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REVIEWS>
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz/aural-innovations.com ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The latest from German Prog infused Hard/Psych/Kraut rockers Space Debris features 4 side long stretch-out jams and nearly 80 minutes of music. The band are still the quartet of Tommy Gorny on guitar, Mitja Besen on bass, Winnie Rimbach-Sator on keyboards, and Christian Jäger on drums and percussion. If you’re unfamiliar with Space Debris you should know that they wear their early 70s influences like a badge of honor. And they do it good. Colossus Stranded starts off with a slow yet potent doomy vibe, eventually taking off on a classic Prog-Psych power rocking jam with hints of Jazz-Fusion, and alternating with mellow grooving segments, which all lead to an explosive, anthem-like finale. Rimbach-Sator and Gorny are well matched on keyboards and guitar, playing off one another intuitively as they trade leads and solo together. The keyboard sounds are a golden age of Prog delight, recalling the glory days of the Hammond and Rhodes. Phonomorphosis has some of the most complex instrumentation of the set, as well as some of the most spaced out. When the band launch into a high energy heavy Prog jam, all the musicians are occupying their own individual realm, yet coming together to create a cohesive rocking whole, and stumbling across lots of catchy melodies in the process. Rimbach-Sator seems to be exploring his inner Sun Ra, with some seriously freaky keyboard sounds, as well as fuzzed jazzy and all manner of classic Prog styles, tripping and grooving along while the guitar rips off fiery solos, some of which get pretty spacey. We’re treated to some killer bubbling and pulsating Psych-Jazz guitar too. This is my favorite track of the set. I like the Psychedelic Prog-Jazz of Cat Flow Deluxe, which at times sounds like a blend of Soft Machine and the contemporary San Francisco band Mushroom. There’s a lightly grooving and cheerily melodic section that brings to mind a fuzzed rendition of John Tropea’s A Short Trip To Space album, and the overall vibe is like a summer stroll through an outdoor bohemian fair. Then about halfway through the band switch gears and take off on a fast paced jam with more excellent keyboard/guitar tag team interplay. I also enjoyed the soulful segment that sounds like the soundtrack to a 60s movie. Finally, Journey Back To The Moon is a full on Prog-Psych assault with powerhouse organ and guitar and thunderous rhythm section, with inspired playing by all. So set the wayback machine to 1971 Mr Peabody and head for Germany and some genuine Prog-Psych adventure. The album is available in CD and double LP formats, and vinyl junkies should note that the LP is housed in a gatefold jacket with beautiful artwork."(Jerry Kranitz) ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() "Space Debris are proudly retro in their approach, mining late 60s – early 70s Progressive, Hard Rock and Krautrock as their inspiration. The album opens with the 15 minute Palmyra, parts of which bring to mind the Jimi Hendrix Experience with the addition of swirling Hammond organ. One of the things I’ve always liked about Space Debris is the way they exemplify Prog infused Hard Rock, with free-wheeling, exploratory jams that transition through multiple musical themes, and Palmyra seamlessly shifts from heavy rocking to gently introspective. Cloudwalker lays down a cool Bluesy foundation for Tommy Gorny’s ripping guitar, which is both spaced out and stoned rocking, as well as Winnie Rimbach-Sator’s electric piano, which traverses Blues and Jazz, and even gets into some tripped out Sun Ra styled efx. This track speaks volumes in less than 5 minutes. Creation is a 2-part, 18 minute piece. Glimpse Of A Dying Sun is the first part, consisting of spacey soundscape guitar and keys, and subtly intricate drumming. Each musician seems to be operating in his own individual yet communal space, creating a delightfully upbeat Prog-Jazz-Ambient journey. This melts into the second part – Everdrifting Particle, which starts off as anthem fueled heavy rocking Prog, and then veers into wildly swingin’ and groovin’ Soul. KILLER keyboards on this one, and the keyboard-guitar duel at the end makes for a monstrous finale. Skinflight is a brief piece that puts Christian Jäger’s drums front and center. Time Traveller starts off as a shit kickin’ hard riff rocker, with lots of great solos and melodic hooks. After a few minutes the mood calms and we’re treated to some of the most freaked out keyboard sounds of the set, which sounds really cool along with the ambient-Hendrix styled guitar. She’s A Temple starts off with an intriguing blend of Prog-Jazz and King Crimson Red-styled heaviness. The band soon transition to a Funky jam with spaced out guitar leads, before launching into a high intensity heavy rocking Metallic assault that makes for yet another ass kicking finale. The set winds down with the nearly 17 minute Supernova 1604, named after the supernova observed by Johannes Kepler. This sucker jams along