01	At The Mountains Of Madness						09:23
	02	Province 19: The Visage Of War						08:19
	03	Feast Of Ashes						10:52
	04	Grooming The Psychosis						12:03
	05	Topanga Safari						06:02
	06	Ten Days To The Sand						11:13
	07	Burning The Hard City						12:09

BURNING THE HARD CITY (1991)

1. At The Mountains Of Madness (9.17)
2. Province 19: The Visage Of War (8.13)
3. Feast Of Ashes (10.46)
4. Grooming The Psychosis (11.57)
5. Topanga Safari (5.57)
6. Ten Days To The Stand (11.07)
7. Burning The Hard City (12.07)

Gayle Ellett - Electric 7-String and 6-String Guitars, Taped Effects, Keyboards, Percussion
Mike Henderson - Electric Twelve And Six String Guitars, Effects, Keyboards
Chuck Oken, Jr. - Drums, Electronic Percussion, Keyboards Synthesizer Programming And Sequencing
Henry Osborne - Electric Bass, Bottled Bass, Keyboards, Percussion

Produced by Djam Karet and Rob DeChaine

(c) 1991 HC Productions



Djam Karet
Burning the Hard City
Cuneiform (rune 128)
USA 1991

Gayle Ellett, guitars, taped effects, keyboards, percussion;
Mike Henderson, guitars, effects, keyboards;
Henry J. Osborne, bass, keyboards, percussion;
Chuck Oken Jr., drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer programming, sequencing

Tracklist:
1. At the Mountains of Madness - 9:17
2. Province 19 : The Visage of War - 8:13
3. Feast of Ashes - 10:46
4. Grooming the Psychosis - 11:57
5. Topanga Safari - 5:57
6. Ten Days to the Sand - 11:07
7. Burning the Hard City - 12:07

total time 69:24


eric

An instrumental blend of heavy distorted guitars contrasted by atmospheric soundscapes. My biggest issue with this particular recording (it is the only Djam Karet I own) is the themes are very repetitive. The compositions seem to lack direction, it sounds like a bunch of ideas pieced together with no real balance. My favorite track is the mellow guitar jams on "Feast of Ashes", this is where my ear is tickled the most. Lush synths allow for a mix of Gilmour meets Latimer lead work. Mostly I find myself getting bored with the songs, as many are in the 9 to 12 minute range with the variations sometimes few and far between, and the changes that do occur are for the most part uninteresting.
undated


brandon

This is easily the best Djam Karet studio album I've heard, with flailing guitar solos, solid drumming, and fantastic bass work. Those unfamiliar with the band should be warned that their compositions tend to be little more than extended guitar solos over either atmospheric keyboard/synth washes or agile rhythm section work. However, on Burning the Hard City, the band gets more intense than ever, at the same time playing melodies that are more interesting than ever. Also, despite the total lack of acoustic instruments and predominance of electric guitar, this album manages to avoid being cold or overly abrasive.
Some of the pieces get a bit too repetitive, particularly "Province 19" and "Grooming the Psychosis" (incidentally, these are also the two most aggressive songs by far). However, a haunting blend of creeping atmospherics and soaring electric guitar solos make songs like "Feast of Ashes" and "Ten Days to the Sand" rise above the rest. "Topanga Safari" is something of a departure for Djam Karet - a relatively brief piece featuring an almost funky feel to the rhythm section.

Any big fan of the electric guitar as a lead or solo instrument will want to pick up Burning the Hard City. That said, it's not just a collection of guitar solos; it's an album that shows Djam Karet's compositional powers at their peak.



Djam Karet - Burning The Hard City

Released: 2000 (re-issue from 1991)
Label: Cuneiform Records
Cat. No.: Rune 128
Total Time: 68:04


Reviewed by: John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, November 2000
Whilst they don't beat around the bush stating they all very much like Ozric Tentacles, our friends Djam Karet have created a sound of their own, a sound which can truly be called unique! These four Americans deliver superb instrumental music which can be put under the banner "early Floyd meets complex King Crimson" (and they lived happy ever after and had many babies, one of which they called Djam Karet :).

