire in one package. The Albums Collection includes the four albums the Elevators released in their lifetime - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, Easter Everywhere, Live, and Bull of the Woods - all in remastered form…

A new recording of Erik Bosgraaf, one of the most original, versatile and innovative recorder players of the moment, winner of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. The dynamic range and emotional impact of his playing is phenomenal.The instrument in his hands is like an extension of the human voice, speaking and articulating the musical language. Previous recordings of Bosgraaf include Vivaldi Concertos, Handel sonatas and the Renaissance collection Des Fluyten Lusthof (by Van Eyck).

Space Debris hail from the Odenwald region in Germany. The members' main concern is to play improvised music reminiscent to 70s krautrock and psychedelic bands. The group started as a trio comprised of Tommy Gorny (guitar), Tom Kunkel (Hammond organ) and Christian Jäger (drums). Supported by many friends having guest appearances they already could produce six albums starting with the year 2002. If you're keen on ambitious jamming music you should check out Space Debris by all means.
Archive Vol. 1 (Journey To The Starglow Restaurant) is the studio disc. Blending classic rock styles (Santana, Deep Purple) with psychedelia, jam rock, fusion, and touches of space rock, the band work their way through a series of burning improvisations, all recorded in one take with no overdubs…

Given that Jimi Hendrix's career as a frontman lasted only about three years, it might be hard to believe that there's still great material that hasn't been officially released even 40 years after his death (of course, unofficially released is a different matter). But here is Jimi's three-night stand at Winterland in San Francisco from October of 1968, which, despite excellent recordings by Wally Heider, sat largely unreleased until 2011. A single disc was compiled and released by Rykodisc in the late '80s (there was also a hard-to-find three-track bonus disc), but had been out of print for years when this box set arrived.
The Winterland shows were notable for a few reasons. The original Jimi Hendrix Experience had been together for two years and were probably playing at the height of their powers in October 1968 (they would break up in June of 1969)…