nicely, hitting highs of heaviness, meditative yet hard rocking passages, and funky psychedelic segments. In summary, while Space Debris may be in their usual stylistic territory on She’s A Temple, there is a huge amount of variety, the musicianship is top notch and the performances sweetly inspired." (Jerry Kranitz) ![]() ![]() "Welcome back Space Debris! Chunky guitar chords, arpeggios and fills by Tommy Gorny, simmering organ with much reverb from Winnie Rimbach-Sator, Mitja Besen’s bass and Christian Jäger’s drums driving things forward like an unstoppable express train rolling down the tracks. For there is a little blues here, there is a lot of rock here, there is some funk here, there is the spirit of Hendrix here and of Deep Purple and of all those adventurous groups from the 60s and 70s that were not afraid to improvise- changed days! The 14 minutes of ‘Palmyra’ pass very quickly and I loved the brooding organ chords at the end and Tommy’s eastern sounding guitar lines towards the final bombastic crescendo. Electric piano joins the mix on ‘Cloudwalker’ and the cogitative echoing guitar on ‘Glimpse of A Dying Sun’ reminded me of Robin Trower’s ‘Song For A Dreamer’ for Procol Harum in feel if not in execution for Space Debris have their own unique way of doing things. ‘Everdrifting Particle’ made me think of Focus in the chunky organ chords (fabulous break 5 minutes in and guitar/ organ question-answer after 7!) with a few Emerson tricks thrown in,Tommy’s most Jan Akkerman like interjections and Christian’s use of percussion. This was for me the most rousing moment thus far. Christian gets a short solo on ‘Skinflight’ and a very good one it is too while ‘Time Traveller’ provides another visceral peak on the album as gargantuan riffs and solos are exchanged to some powerhouse drumming. The title track has electric piano at its outset and is a slow burner with moments of great subtlety and also power especially in the extended ascending scale at its climax. The longest is left to last: ‘Supernova 1604’ and this piece confirms all of the above. More than mere nostalgia, Space Debris brings something new and dynamic to classic improvised instrumental rock music." ![]() ![]() 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. Those looking for trippy or spacey music won’t find much here (maybe dashes here and there, like the opening of Anima and the spacey drumfest of Astronaut Versus Kosmonaut). But for those looking for some top-notch, 70's style instrumental rock with some bluesy/jazzy touches (diggin’ the last few minutes here of the 21-minute epic title track) will find plenty to love on Vol. 3. The bluesy stuff really comes out in the appropriately titled Blues; there’s some groovin’ Santana-style Latin jamming on Latrino Mortadella II, and even a bit of moody midnight soul music on the lovely Mynona. The band throw in a few really short tracks too, some fun little fragments like the trippy drum patter of the 27-second Namber Nein and the funky jam of the minute and a half long MoJoMe III. And there’s even the 11-second closing cut, Jerrys Aural Innovations, featuring our own starship captain Jerry Kranitz giving a bit of commentary that, like this collection, really sums up everything that Space Debris is all about. ![]() ![]() "Christian Jager is back with his Space Debris collective and a third volume of improvisations as part of the Archive series- Volume 3- Deepest View. And it is the marathon 21:30 of ´Deepest View´that makes the biggest impact on a first listen starting like early Pink Floyd and veering headlong into Focus territory, a feast of nostalgia for the ears and recorded back in 2004 (although it could be 1974!) ´Moon Roots is from the same period and equally combustible Hammond organ stabs trading licks with guitar bends and propulsive drumming. Before that there is a 10 minute loosener from Zurich`09 followed by the Hendrix influenced `Reprise of the Sun`. To come there is a `Blues` followed by an ultra heavy rifferama that would have graced Hawkwind or Hendrix (`Anima`- now established as a Space Debris favourite and one that went down particularly well with the audience). The following track also recorded at Siegen`08 adopts more of a Doors feel with electric piano and shuffling drums, another stand-out. Clearly inspired by the enthusiastic crowd there is a marvellous drum solo on `Astronaut versus Kosmonaut`. And so on- these might be `left overs` but they are amazingly good ones and great for creating a mood of nostalgia for a phenomenal period of musical creativity and energy." ![]() ![]() ![]() "To celebrate 10 years of working together as a band, German group Space Debris decided to release two archival CD's, one of studio performances, the other of live performances. Archive Vol. 1 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. The opening title cut is half an hour long and encompasses almost everything Space Debris are about. From its brisk rhythm grooves, freaky, psychedelic organ, sizzling lead guitar, spacey Floydian-like passages, a touch of experimentalism and an epic, soaring rock climax, Journey to the Starglow