Suspension And Displacement and Burning The Hard City are two different CDs, yet they complement each other. The first is calmer, sketching wide planes and disconsolate landscapes. The band stand behind Peter Gabriel's saying in "Across The Wire": "I speak in pictures, not in words." There is a "worst case scenario" atmosphere present all over the album, especially by means of the minimalistic effect of dark sounds in the long epics. Burning The Hard City on the other hand is like an antipode of the first. It's like day against night. The entire album is more rhythmic and melodic than the first and leans much more towards jazz improvisations. Osbourne's repetitive funky bass playing forms the strong backbone for "At The Mountains Of Madness" where guitar improvisation is THE word! In "Feast Of Ashes" the guitar leans towards the better parts of Jadis' career, whilst it's once again the bass stealng the show in "Topanga Safari." [One of this editor's favourites - ed.] There are also more sound colourings, such as in "Grooming The Psychosis." The album closes with the title track "Burning The Hard City" which has Chuck Oken Jr. hit those electronic drums so hard it almost wakes your neighbours! Sure there are some Floyd influences as well here, before the guitar turns towards great blues. But then the acoustic drums set the pace for an intriguing finale bursting out of its seams with great finds and adrenaline driven riffs.

For those of you who have been longing for something completely new then Djam Karet might be the solution! Djam Karet: a name to write on all of those Post-It memo notes and stick them all over your room : and your mind!

More about Burning The Hard City:

Track Listing: At The Mountains Of Madness (9:17) / Province 19 : The Visage Of War (8:13) / Feast Of Ashes (10:46) / Grooming The Psychosis (11:57) / Topanga Safari (5:57) / Ten Days To The Sand (11:07) / Burning The Hard City (12:07)

Musicians:

Gayle Ellett - electric 7-string & 6-string guitars, keyboards, taped effects, percussion
Mike Henderson - electric and acoustic 6-string & 12-string guitars, effects, percussion
Chuck Oken Jr. - drums, synthesizer programming, sequencing, electronic percussion
Henry J. Osborne - electric 5-string bass, keyboards, percussion

Contact:

Website: www.djamkaret.com



Djam Karet - Burning The Hard City
Country of Origin: USA
Format: CD
Record Label: Cuneiform
Catalogue #: rune 128
Year of Release: 1991 (release 2000)
Time: 70:01
Info: Djam Karet

Tracklist: At The Mountains Of Madness (9:17), Province 19: The Visage Of War (8:13), Feast Of Ashes (10:46), Grooming The Psychosis (11:57), Topanga Safari (5:57), Ten Days To The Sand (11:07), Burning The Hard City (12:07)
OK, this is more like it. More of a Floydian/Crimson mix although by no means it deserves the title "hard rock" they would like to label this album, in order to contrast it to the previous album (did I mentioned they were released together, like some musical Yin & Yang ?).

The cover, like a more subtle version of the Ayreon Electric Castle cover, already promises some more action than the other one, not to mention the heavy song titles. The music itself is based on the very early psychedelic Floyd, but with more hard rock based melodic lines. Even so, it all sounds quite clinical, dynamically flat and, most of all, without the fury early Floyd or Crimson put into their music. By no means can they touch the level of the masters they try to combine in their music. It surprised me to see that some magazines have published raving reviews of these twin albums. But if you like these bands, some jazz and don't care if that level is not quite reached, you might try this. Be aware that the ongoing loops are featured on this album too. Still, this comes much closer to my perception of progressive rock than Suspension & Displacement.

Again, with regards to the rating, a word of caution: first album is absolutely not my taste, the second album lacks all emotion hence the grades. Other people may love them (if you like to be stoned and drown in repeating music).

Conclusion: 6 out of 10.

