Various Artists
(6CDR Set) Concerts at Jodrell Bank
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(Excerpt from track '7 min compilation RMI / UtD / Paul Nagle / Arcane / Kubusschnitt / AirSculpture')
 
Sometimes, for no reason anyone can put their finger on, it all comes together and everything clicks. By the time the Radio Massacre International / Under The Dome gig was due at Jodrell Bank it would have been almost a year since we had last held a concert there. It was therefore decided that we would return with a vengeance and have concerts on four consecutive months starting in March. The atmosphere at Jodrell Bank is always a bit special and as well as the audience tending to appreciate it the artists also tend to get a buzz and are inspired to produce some of their best work. This year though it was almost as if there was a magical aura about the place and without exception each band came up with gigs that were the best I had ever heard. What's more Tony Sawford was allowed to set up his recording equipment in such a way as to allow the best possible recordings from an audience point of view and when the best bits of this were mixed with soundboard recording we were ensured of great sound quality which also picked up the atmosphere felt by those people watching. So we had great gigs and good sound quality and fantastic music. It also helped that five of the six bands above were on our very own Neu Harmony label so getting permission for the release of the music wasn't as problematic as it would have been. RMI are not on our label but their label Centaur kindly gave us permission to release the gig as long as it was done as an 'Official Bootleg' and as part of a multi CD set.

Initially we released the four CD set covering the four bands playing (one CD each) at the first two gigs. This sold very well even without any advertising (it is top of this months chart). But then there were the AirSculpture and Kubusschnitt gigs - and what gigs! There was no way we couldn't include these as well, thus the four CD set was increased to a 6 CD set. We were very keen not to penalize the people who had already purchased the four CD set however, so for a very limited period of time the AirSculpture and Kubusschnitt gig will be available as a double CD package on its own. The 4 CD set is also being withdrawn. As soon as we sell the last few sets we have available that will be it. So to sum up, in about two months all that will be available is the six CD set.

We are so anxious that as many people as possible get to hear these CDs that we have tried to sell then at a very low price (a fiver per CD if you buy the 4 or 6 CD sets). To do this we have had to forgo any fancy labels on the CDs but the outer packaging is nice. The multi CD sets all come in specially designed jewel cases to hold that many CDs. They are rather nifty actually.

It is also important to point out that four of the six CDs contain all new music. The other two contain live versions of existing tracks plus new material as well. Anyway there follows reviews of the six CDs. Three of them done by myself, David Law, and three done by Steve Roberts.

CDR1 Radio Massacre International / 5 tracks / 63.25 mins

R.M.I. have certainly come a long way from the first time I saw them at EMMA. Playing live for the first time since the May 1998 gig at the October Gallery, this CDR captures the band in great form. The first piece begins, uncharacteristically, with sequencers, Schulze-like treatments and magnificent, moody mellotron. If you were disappointed with TD's 'Soundmill' this is just the tonic. Throughout the set the guitar playing enhances the sound in a number of ways and the sequencing generally makes it more accessible, yet the band stay true to their improvisational roots and now seem to have found the right balance between pre-structured ideas and spontaneous composition. There are many highlights here, not least 'Upstairs Downstairs', which, enigmatically, is not included on the recent live set of the same name. The band still excel at building powerful atmospheres and with the more rhythmic approach adopted here, RMI are sure to gain more converts. (SR)

CDR2 Under the Dome / 7 tracks / 58.78 mins

U.T.D. opened the gig on the night and combined new material with older pieces, the tracks being 'Launch', 'Drift' (new track) , 'Flussiger Vier-Takter', 'Long Rain' (new track) , 'The Aeon's Day', 'The Bastard Son of Jarre and Vangelis' (new track- very much a working title!), and 'Hell'.

Interspersing powerful sequencing a la Garrison/Jarre with quieter, more abstract sections, Grant Middleton (Colin Anderson couldn't make the gig but laid down his parts beforehand) played an excellent and varied set. U.T.D.'s strength lies in the high quality of the melodies which are carefully segued and contrasted with more impressionistic, expansive passages which enhance the character of the different styles adopted.Those at the gig were treated to an excellent version of 'Choronzon', absent here I suspect for copyright reasons. Nevertheless, this is a fine souvenir of U.T.D. in full flow. (SR)

CDR3 Paul Nagle / 10 tracks / 62.02 mins

It is always difficult to guess what Paul is coming up with next but here he went out of his way to produce a real crowd pleaser. Sequences, great melodies and rhythms all went together to make a stunning set. Many people commented after that it was the best stuff they had ever heard him play. The sound of a violin over synth pads sets a very atmospheric and beautiful opening scene.

At just over a minute in we get a slow bass sequence emerging and a minute later a much faster sequence comes in to join it then one of the best sequences I have ever heard Paul produce is nonchalantly just thrown into the mix as if it was all so easy. The second track makes use of a rapid and exciting plucked strings type of sequence, a faintly Celtic sounding melody is then layered over the top and the sequence becomes more intense working itself up to an absolute frenzy. We then move through a short atmospheric bridging section into the fourth track. where there is yet another rapid sequence and a rather haunting lead line. Another ball breaking sequence like the one in the first track breaks through and we really begin to rock until coming to a crashing halt.