Restaurant is an astounding trip. Other highlights include the hypnotic Krautrock of Free Flight, the jazzy slowburn of Bilham and the Spanish flavoured Don Quichote. There`s even a surprising cover of the Door`s Love Me Two Times, featuring one of the rare times the band use vocals. On Archive Vol. 2, the band prove that their tight musicianship and smoking chops don`t involve any studio trickery. If anything, the band comes across even better live, freed from the constraints of the studio, cutting loose before an enthusiastic crowd. Space Debris avoid the pitfalls that plague some improvisational bands like lots of tracks that sound the same and long passages of aimless noodling. Instead they remain tight and focused, and each track has its own distinct feel, from the epic prog-rockiness of Whales to the slow and spacey Go East to the psychedelic funk of Exterra Dive. Both the studio and live CD's comprise various recordings made during different times in the band's 10 year career, so they represent a wide and diverse spectrum of Space Debris sonics. If you've enjoyed anything you've heard by this band, you will surely love these archive releases. And from the news on their web site, it looks as if they've just released a third in the series as well. Looking forward to hearing that one! " ![]() ![]() ![]() To mark their tenth anniversary our old friends Space Debris are back with not one but two volumes of archive material. Improvised instrumental prog rock doesn’t have any right to be this good as the guys once again display all those classic late sixties and early seventies influences. Presumably, ‘Mandraker’ the track that leads off the second volume ‘All Man’ is, for example, a reference to Deep Purple’s ‘Mandrake Root’. Most SD pieces run from 10 minutes anywhere up to half an hour so it is a surprise to hear a mere 2:15 of ‘Mandraker’, although much is compacted within its length with Peter Brettel and Christian Jager proving once again what a brilliant rhythm section they are. I would say ‘All Man’ is slightly more guitar based while the first volume has slight predominance of keyboards although the ‘question and answer’ between Tommy Gorny on the guitar and Tom Kunkel on the Hammond on ‘Whales’ proves that every instrument has its equal place. By the way the track to which I refer is subtitled ‘Zappanale’! I also always hear leanings towards Focus in Space Debris music with Kunkel and Gorny worthy successors to the great Thijs Van Leer and Jan Akkerman and this is very evident on both CDs. ‘Who’, from ‘All Man’ recorded in Zurich in 2009 features an unknown singer who jumped on stage to join the band, obviously inspired by the infectious groove being laid down. It works pretty well! ‘Go East’, recorded in Dresden in 2010, is a slow builder with electric piano and organ and a wash of cymbals, subtle guitar with a gradual crescendo and a little Ray Manzarek like electric piano break towards the 5 minute mark, a little stall then propulsion towards a heavy jam lasting nearly 15 minutes in all. ‘Space Out’ features a lot of heavy guitar, synth and muscular bass playing, the drumming as always is quite octopodan! There is not enough space to take your through all the terrific music on these CDs. The fact that Space Debris manage to stimulate the senses through all 30 minutes of ‘Journey to the Starglow Restaurant’ tells its own story. This piece is a prog rock classic in itself! And please remember the music is played in the spirit of improvisation with little or no overdubs! The inclusion of a cover version, unusual for this band, (The Doors’ ‘Love Me Two Times’) is another reason to explore this release. I could listen to Space Debris music all day and the only pity is that I shall probably never get the chance to see them live. Both CDs are a must for Acid Dragon readers. If you are feeling at all down they will shake the cobwebs off immediately! If you want to contact Space Debris please visit their website www.spacedebrisprojekt.de. If you are lucky enough to hear of them playing in an area near you please do not miss the opportunity! (Phil Jackson) ![]() ![]() A saco, así empieza el nuevo álbum de Space Debris. El cuarteto alemán de improvisación setentera publica toda una obra maestra que se verá alternada en varios archivos, en este caso damos salida en los sonidos evasivos al volumen 1. Sin miramientos, estos musicazos con clase arrancan con un set de media hora sub-dividido en 6 partes (- a. Starship - b. Meteors - c. Fog - d. Black Hole - e. Door - f. Ritual) llena de paisajismo musical, teclados infinitos, psicodelia, kraut y rock de antańo. Si bien esta sesión de lo más progresiva podría ser el principio y el fin de todo un disco de calidad, nos tendríamos que advertir a nosotros mismos que aun queda para rato. Tres temas más de mediana duración con multitud de ritmos a distintas tonalidades, toda una buena clase de improvisación con influencias de todo tipo: jazz fusión, ritmos caribeńos, krautrock germano, hard rock sucio, un leve space, psicodelia setentera y un sin fin de riffs y punteos englobando todo ello. Pero eso no es todo, nuestros amigos