Remco Schoenmakers



Burning the Hard City
Artist Djam Karet
Album Title Burning the Hard City
Date of Release 1991 (release)
AMG Rating
Genre Electronica
Styles Techno-Tribal, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Time 70:01
Library View Click here to see this album in MARC format
Product Purchase Click here to buy this album

Djam Karet never ceases to amaze with the variety of stylistic veins of sound they mine for gold and gems. Experience guitars clean and relaxing with cutting edge on "At the Mountains of Madness," then mutate into overdriven madness and on throughout fuzzed jams and a breakdown that pushes the C.O.C envelope of their Blind days. These guys have take feedback and sustain into a perfectly honed art. They continue in a Ministry-meets-Metallica-meets-C.O.C.-meets-Black Sabbath vein in "Province 19: The Visage of War." Flow across the river Styx and the begging boatman carries you to the "Feast of Ashes," and the darkness covers all. Anguished guitar crying of yesterday mellows into a '70s Yes/Wishbone Ash nostalgic moment. Synthesizers, rainsticks, and endless sustained guitars weep over your passing. Another pristine outro of guitar as you accept the end. Weird, so twisted is "Grooming the Psychosis" in its intro. Andy Summers' guitar voicing and tight bass work add much. Lead after lead and on into a whirling dervish of bizarre scales that resolves itself in a Satriani-like "Hordes of Locust" ending. "Topanga Safari" is an early-'70s groove with Allman Brothers and Rick Derringer-esque bite. "Ten Days to the Sand" intros with a wide-open Andy Summers feel, then delivers a tempo change and David Gilmour-ish lead break. Later, a fat, delay-driven, reverby, groovin' guitar sets up a sandstorm that blasts you away. Floydian guitars meet Leslie West with Santana for the outro. Title cut "Burning the Hard City" gives a bluesy snarl of weeping guitars bringing you to your knees, as each note is strangled out to its ultimate intensity. A helter-skelter jam erupts as Djam Karet does rock jigs and reels with Buck Dharma flourishes as the last jig is played. A great guitar jamfest. - John W. Patterson






Djam Karet


Djam Karet is a band that is based in Los Angeles. Taking their name from an Indonesian phrase the means "elastic time, the hour that stretches," they were formed in 1984 to play improvisational music. Their first album, No Commercial Potential, saw the light of day in 1985. The follow up was a live album entitled The Ritual Continues that was released in 1987. The group soon began pursuing soundtrack work, over the years creating music for such shows as Hard Copy, infomercials, and commercials, among other venues. 1989 saw the release of Reflections From the Firepool. By 1991, the band had gotten quite ambitious and released two albums meant to be taken as a set. The discs were Burning the Hard City and Suspension and Displacement. The follow-up to those discs would come in the form of 1994's Collaborator. 1997 would see the band on a new label (Cuneiform) and with a new release (The Devouring). Two years later, the group would release another live album, this one recorded at Orion Sound Studios and entitled, simply enough, Live at Orion. That same year also saw the release of Still No Commercial Potential (a limited-edition CD). Cuneiform reissued much of the Djam Karet catalog in 2000. The following year saw a virtual avalanche of music from the band. First was the compilation A Beginners' Guide followed by New Dark Age and the limited edition Ascension and #1. The group released Afghan (Live at the Knitting Factory) and #2 (both limited-edition) in 2002. - Gary Hill


1987 No Commercial Potential HC Productions
1988 Ritual Continues HC Productions
1989 Reflections from the Firepool HC Productions
1991 Burning the Hard City HC Productions
1991 Suspension and Displacement HC Productions
1994 Collaborator HC Productions
1997 Devouring Cuneiform
1999 Live at Orion Cuneiform
2001 New Dark Age Cuneiform



DJAM KARET BIOGRAPHY

Established in the fall of 1984, Djam Karet grew out of the ashes of several Los Angeles based bands with the desire to play purely improvisational music, regardless of its popularity or accessibility. Borrowed from a Harlan Ellison novel, the group's name is a Indonesian phrase that means "elastic time - the hour that stretches", and refers to how your sense of time changes; when you're engaged in the moment, time speeds up. Pronounced Jom Car-At, their original performances took place at various art openings, colleges and universities in the L.A. area and the music was a free-form mixture of guitar-dominated instrumental rock and textural eastern drone music.

The fall of 1985 brought about the release of the first Djam Karet album, No Commercial Potential, which documented the group's first year together. Totally improvised and recorded live in the studio without overdubs, the one hour digitally mastered cassette received underground distribution in the US and England. The band continued with live performances around the Southern California college circuit until the summer of 1986 when Djam Karet began a "wood-shedding" period in order to develop certain conceptual themes and events that kept recurring during their improvisational performances. The band's musical vocabulary grew during this period with the acquisition of keyboards, percussion, and a guitar synthesizer. Through this process of musical exploration and thematic conceptualization, the music which was to become The Ritual Continues was born.

