Sunken Treasures #2 | Alex Cima – Cosmic Connection

Alex Cima‘s debut album from 1979 stands in line with a long series of space-disco records from this time that completely dispensed with the classic band concept and produced sophisticated studio albums with lots and lots of synth in it. And with a little dedication to this very niche, you will be caressed by well-known stylistic devices at first listen already. Lots of analog keys, embedded in classic synth-strings, funky stumbling drums that were probably still triggered by hand. And in the best moments, lush vocoders that convey the message of a bright future.

And yet Cuban born Cima has found his very own place in the vicinity of space: planet earth. Because as much as his pieces make use of the tools of his time, he remains pretty close to earth. He tells the story of a brighter future on our home planet much more than of the uncertainty of infinite vastness. It gets cheesy at times, but somehow never boring or arbitrary, because Cosmic Connection always comes around the corner with some clever twists, has its very own groove and proves again and again that he’s not a lazy copycat, but rather someone diligently paving his way trough sonic space.

Luke Vibert was fondly reminded of Can in his homage to Cima, I’m somehow often reminded of Edward Upton‘s (DMX Krew) funky numbers on his own Fresh Up Records.

Octobird Salad #4 | Unrestrained Sphere Diving

Warp Records just rereleased B12’s Time Tourist Masterpiece. A-Ton Records keeps going on to release the Chronicles of The 7th Plain. Who is nobody else than Luke Slater, rather known for driven Techno Bangers.
But these classics are a dreamy proof of how much warmth can be wiped out of a digital DX7 Synthesizer from the early 80s. And this heritage miraculously continues into present days with artists such as Reedale Rise, Stereociti or Charlton.

Always nice and deep, but not a bit pretentious!

Sunken Treasures #1 | Patrick Vian – Bruits Et Temps Analogues

When I first became aware of Patrick Vian’s album
Bruits Et Temps Analogues by it’s release on Staubgold Records, I was not aware that this was a 1976 reissue because
Vian’s expeditions to the soundscapes of jazz, fusion, electronica are s
o timeless and cross-genre.

In each of his titles, he builds up picturesque arrangements with the help of analog synthesizers, field recordings, percussion and all sorts of exotic instruments which never quite engage in classical song or instrumental structures, but always wavering towards an unique idea. Here and there it gets quite funky and you wait for the drums to go on the one, but Vian refuses the easy way, creating unique timeless sound paintings.

So, if you haven’t been travelling in a while, that’s the perfect Album to do so.

Inhalts-Ende

That's the bottom of the sky.