se atreven a incluir una versión del clásico Love Me Two Times de la mítica banda The Doors, una cover bastante más de andar por casa, con una producción y un sonido queriendo imitar a los sistemas de grabación de aquella época dorada. Y como de homenajes va la cosa, un guińo al gran hidalgo Don Quichote. Una encrucijada que perfectamente recuerda a toda una gran andadura, aventura o duelo épico. Cerrando el álbum, una reflexión. Distorsión y yonkis espaciales, baterías de mala hostia y de fondo el eterno recordatorio armonioso que se expande a golpe de viento y tecla. A su salud ![]() ![]() It opens with something that sounds like the soundtrack to a trippy 70's sci-fi movie, but it's not long before Christian Jäger and company launch into a groove and Solarization, the first cut on the new live album from Space Debris, takes flight.Live Ghosts is the follow-up to last year's phenomenal Elephant Moon studio album. Space Debris have wisely chosen to make this a less epic production compared to Elephant Moon, with relatively shorter tunes. While a few of the songs seemed a bit filler-ish on the previous release, there is not a single note wasted on Live Ghosts. The playing is tight, the songs are great (I especially love the groovy riff on Love Weibrator), and the album sets the stage for the next phase of the Space Debris story. Live Ghosts is the first recording released by the band to feature new keyboardist Winnie Rimbach-Sator, and he does a stellar job filling Tom Kunkel's mighty shoes, bringing his own distinctive style to the Space Debris sound with smoking organ and synth licks, as well as some beautiful and jazzy piano moments (especially on Latrino Mortadella and Omnitron).It's almost hard to believe that this is a live recording, the band is just so tight, whether they're playing something structured or just improvising and letting it all flow naturally. But the playing is not so taut and wound-up that the band can't let things get a little loose and raw around the edges, imbuing their music with some really electrifying energy. And while their sound still remains rooted in psychedelic rock, it's great to hear them moving forward as well, taking on a bit more of a classic 70's fusion influence in the Mahavishnu Orchestra vein. Blistering hard rock, spacey jazz and swirling psychedelia all rolled into one superb performance. Live Ghosts rocks, and it's a terrific addition to the Space Debris discography. Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald ![]() ![]() "The fantastic Space Debris is back with 64 minutes of structured sounds with large slices of improvisation on classic guitars, organ and electric pianos in an astonishing blend of retro space rock that will transport you back to the days of Focus and Hendrix and Santana and, well just anyone you’d care to think of from the classic era of progressive rock. For a more comprehensive list of inspirations and influences I refer you to the interview in AD#48. Tom Kunkel does not appear on this recording which is a shame given my appreciation of his previous contributions but Tom’s replacement Winnie Rimbach-Sator does a grand job on keyboards. Indeed Christian said in the AD interview that “We will and must play with different musicians such as the fantastic keyboard player Winnie Rimbach-Sator” so presumably this was the case with these live recordings of, as far as I can make out, all new material. The rest of the band is the same: Peter Brettel on bass, Tommy Gorny on guitar and Christian Jäger on drums. But don’t just take my word for how good this band is. Check them out for yourselves and you will find that Kraut Rock is alive and well!" ![]() Space Debris' in yayinlayacagim son albümünde sira. Son zamanlarda ilk kez bir grubun diskografisini bu denli istahla dinledim. Live albümde de hersey son derece yolunda.Yine uzun dogaçlamalar,yine gitar atraksiyonlari,hammond orgun ruhani sesi. Albümde dokuz parça bulunuyor. Siki krautseverlerin tekrar tekrar dinlemek isteyecegi türden bir grup. Keyifli dinlemeler... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() "I had unfortunately not heard any other albums by Germany's Space Debris before I listened to this, their fourth and latest album. Now this is an error I know I am going to have to correct very soon by getting my hands and ears on their previous albums, because I have to tell you, I was summarily blown away by what I heard on Elephant Moon. So what did I hear, you may ask? Space Debris create a dazzling and complicated blend of 70's style classic rock jams, Krautrock, space rock, psychedelia and fusion jazz. It's mostly instrumental, with tracks often stretching into the 15 and 20-minute range, but never seeming that long, and the musicianship, I have to say, is outstanding on every level. Take just the opening cut, for example, of this epic double CD (a total of more than 150 minutes of music!): it's a track called Free Spirits, and it sets the tone beautifully. Clocking in at nearly 22-minutes, it starts with some mysterious liquid guitar noodling and synth percolations from guitarist Tommy Gorny and keyboardist Tom Kunkel. They