Harald Grosskopf / Baltes / Heilhecker The Jelenia Gora Sessions Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband   Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Landmarke')

Sunya Beat aka Harald Grosskopf, Steve Baltes & Axel Manrico Heilhecker turned out this performance in Poland at 2004's Ricochet Gathering. This outstanding live set brings to mind all of the reasons why l first became interested in the electronic music scene way back when. Put quite simply it has that human element in amongst all that is going on; a soul, something which albums of pure 'Berlin School', wall to wall step sequencing sadly lack at times. An album too of real musicality and musicianship – these boys must have been rehearsing for a while me thinks!!!!

Some of you may also remember the rather spacerocky '4 x 3' album back in 2001 from these guy's when they created a real storm of electronicness. Here Grosskopf, Baltes and Heilhecker,( playing drums/percussion, keys and guitar respectively) pull together a live set that is just amazing both in its dynamics and diversity with many synthetic avenues explored along the way. At times the sound of experimental guitar harking back to the days when invention really was the name of the game, synthesisers still in their infancy, Krautrock still somewhat of a loose cannon on the sub-cultural music scene. Unyet at the same time this trio pull together a set that is as refreshing and as contemporary as the latest Schulze album all with seemingly surprising ease.

With a rather delightful production job 'Jelenia Sky' gets the party started an arpeggiator gently undulating away to itself soon forming the basis of a layer cake of sound with much more substance than straightforward electronics. With the piece in full flow, the chugging guitar winding out a melody over the African vibe created by Grosskopf's hand drums. The ten minute plus 'Miami' is next up after a brief round of applause. Heavily treated guitar and electronics rumble away – no big deal. Then the drums kick in, Heilhecker switching between pure pedal effect weirdness and an excellent riffing technique, through which he chops out a theme,( it has to be said this all sounding alot like an uptempo Jan Hammer/Miami Vice composition – check out his recurrent 'New York theme' sometime ). Grosskopt plays against the big acoustic drumset loop and we're in pure Maxxess mode, these guy's can really rock!! Fan-bloody-tastic. They break things down into a swathe of ambient synth and samples at the halfway mark only to return to rock mode a minute or two later with added synths ontop, opting to completely rock out for the remainder of the piece.

'Lys' is next on the playlist. Don't know if any of you out there remember any of the 'Startled Insects' work for TV in the late eighties, early nineties??? This sounds very similar to their musical interpretations with a strong hint of Satrianiesque blues guitar work. The piece stalks around for some nine minutes gradually mutating into a section of synthetic unease and subliminal speech in the background which on any other day would have me believing that l've got an Ozric Tentacles album on instead.

Track four,'Landmarke'',(15.03) kicks off with what l would best describe as Theremin guitar as Heilhecker has a moment or two of complete musical madness. It's that 'l don't give a damn' approach to the music, pure wackiness and l love it, crazy as it is!!! Baltes sequenced synth bass suddenly cuts through taking centre stage, gentle electronic percussion sidling alongside, not sure where these guys are going to take the piece next. Heilhecker still creating contorted, strangled screams from the guitar, the slow sequencer bass constantly reminding us that this is synth track just dying to explode into something more. Grosskopf plays against the electronic drums with closely miked hand drums creating variation and intensity throughout. What superb soundtracky stuff this is all pinned together by Baltes' synthwork.

'Gora Slide',(9.54) see's a return to that Satriani humbucking bluesy slide guitar sound as we veer off into a type of hypnotic mantra. The percussion really picks up at the six minute mark, a riffing guitar seeing the piece to its close.

A moment of absolute musical magic opens 'Gamma Life' as a picked acoustic guitar/synth echoes away tiptoeing a delicate path to the next chord perfectly sounding oh so very fragile, l'm transfixed!!! A gentle mood set so faultlessly broken by a contemporary drum loop and shuffling guitar improvisation. Baltes synths and effects sweep the whole track as the opening chords return together with industrial strength electronic drums brought in to close the piece. It is indeed a track of extreme opposites, but with these guys brimming such confidence l think they actually make this track work!!!

The ten minute 'Drum and Bond' closes the set with a consistency that just does not let up throughout the entire album. It's obvious that these three muso's work well together bouncing ideas around, know one trying to single handedly steal the show. Deep synth clangs and chimes,( ala Rubicon) steal away prior to a very contemporary drum loop kicking in for Grosskopf to play against. An edgy bass rumbles away, and whilst we're all having a good time Heihecker starts playing that over familiar James Bond theme on the guitar. Crazy as this may sound it all works very well indeed, Baltes bringing festivities to a close with more panned synthwork, those chimes and clangs taking us back to the early seventies again.

It's difficult to pigeonhole this album as it's both a synth and rock recording combined with ambient synth washes, subtle charm and tear your head off industrial strength electronics!! Certainly an album of extremes, very entertaining and inventive it is too. Repeated listens revealing aspects of the music that you may have missed first time around.