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░ ██ ██ Artist: Nik Turner ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Life in Space █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-12-22 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Psychedelic Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Cleopatra / Purple Pyramid ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Nicholas "Nik" Turner is an English musician, best █
█ known as a former member of space rock pioneers █
█ Hawkwind. Turner plays saxophones, flute, sings █
█ and is a composer. █
█ Nik Turner's debut was my first experience with █
█ his music other than of course his work with █
█ HAWKWIND. The debut was called "Xitintoday" from █
█ 1978 and it was a unique recording in that Nik █
█ recorded much of it in a pyramid over in Egypt. █
█ It's a really good album too and there's such a █
█ cool story to that one. Since then I can't say █
█ he's done much in the way of quality music until █
█ he met Nicky Garratt from HEDERSLEBEN. Soon Nik is █
█ playing on their debut released in 2013 and Nicky █
█ and most of HEDERSLEBEN are playing with Nik on █
█ his 2013 comeback album called "Space Gypsy". What █
█ a great partnership this has been as Nik has █
█ released three album with Nicky and they are all █
█ incredible easily surpassing what HAWKWIND has █
█ been doing of late. █
█ This 2017 release called "Life In Space" features █
█ pretty much the same lineup as that 2013 album and █
█ like I said pick any of the three they are all so █
█ good. The middle album "Space Fusion Odyssey" is █
█ the best in my opinion with a ton of guests █
█ helping out plus that Jazz/ Fusion style really █
█ makes that album for me. So besides the █
█ HEDERSLEBEN members on here we get Paul Rudolph █
█ playing guitar on one track. He played guitar on █
█ HAWKWIND's "Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music" █
█ record from 1976. Simon House another HAWKWIND █
█ alumni is here on violin while Jurgen Engler is █
█ back formerly of AMON GURU, COSMIC COURIERS and █
█ DIE KRUPPS. Chris Lietz on keys also played with █
█ Jurgen in DIE KRUPPS. █
█ "End Of The World" opens with the guitar echoing █
█ away over and over before the drums stampede the █
█ soundscape and the guitar starts ripping it up. A █
█ calm takes over before a minute with various █
█ sounds coming and going in that psychedelic haze. █
█ Soon piano comes out of that mist along with a █
█ beat, guitar and processed vocals. Spacey synths █
█ too as it settles in with vocals. Man this reminds █
█ me of Dream Pop with those vocals. Check them out █
█ before 2 1/2 minutes. Flute before 4 minutes. Love █
█ the sound here, such a feel good song. It starts █
█ to fade out late with flute and spacey sounds █
█ ending it. █
█ "Why Are You?" opens with spacey synths before █
█ some aggressive guitar kicks in followed by █
█ mellotron, drums and bass as the vocals join in. █
█ This becomes a great driving track in the HAWKWIND █
█ mode. Vocals stop before 2 minutes then the guitar █
█ rips off a grinding solo over top. Nice. More █
█ mellotron before 3 1/2 minutes. What a great █
█ rocking track. Sax follows then more mellotron █
█ before 4 1/2 minutes then the vocals return. █
█ "Back To Earth" opens with spacey sounds as █
█ strummed guitar, flute and percussion arrive. This █
█ is exotic and beautiful. The tempo picks up just █
█ before a minute and laid back vocals join in █
█ sounding distant. Violin before 3 minutes during █
█ an instrumental section. Vocals are back 3 1/2 █
█ minutes in then the violin returns late. █
█ "Secrets Of The Galaxy" opens with spacey sounds █
█ that build and recede over and over until this █
█ great sounding bass kicks in followed by guitar, █
█ drums and synths. Vocals join in around a minute █
█ pretty much speaking the lyrics. Catchy stuff. The █
█ groove stops after 3 minutes as it turns █
█ experimental with sax, spoken words, atmosphere █
█ and more. █
█ "Universal Mind" opens with flute and keyboards █
█ before the guitar and drums kick in creating this █
█ heavy and smokey groove in a spacey atmosphere. █
█ Vocals join in too almost speaking the lyrics. █
█ After 2 1/2 minutes the music calms down as the █
█ focus becomes on what Nik is saying. It kicks back █
█ in almost a minute later then flute ends it. █
█ "Approaching The Unknown" opens with the birds █
█ singing in a spacey atmosphere with droning organ █
█ I believe. Flute then takes over before 2 minutes █
█ but there's still lots of atmosphere here. The █
█ guitar starts to rise out of this after 3 minutes. █
█ Flute is back after 4 minutes. This is an intense █
█ track but then we are approaching the unknown █
█ right? So good! The drums start to help out then █
█ it seems to wind down before 6 minutes to the end. █
█ "As You Were" features atmosphere but there's so █
█ much going on including whispers and various █
█ sounds. So cool. Some powerful breaks come and go █
█ in the BLACK SABBATH tradition surprisingly. This █
█ is haunting to say the least, like life is about █
█ to end. I guess we have met the unknown at this █
█ point. The tempo picks up some before 2 minutes. █
█ Sax just before 3 minutes as the tempo still seems █
█ to be slowly building. Kicking ass after 4 minutes █
█ with death metal-like vocals to end it. I know █
█ right? █
█ "Master Of The Universe" is of course a HAWKWIND █
█ cover co-written originally by Nik Turner and Dave █
█ Brock. A faithful cover with manipulated sax over █
█ top at times. This was originally on "In Search Of █
█ Space" released in 1971. █
█ An absolutely stunning album that falls just short █
█ of 5 stars for me but it will certainly be high on █
█ my 2017 end of the year list. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. End of the World 6:08 ░
░ 2. Why Are You? 7:09 ░
░ 3. Back to Earth 5:09 ░
░ 4. Secrets of the Galaxy 4:36 ░
░ 5. Universal Mind 3:53 ░
░ 6. Approaching the Unknown 6:27 ░
░ 7. As You Were 5:28 ░
░ 8. Master of the Universe (Hawkwi 5:51 ░
░ 44:41 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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