float along like a cosmic river to some brisk cymbal work from drummer Christian Jäger. Then Peter Brettet's bass kicks in and we're off on a dazzling rock voyage of elegant and edgy psychedelic guitar work and spacey, tripped out organ playing. One thing I see mentioned about Space Debris time and time again is the wonderful, warm, vintage organ sound they have, and here is no exception, it sounds absolutely brilliant. The band rocks from hard and loud to far out and spacey all through the course of Free Spirits, culminating in a glorious, exotic and emotional fusion finale reminiscent of classic instrumental Santana and 70's era Al di Meola. After this piece I just had to sit back and breathe slowly, the simple word "wow" on my lips. And this was only the first cut! I still had 130-minutes of music to go! Did the band live up to the to unbelievable promise of that first piece? Mostly, yes I am happy to say, they did. Space Debris are best in the environment of their extended pieces, which give all the players a chance to stretch out and really do some exploring, and explore they do. The 15-minute Heliopolis starts with a somewhat ambient and jazzy opening (with some lovely melodic piano playing) before it amps up into a sizzling space rocker, with lots of heavy guitar and spacey synths. The band has a beautiful sense of drama as they build their pieces from simple beginnings through numerous twists and turns to spectacular conclusions without things ever once sounding disjointed. It all flows so naturally, it's a pleasure to hear such complicated music played with such obvious ease and enjoyment. Another outstanding track is Disc 2's Jazzvibe Explorers, whose title pretty much says what it's all about. Propelled along by an upbeat swing rhythm, this one features some of Tom Kunkel's best organ work on the album, jazzy, funky and fluid, it just sounds terrific. The second disc also has the magnificent 21-minute Black Viking, which starts out as one of the heaviest pieces on Elephant Moon, full of crunchy riffing and blistering wah-wah guitars, before it slides into one of the most moving and beautifully played, melodic, liquid psychedelic sections on the album. A somewhat rhythmically experimental section takes the piece towards its conclusion, an intense passage of sometimes driving, sometimes stomping space metal with synth and organ sequences swirling through it. The band's shorter pieces are successful as well, though they don't display quite the inventiveness or excitement of the longer cuts, in my opinion. Still there are some great tracks amongst them like the edgy and tension-filled Japanese Girl, the dark and menacing cowbell propelled Return of Voyager, and the bluesy Medicine Men, with its expressive and soulful organ. And the band gets really freaky and experimental for the 3-minute long Allen Äppler Party, which defies description and must be heard! Less successful is the somewhat standard rocker, Winter, which is the only track on the album that features vocals (in general, I gather, a rarity on a Space Debris album), the equally standard and somewhat bland sounding Unknown Song, and the Middle Eastern influenced space rocker Space Debris Truckin', which I really wanted to like more because it starts out great but it just kind of peters out halfway through. Ah, but the slight missteps on this fantastic album are few and far between and are more than made up for by unbelievable monster tracks like Free Spirits, Heliopolis, Jazzvibe Explorers and Black Viking, as well as the many brilliant shorter cuts too. Simply put, Elephant Moon is an epic win, almost certain to make it into my top five albums of the year. Highly recommended! " ![]() ![]() "SPACE DEBRIS picking up the torch of classic progressive rock - : First of all, I must make an apology. There is really no excuse for keeping Christian Jäger, drummer and head honcho with German space rockers Space Debris waiting. You see I am already a big fan and eagerly await every release as readers of Acid Dragon will know from previous reviews. So I have dedicated a morning of my vacation to Space Debris, no mean feat I can assure you! First of all, I had new recordings to listen to, 153 minutes and 23 seconds of them to be precise (Space Debris brand new double CD Elephant Moon). Secondly, I needed to re-acquaint myself with the DVD Christian sent me last year of the recording the band made at the Burg Herzberg Festival in 2006. Being a fan of ‘improvised’ music (in inverted commas because I think Space Debris is more structured than most), I suspected I might enjoy Space Debris first release of Krautrock Sessions from 1994-2001, finally released in 2004. I had already enjoyed the improvisational approach of groups like Escapade, Radio Massacre International and Trigon (who also played at the Burg Herzburg Festival in 2002, captured for posterity on CD) but these bands are very different from one another. In common with RMI whose last release was a tribute to Syd Barrett, Space Debris have a very strong early Pink Floyd influence in their music. On that very first recording, Space Debris also incorporated