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░ ██ ██ Artist: Djam Karet ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Regenerator 3017 █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-05-03 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: HC Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ The new album Regenerator 3017 is the 17th album █
█ released by American instrumental group Djam █
█ Karet. Formed 30 years ago in 1984, Djam Karet █
█ celebrates this anniversary with a collection of █
█ all-new music filled with memorable melodies, █
█ wailing guitar solos, Minimoogs and Mellotrons, █
█ and more! Featuring all of the original band █
█ members, Regenerator 3017 showcases a band at █
█ their fiery best! █
█ Djam Karet plays a style of music that ROLLING █
█ STONE magazine described as ôInhabiting a unique █
█ sector where Pink Floydian dreamscapes intersect █
█ with the jagged complexity of King Crimson and the █
█ improv-guitar happenstance of the Grateful Dead.ö █
█ Formed three decades ago while attending college █
█ in sunny southern California, this group has █
█ consistently been a trailblazer of instrumental █
█ music. Their previous albums have received █
█ extremely positive reviews in such magazines as █
█ BILLBOARD, GUITAR PLAYER, SOUND ON SOUND, █
█ ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN, ALL ABOUT JAZZ, etc. █
█ Actually, they are the ultimate anti-cult band à a █
█ group that music critics around the world love, █
█ and the masses ignore. Fortunately for the band █
█ commercial success is not their goal (one of their █
█ previous albums is even titled: No Commercial █
█ Potential!). Instead they are trying to ôsomeday █
█ be the peer of our idolsö by creating recordings █
█ that hopefully have the same amount of: artistic █
█ vision, creativity, individualism, drive and █
█ over-all quality, that are present in the music █
█ that they admire most. █
█ Regenerator 3017 is a collection of 7 tracks that █
█ were recorded with a pristine sound quality, █
█ without any compression or computer manipulation. █
█ All music is played by hand the old-fashioned way. █
█ Punchy drums and fat bass hold down a slowly █
█ driving groove, as Rhodes and classic electric █
█ guitars rock on. Interestingly, many of the █
█ instruments used on this album have been owned by █
█ the band members since the band was formed thirty █
█ years ago! █
█ Founding member/guitarist Gayle Ellett said ôWe █
█ wanted to create a melodic album with a classic █
█ sound. Most of us were born around 1960, so the █
█ 1970Æs was the decade of our youth, our teenage █
█ years. And the music of that time, and the values █
█ it embraced, were very pivotal in the development █
█ of our views on how music should sound. This was a █
█ time when Fusion, Psychedelic music, Southern Rock █
█ and other styles were all quite popular. With █
█ Regenerator 3017 weÆre not trying to recreate that █
█ era, but we are inspired by it.ö █
█ This is the best album yet by Djam Karet. It has █
█ more melodies, better production and sound █
█ quality, and more interesting compositions then █
█ any of their previous (16!) albums. As they enter █
█ their 30th year together, this release shows a █
█ group that is continuing to grow and evolve, █
█ constantly improving with age. █
█ █
█ Band-members: █
█ Gayle Ellett - electric guitar, keyboards █
█ Mike Henderson - electric guitar █
█ Henry Osborne - bass █
█ Chuck Oken Jr. - drums █
█ Mike Murray - electric guitar █
█ + █
█ Mark Cook û warr guitar (track 02) █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ I was only half joking when I introduced this █
█ album in a recent edition of ôSomething For The █
█ Weekendö, a blog which seeks to point the █
█ inquisitive towards the new releases we scribblers █
█ consider worth a spin, with the phrase ôThink Pink █
█ Floyd arm wrestling with King Crimson in a █
█ three-decade-long bout that has yet to declare a █
█ winner!ö There is actually far more to this █
█ long-running band than that, but it is a good █
█ starting point. Formed in 1984 by guitarists Gayle █
█ Ellett and Mike Henderson, Djam Karet celebrate █
█ their 30th anniversary with this, their 17th █
█ full-length album, the clue being in the title. █
█ Regenerator 3017 sees the Californian instrumental █
█ proggers take a sideways step from last yearÆs one █
█ track 47 minute space rock extravaganza █
█ The Trip. This time out we are presented with █
█ seven distinct and separate compositions that take █
