This is simply one of the most wacked-out, laid-back, spaced into the world of jazz fission, enthralling meditated guidance that you’ll need to set yourself for two hours, going into the world of the Øresund Space Collective. They have been around for 20 years, releasing 27 studio albums. Yes, you heard right. 27 studio albums and 12 live recordings. This year, they’ve unleashed their latest album from Ken Golden’s Laser’s Edge label entitled Orgone Unicorn.
When you hear a title like that, you have to think for yourself, “How in the hell did they come up with a cool title like that?” It almost sounded like something straight out of the minds of Daevid Allen’s Flying Teapot at the time he was working on the Radio Gnome trilogy. And why do you think there’s a bit of Gong in the band’s music?
With fellow comrades including Mattias Olsson (White Willow, Necromonkey, Anglagard), Jonathan Segel (Camper Van Beethoven), Martin Weaver (Wicked Lady), Luis Simoes (Saturina), Hasse Horrigmoe (Tangle Edge), K.G. Westman, Larry Lush, and mastermind of the synths Dr. Space, Orgone Unicorn is one big tough cookie to delve into by travelling through tracks that clock in between 17, 18, 22, 25, 27, and 34 minutes!
That’s a massive ton of intense music for you to sink into those gigantic mushrooms, that’s waiting for you at the dinner table! Listening to this 2-CD set, the Space Collective’s arrangements put you right inside their mothership as we prepare ourselves to embark on this strange, and out of this world journey with insane momentum!
There are moments in the pieces where they weigh-in with synthesized and throttling power, coming from the minds of Hawkwind, Aphrodite’s Child’s 666, Amon Duul II, or Terry Riley’s A Rainbow in Curved Air with a sunrising, violin arrangement, watching the sun rise into the west. Or right into the heart of India and its middle-eastern textures in which Westman, breaks out his sitar, and channel the mind of Ravi Shankar while Segel takes us into the heart of the temples, waiting for the Garu in Pali to give out further instructions which is evidential on the title-track.
Then, its off to the You-era from Gong’s Flying Teapot where ‘Kraut Toe Trip’ makes a perfect landing, into the Isle of Everywhere as Øresund’s second-in-command, Hasse Horrigmoe’s bass, walks into a loop in the styles of Mike Howlett. The synths themselves turn into this halogenic trip that’ll freak you out, nonstop. I felt some Morse Code instructions that are about to go haywire on this bad boy.
And, you know something crazy is about to happen. I believe it’s Segel’s brutal guitar lines and Dr. Space creating havoc on his synth machines, sending one message after another. Then, they lay out the heavy drum machines to go into this trip-hop effect by returning to their home planet for a delicious meal of the ‘Omnia Magnifico’, waiting for the aroma to kick in.
This was a BIG challenge. Not just for the Laser’s Edge, not just Øresund Space Collective, but for me. Tackling 2 hours of mind-blowing instrumental goodness, it fits well enough to hurl through the cosmos and see what different planet awaits. And the adventure has only just begun.