some overtly blues rock influences which have not been much in evidence since but are returned to, sometimes somewhat whimsically (Nice to hear they don’t take themselves too seriously) in some shorter numbers towards the end of the first ‘Elephant Moon’ CD. The blues does’nt end there though as ‘Unknown Song’ on CD 2 follows a 12 bar structure and also the concluding bonus track ‘Rockorola’ which has Tommy Gorny on vocals. Space Debris is not just a blues rock band though. In my reviews of their previous three CDs, I have made references to Brian Auger, Mountain, Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Deep Purple, The Allman Brothers, Focus, Led Zeppelin and The Nice. One interesting thing to listen for are quotations from famous recordings such as The Who’s ‘Baba OReill’y on ‘Black Viking’ (CD 2) or The Nice’s ‘Rondo’ ( a format returned to regularly) on tracks such as ‘Space Debris Truckin’ with an obvious reference to Deep Purple as well! There is another relatively rare occurrence, the appearance of vocals in Space Debris music with Sven Köthe doing the honours on ‘Winter’ and Magic Petra Klamert supplying psychedelic vocals (as well as photos for the CD sleeve) on ‘Alien Äppler Party’. I say relatively rare because two of the band members do provide some sporadic vocals on the first three recordings but this time concentrate on playing. The bands line-up is Tom Kunkel on organ and synthesiser, Tommy Gorny on guitar and bass guitar and Christian Jäger on drums. On Elephant Moon they are also boosted instrumentally by a dedicated bass guitarist Peter Brettel. Overall, I have described them as influenced by a host of classic late 60s and early 70s bands distilled into a fresh and vibrant new form, a treat for the ears with great use of crescendo and diminuendo to make their point! I would say Keith Emerson, in his Nice days especially and Jon Lord are major influences on Tom Kunkel and you can hear this throughout their recordings and again on the first bonus track at the end of ‘Elephant Moon’ (‘Longo Ago’) in which Emerson’s quasi classical organ lines are triumphantly revisited and which also features a guest guitarist, Eric Bläss. Jäger is an excellent drummer who glues everything together and the addition of a dedicated bass player has made the rhythm section even more solid. I detect also that Gorny has developed as a guitarist. I made a reference to Davy O’List on earlier recordings but I hear a wider range of styles now. The Space Debris DVD is a must see especially because it contains pieces not available on CD recordings including the 22 minute opener ‘Into The Sun’ and the 17 minute long spontaneous composition ‘Whales’. In all, there are six pieces totalling over 80 minutes of music. A version of ‘Lorna’s Vibrator’ one of the bands early recordings and ‘Electric Friends’ from ‘Kraut Lok’ will be familiar to owners of the band’s CD output." ![]() "Fly into the sky, you keep getting higher,Be sure to watch out for Space Debris. Swabia's finest, Space Debris, play a traditional organ-guitar-drum krautrock somewhere between Kosmische and Can. So much so, that their first two albums are named Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001 (2004) and Kraut Lok (2005). Both are terrific. And then, last year's Elephant Moon was released as a 3xLP deluxe gatefold package (or 2xCD with bonus tracks!), which might be considered overkill. But by now, I think you've discovered that I can handle long instrumental jamming - and the organ adds a great element to the mix. Sometimes the songs are epic explorations, sometimes shorter jams - but as long as there's no vocals or 12-bar blooze, they're always super-spacey and "way out there". The organ definitely allows things to take a more explicitly jazzy turn. I promise not to overuse "jazz" for any instrumental, multiple solo-ing, jamming music. This is primarily space-rock, no doubt about it. But I think it's warranted here - even if it's qualified as the early-'70s Miles-style, or more obviously the Ash Ra freak-out type, of rock-jazz. Elephant Moon (2008) is the last with their original keyboardist, and I think a permanent bassist also joined for Live Ghosts (2009). The new guy sounds just fine, especially for a first record, replacing a critical member, live. The band's official site has interesting info, pictures, etc. For instance, I just learned that they did a few shows in Switzerland earlier this month. Cool! And it can point you to some (currently 8) free downloads - you 'pay' 0.00 Euros. So, check 'em out if you like any of the tagged genres. And there's a performance video, so you can witness the Teutonic glory... Beware the Into The Sun dvd (2007, live at Burg-Herzberg Festival 2006), unless you have an international-capable player. It's not US format (NTSC). ![]() ![]() ![]() Det senaste, helt galna, trippel-LP med trippeluppvik-släppet "Elephant Moon" frĺn jamrockkollektivet Space Debris är ett mĺste för de tre lĺnga spĺren "Free Spirits" (21:38), "Heliopolis" (14:46) och "Black Viking" (21:05). Bandets koncept är instrumentala spontankompositioner, men jag har en känsla av att