Monday, March 19, 2012

Elektriktus, "Electronic Mind Waves" 1973-76


Elektriktus hearkens back nicely to an era when "electronics" were very much a new element on the rock, jazz, improvisational scene. The album Electronic Mind Waves was released on LP in 1976 and saw reissue a couple of times through to today, when it is out as an Ictus CD (702). That is appropriate because in reality "Elektriktus" is in fact Andrea Centazzo on electronic keys and percussion-drums, with Franco Feruglio joining in on contrabass for one cut.

I suppose the first thing to say, or things rather, is that this is not a typical album from Maestro Centazzo, and perhaps it is not his very best album either.

What it is is a cosmic trip in an early ambient mode. Repeating motifs, pulsing, and space electronics dominate in ways that are musical and appealing. There is a melodic-compositional aspect to the music that sets it apart from a mere stoner head-music sort of thing. Yet it is of its age.

A creative exploration that's nice to hear, that's what this is. I would not put it at the top of my "must have" list. But it's good space music of its time. And so it captures something that perhaps we have lost today.

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