█ the listener on aàerràtrip through a laid back █
█ soundscape. █
█ IÆll admit to not having heard all 16 of Djam █
█ KaretÆs previous albums, so it may not be a first, █
█ but it was certainly a surprise for this listener █
█ to hear the fusion vibes of opening track Prince █
█ Of The Inland Empire. Bass guitarist Henry Osborne █
█ leads the way with his fast paced and fluid runs, █
█ over which jazzy keyboard runs and guitar lines █
█ stroll languidly in the southern Californian sun. █
█ The jazzy vibe is, if anything even more █
█ pronounced on Living In The Future Past, the █
█ interaction of HenryÆs bass and Gayle EllettÆs █
█ Fender Rhodes being reminiscent of the more fusion █
█ inclined elements in the playing of Adam Holzman █
█ and Nick Beggs in Steven WilsonÆs band. █
█ Founder members Gayle Ellett (guitar, keyboards), █
█ Mike Henderson (guitar), Henry Osborne (bass) and █
█ Chuck Oken Jnr (drums) interact with the easy █
█ grace you would expect of musicians who have been █
█ playing together for three decades. The influence █
█ of Floyd is certainly there, albeit with a very █
█ slightly funkier feel, as the second part of █
█ Desert Varnish shows. The only member of the band █
█ not there at the beginning is guitarist Mike █
█ Murray, who has been with the group since 2010Æs █
█ The Heavy Soul Sessions. Mike is certainly no █
█ slouch judging by his work on Desert Varnish. I █
█ can tell it is Mike, because helpfully the sleeve █
█ notes tell us that the guitar solos are █
█ ôEllett-left speaker, Murray-center, █
█ Henderson-right speakerö. Guitar excursions have █
█ always been the mainstay of Djam Karet, and █
█ Regenerator 3017 does not disappoint in that █
█ respect. █
█ A vibe akin to Welsh Connection period Man shines █
█ through the next track, and Wind Pillow gently █
█ buffets and cossets us in our sailboat, slowly █
█ wending its way just off the West Coast shoreline, █
█ all with a nonchalant air that allows this █
█ listener to forget the woes of the day. The laid █
█ back vibe continues and Lost Dreams is the most █
█ Floydian of all the tracks on the album, but █
█ retains enough individuality to be more than █
█ merely copyist. Vintage analogue synth lines █
█ appear on this track in between the Gilmouresque █
█ guitar solos from Mike, and the deliberate harking █
█ back to the Golden Age is for once respectful but █
█ not slavishly copyist, a trait all too common with █
█ a lot of what I like to term retro-prog. █
█ Empty House is as contemplative and as melancholic █
█ the title suggests, a mini symphony of lost █
█ memories and tangible regret. Hints of West Coast █
█ psychedelia light up On The Edge Of The Moon, █
█ courtesy of GayleÆs piano, which combined with █
█ some more ôHenderson-right speakerö and █
█ ôMurray-centerö guitar work makes for a classy end █
█ to the album. █
█ Regenerator 3017 has little of the harder edge of █
█ some of the bandÆs prior albums, so in this █
█ particular instance the Crimson comparison I made █
█ earlier can be discarded. Hey, we canÆt be right █
█ all the time, and if you listened to the streaming █
█ as a result of my throwaway intro at the time, █
█ then it had the desired effect! █
█ The recording is of the highest quality, and a █
█ fair few modern bands could learn a thing or two █
█ from the resulting warm analogue sound, █
█ transferred to CD with NO COMPRESSION (my █
█ capitals). This essentially means you can turn it █
█ up on a decent hi-fi without the wince inducing █
█ distortion of that modern recording con trick, █
█ aimed at the far too easy-to-please mp3 generation █
█ and their retrogressive audio reproduction █
█ equipment. Yes, IÆm an old fogey, and proud of it! █
█ I must admit I prefer the harder edge of Djam █
█ KaretÆs ouvre, as perfectly illustrated on 2010Æs █
█ The Heavy Soul Sessions album, but then I always █
█ inclined towards Crimson over Floyd. However, like █
█ a fine wine, this band have matured with age, and █
█ Regenerator 3017, while not threatening to break █
█ down any doors is an assuredly classy album, and █
█ one that has no need at all to brag or make bold █
█ claims, for it is comfortably and perfectly at █
█ ease with itself. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Prince of the Inland Empire 5:35 ░
░ 2. Living in the Future Past 4:50 ░
░ 3. Desert Varnish 7:19 ░
░ 4. Wind Pillow 4:39 ░
░ 5. Lost Dreams 3:51 ░
░ 6. Empty House 6:08 ░
░ 7. On the Edge of the Moon 8:36 ░
░ 40:58 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
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