det är nĺgot mer arrangerat än pĺ de tidigare plattorna "Krautrocksessions 1994-2001", "Kraut Lok" och "Third", för att inte tala om liveplattan frĺn Burg Herzberg 2006 där vi upptäckte bandet. Pĺ "Elephant Moon" används för första gĺngen basist genom hela plattan och produktionen är med nĺgot undantag (där trummorna mixats för högt för min smak) bättre, om än mindre 70-talsdoftande än tidigare. Jazzrock, spacerock, krautrock, progressiv rock, blues och psykedelia i en suggestivt bubblande kittel. I "Free Spirits" lĺter det lite jazzig Santana om ĺtminstone slutfasen, Tommy Gornys gitarrspel är ibland inte helt olikt Carlos Santanas tidiga, mera skitiga grejor. Mycket suggestivt och flummigt. I "Heliopolis" hamnar de för första gĺngen ganska nära spacerockband som t.ex. Ozric Tentacles. Grymt sväng. Den häftigaste lĺten är dock "Black Viking" som verkligen lĺter mycket krautrock och där vissa partier även har lite nordisk melankoli över sig. I slutet gĺr vikingen bärsärk och det lĺter hĺrdare och elakare än nĺgot annat. Att de inte sätter allt i jammet fĺr det bara att bli ännu bättre och ondare. Nĺgra av de kortare lĺtarna är ocksĺ fina, men det är framför allt de sidlĺnga kompositionerna som är Space Debris styrka. ![]() ![]() "The fourth album from Space Debris documents their appearance at the Burg Herzberg 2006 Festival and has been released in two editions - CD and DVD. These guys wear their 70s influences on their shirtsleeves and for a full blown heavy jamming prog-psych-krautrock experience you can do no better than Space Debris. Honestly, if I played this for you and told you it was a reissue of an album from 1972 you would have no reason to doubt me. The band is a Trio of guitar (bass-guitar also), drums and organ, and like their previous albums the guys get a jam going and just take off, with most of the tracks being in the 14-18 minute range, giving them plenty of room to stretch out and explore. "Into the Sun" and "Whales" are both lengthy excursions that really showcase the Space Debris brand of exploratory heavy jamming progressive influenced psych rock. This is a world where the guitar and Hammond organ reigns supreme, dueling and trading leads throughout. "Lornas Vibrator" features more heavy jamming psych rock but with a great melodic soulful groove. "Electric Friends" is one of my favorite tracks of the set. It starts off spacey and dreamy, with elements of early Pink Floyd and bits of Hawkwind. Then around the 5 minute mark it launches into a jam that bears strong similarities to Pink Floyd's "One of these Days", but is also trademark Space Debris heavy psych rock jamming. "Mountain" is another highlight, consisting of killer spaced out blues rock with Tommy Gorny going Hendrix on guitar and firing off some of the most manic leads of the set. And "Jam Bang" is a shorter track that winds down the set, and is a cool combination of psychedelic funk and Deep Purple heaviness. An excellent finale. The track listings on the CD and DVD are the same, except for a few seconds to a couple minutes difference in the timings. I think they did a great job with the DVD. Rather than just pointing the camera at the band the whole time, there's lots of focus on the crowd, giving the viewer a feel for the festival vibe. Excellent!" ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() (Phil Jackson) ![]() As a "child of the 70's", memories of the mind blowing excitement of musical discovery are indelibly burned into my brain. I was a fanatic for Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Psychedelia, Space Rock and what came to be known as Krautrock. The best bands were the most difficult to label because they incorporated a multitude of influences and therefore defied easy categorization. Like many of my contemporaries I still thirst for those sounds and styles, and thankfully there are some exemplary bands who continue to carry the torch. Near the top of any enthusiast's list of current bands should be Space Debris, a German ensemble committed to creating new music firmly in the magical 70's mold, but performed with a fresh and fervently energetic approach. The gorgeous 2-LP gatefold set you hold in your hands is a textbook example of the power and possibilities of heavy rocking cosmic Krautrock when played by talented and devoted practitioners of the art. From the soulful and passionately melodic jams of "Bolivia", to the hard and heavy spaced out Hammond and guitar explorations of "Capitalists Nightmare", to the epic "Kraut Lok", which sweeps the listener through an instrumental journey of soulful Space Jazz, Acid Rock, heavy jamming Progressive Rock, cool grooves and pure mind massage. So relax, put on the headphones, and climb aboard the Space Debris mothership. Space... Peace... Jerry Kranitz (Aural Innovations) ![]() "Especially when you're a real lover of music or a musician yourself, you usually try to keep some kind of a "professional distance" when reviewing music. In the case of Space Debris' "Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001" I was simply unable to do so. I had heard one of their tunes on a compilation CD before, and