The next section begins slowly and very ominously but as this is something of a sequencer fest it isn't long before those familiar pulsations start to provide the backbone over which Tim Rafferty's very subtle floating space guitar weaves its spell. Next rumbles and what sounds like metal being blown in the wind is used as a backdrop to a beautiful piano section played by John Hickey. We are then treated to a slowly rhythmic track full of excellent melodies which worked so well in the planetarium setting. For the following section we are back to a deep throbbing bass sequence and the sound of strange alien creatures. Its then the final scheduled track of the night and what a piece of music it is. A train type sequence starts up but then we get another deep no nonsense one careering along after it. Then the rhythms are added. This track is already delivering big time but when the melody comes in it transforms an already great track into something very special. The crowd don't hold back on showing their appreciation and for an encore we are into a very heavy rhythmic track making use of a bass dance beat showing yet another side to Paul's immense talent. (DL)

CDR4 Arcane / 5 tracks / 71.02 mins

It was precisely 6 minutes and 30 seconds into 'The Plastic Eaters' on Arcane's 'Future Wreck' that I sat up and realised that at last here was an album that at least matched the very best of T.D. at their peak. Many retro bands have managed to recreate the atmospheres of classic golden age (seventies) E.M., the sequencing, the mellotrons, the psychedelic guitar but few, if any, have matched the melodic content of classic T.D. 'The Visible Empty Man' takes you on a tour of vintage 70's Dream before settling into the early 80's with a superb rhythmic, Schmoelling motif and then an anthem to rival the very best the genre can offer. Paul Lawler, quite rightly ,is gaining plaudits for his 2 Arcane albums, the best of which was performed flawlessly and captured on this disc.However, there are 2 superb new compositions here which left the audience stunned at the J.B. gig. The final piece is one of the most immediately memorable E.M. anthems I have heard in a long while. As powerful and strident as Shreeve in full flow, Lawler's abilities as a first class tunesmith are undeniable and his total command of the different styles of golden age E.M. is amazing. This disc is on heavy rotation and is an essential prequel to the next, much anticipated, album. (SR)

CDR5 AirSculpture / 2 tracks / 64.56 mins

Apart from the encore the entire disc is taken up with one track which has four distinct sections. The first is AirSculpture at their most cosmic, its then bright sequencing time, we then get an ominous brooding section and finally (lasting half an hour!) we have the best sequencer bash I have ever heard them do- the audience went crazy! But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. Soft pads and note droplets are left to hang in the air as the mind wanders through vast uncharted areas of space. The occasional lonesome lead line provides some focus and from time to time we get other cosmic effects but for the most part this is pure float. At twelve minutes we enter the second section where the first sequence makes an entrance, a rather fast bright one that could probably have done with being slightly lower in the mix but that is only a small quibble. As this sequence dies away the pads become darker sounding. Then we get a very slow, very deep bass rumble / sequence and the darkness of the piece intensifies considerably sending chills down the spine. The accompanying crashing effects and slabs of chaotic sound fit the mood created by 'the throb' perfectly.

It is the final section of this track that most people will remember however. This sequencing just has to be heard to be believed. The sounds used are some of the thickest and most thunderous I have ever heard spewing from a sequencer. It is as if we are in the middle of a thunderstorm with one rumble being replaced by another with hardly any gap in between. The scorching lead lines are like flashes of lightning whilst others sound as if the clouds themselves form some demonic figure which is crying out above the thunder. The physical battering taken by the first three rows of the audience as tidal waves of sound relentlessly broke onto them must have been amazing. What's more everything is in a constant state of shift. I am not exaggerating when I say that for fans of heavy sequencing this will probably be the best half hour of music you will have ever heard. So its encore time and really its pretty much more of the same with a sequence blasting from the speakers. What you can't tell by listening to this however is that after about half way through Pete and John leave the stage leaving Adrian to play everything - remember AirSculpture don't use tape. Its just unbelievably well done and he is very clearly enjoying himself immensely! (DL)

CDR6 Kubusschnitt / 6 tracks / 56.08 mins

After some cosmic rumblings we get a lonesome guitar over faint synth washes. At two minutes the first sequence starts up and the guitar disappears. As with much of Kubusschnitt's work Klaus Schulze inevitably comes to mind though the sequencer passages don't tend to go on for as long. We return to a rather cosmic section and some vocoded speech can be heard. There are some great deep wooshes and real out of it effects. The second section gets straight into another sequence and a real belter it is too. The guitar initially just adds a little colour low in the mix but it then provides the main subtle lead line, this isn't axe man stuff. The sequences mutate and become more rhythmic and you just float away on a fantastic combination of sounds and pulsations.

As with the previous acts this music just fitted the planetarium setting perfectly. For the last three minutes we return to tranquil synth pads and then float into the third part which again is a brilliant combination of sounds, the sequence sitting in the middle of the mix which like everything else here is given just the right amount of emphasis. A really sumptuous track. The fourth number uses a sequence which utilizes a sort of crystalline sound over which Andy's guitar gently soars. The sequence moves higher in the mix to be on par with the guitar, merging together beautifully. At four minutes the guitar is replaced by a conventional synth lead and the sequence moves lower in the mix again. This isn't in yer face stuff instead it is rather subtle , constantly changing and moving from one set of sounds to another. The guitar returns at eight minutes and the sequence again becomes more strident to match it. The next track is a short number consisting of piano and guitar finishing off a fantastic set beautifully. The audience demanded more however and Kubusschnitt dully delivered. A ping pong type sequence started things off. A repeated bass thud is added and melodic pads start to build underneath. This is very moody stuff. At under two minutes however all is change and a heavy bass sequence of the no-nonsense variety breaks through. We then get a slashing lead line and hurtle forwards, providing just the right upbeat atmosphere with which to finish. (DL)

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