this was a tune I was listening twice before playing on that CD. When I heard the complete work under my headphones for the first time I had a feeling of happiness that I didn't have for more than thirty years when listening to music. The more I listen to this music the more I think that it is some kind of a "missing link" between the original "genuine" Krautrock of the late Sixties and early Seventies and the repertoire of the international music of that time that the Sixties and Seventies German Rock bands wanted to become a part of. (...) Quite recently some German bands started to adopt the nimbus of "Kraut" again, and the results were, in some cases even charming, examples of musical inability. In this situation Space Debris appeared with their self released double-LP on extra-heavy vinyl, a superb natural sound quality achieved with the help of two, three and four track recordings, build up of traces of Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Santana, the Allman Brothers and many more, and still completely distinct and individual. They don't sound like any German Seventies band but nevertheless present undoubtedly Krautrock. It feels as if Krautrock has finally come to itself, and this is what I called an enigmatic wonder (...)" ![]() Review by Phil Jackson for : ![]() "From the opening bars of ‘Long Distance Voyager’ it is very evident that this music is rooted in early seventies improvisational space rock- wah wah guitar, cowbell, organ, memorable riffing over a solid rhythm section (impressive drumming by producer Christian Jager) and to top it all some frenzied guitar soloing amidst swirling Hammond. Focus at full throttle came to mind. Tom Kunkel’s organ plays a prominent part in ‘Green Skies’ and that allied to the guitar blasts and Christian’s hand percussion reminded me of Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express at their most expansive (‘Closer To It’ era). ‘We Were at the Moon Before you Were at the Moon’ starts off like between manic early Pink Floyd and Keith Emerson’s Nice, a phenomenal 10 minute workout that never fails to hold the attention through many intriguing and invigorating twists and turns. This is followed by the shortest number on the album ‘Lorna’s Vibrator’ (the ‘long’ version two tracks later isn’t actually much longer but has some fine Focus styled vocalisation) ‘Nuff & Nunner’ is another dynamic rhythmic piece with more excellent musicianship. ‘Phobos Was Here’ is perhaps the most intriguing track- almost atonal and counterpointal in its free form fusion jazz- the guitar soloing is stunning. I thought of Brand X here. ‘Big Baby’s Birthday’ is a pleasant surprise, a blues with Tom Kunkel on vocals, some electric piano, brooding organ chords and a rich and evocative atmosphere. Bass guitarist Thomas Schutz gets a chance to get up and down the fretboard here. The guitar playing as usual is expressive and emotionally charged. I think you can guess I’m enjoying this! And there’s more to come- a breakneck speed blues ‘Gaspra 951’ flows like a supercharged John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.. The reflective ‘Daydream’ is further evidence that Space Debris owe as much to early progressive blues as to Krautrock. Another astronomical reference ‘Miranda’ finishes the set off with vocals reminiscent of late 60s UK blues rock outfits with solos taken on cue- it sums up so much of that era in less than 3 minutes! Top quality music- an authentic time travelling trip, this is one CD I’ll be returning to real soon!" ![]() The american Mailorder "fusetron " describes our DLP like this: "Double LP worth of truly amazing KRAUTADELICS jam sessions recorded with various musicians between 1994 and 2001, in best of the early 70s AMON DUUL, CAN and other Krautrock heros tradition. Each side carries 3 tracks, so manylong tracks and psychedelic journeys present here! Long guitar journeys accompanied by effect and hammonds." ![]() Aural Innovations /USA: "Other than the Amon Düül and Can analogies other reviewers have compared them to Santana, Allman Brothers and early Deep Purple, though to my ears it's a gorgeously psychedelic and proggy take on those bands. If you like early 70's jamming prog-psych in general you'll love this. Man, that organ sounds beautiful!!!" ![]() an ebay-seller from USA wrote this nice words to describe us (found 26th April 2004):"SPACE DEBRIS "Krautrock Sessions 1994-2001" 2002 Gatefold Double LP....SPACE DEBRIS emanate from Germany and this album chronicles a number of their jams from the above stated years. Utilizing a basic guitar/bass/drums format augmented by percussion/congas/hammond organ/loops and other noises, SPACE DEBRIS lay down 12 monstrous and long space/psych Krautrock journeys spiced with a dash of Prog. All are well played trippy excursions into dimensions first explored by Amon Duul II, Santana and Zappa. The gatefold artwork on this LP is XLNT. It includes photos of the band in session + live, as well as a wraparound cover that takes you from a luminous Black Forest woodshed into the deeps of space!..." |
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