Recorded live at a series of shows in Claremont California in 1987, The Ritual Continues was the band's second cassette only release which was later re-released on CD and LP. This music brought the band some wider recognition and distribution and some reviews in OPTION, ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN, and HOME AND STUDIO RECORDING which is very rare for a cassette only release. The success of The Ritual Continues was a direct result of a body of music that accurately reflects the wide range of material that the band performs, while effectively portraying the balance between improvisation and structure that DJAM KARET strives for.

Soundtrack work is also another area the group has pursued with much success, having scored music for numerous television shows on ESPN and ABC-TV, including Hard Copy, and movie projects such as The Search and High Seas, as well as corporate music for e-commerce internet business sites, Infomercials, and radio commercials for clothing companies.


Released in England, on Audion's Ultima Thule label, Kafka's Breakfast contains a live 25 minute jam, as well as some early recordings by the group Happy Cancer [the precuror to Djam Karet] from their 1982 release McMusic For The McMasses. This cassette-only release is currently out of print.

Following another year of live performances - on stage and in radio station studios - Djam Karet entered the summer of 1988 by purchasing some recording equipment in order to begin using the elements of time and the studio as tools in their expanding musical vocabulary. The band's previous releases were recorded live without overdubs, but soon Djam Karet was reaching for an even deeper sound and a stronger collective group effort. With recording and mixing sessions taking up the next nine months, Djam Karet's Reflections From The Firepool was released in June 1989, almost two years since the debut of The Ritual Continues, and was the group's first release on compact disc! This release garnered favorable reviews in such national publications as ROLLING STONE, (their #2 Independent Album Of The Year), CD REVIEW, AUDION, and MUSIC TECHNOLOGY and helped propel the band into aggressively selling its music direct to its fans and customers via mail-order and to receive airplay on selected radio shows on a global scale.

With worldwide sales increasing, many incredibly positive reviews, and much encouragement from their fans, Djam Karet decided to release a two CD set (available individually) of all new music in September of 1991. Three years in the making and revealing a new darker ambient side of the band, Burning The Hard City (an all instrumental Progressive Hard Rock mind blender), and its companion release, Suspension & Displacement (an all instrumental ambient soup excursion) represent a true expansion of sonic boundaries and musical tension for the band in all directions. Though the musical focus of each release is extremely different, they are also complementary, and together illustrate Djam Karet's diverse stylistic forays. As an ironic statement for a "progressive" band, Suspension and Displacement was named one of the Top Five New Age albums of the year by Tower Records, further increasing the bands exposure, and many positive reviews soon followed in GUITAR PLAYER, KEYBOARD, BASS PLAYER, and others.

In 1994, Djam Karet released their 6th album, titled Collaborator, a musical journey which elaborated upon many of the lands traversed in Suspension and Displacement, and featured the talents of a few of the bands friends: Steve Roach, Marc Anderson, Jeff Greinke, Carl Weingarten, Kit Watkins, Loren Nerell and others. An album full of swirling textures and tones which create moody dreamscapes and desolate landscapes, the album charted much of the territory now mined by many in the electronic-ambient school and created some confusion amongst long time fans who wondered when the band would return to it's all instrumental progressive rock roots.

Those questions and voices were answered in 1997 with the release of The Devouring, the band's first release for Cuneiform Records and their current home. Full of odd time signatures, wailing guitars, a hard driving rhythm section, sound effects, and everything from Hammond Organ and Mellotron to 12 string guitar, Koto and bottled bass, The Devouring received worldwide acclaim, many positive reviews hailing it as a "return to form" and "a prog rock masterpiece", and distribution in stores on a national level in America. The energy from this project was focused into a small tour from which Live At Orion, released in 1999, was recorded. Live At Orion contains improvised live versions of music from five of their previous studio albums performed with fire and passion. Digitally recorded and mixed at the now famous Orion Sound Studios, Live At Orion was given a glowing review in Billboard magazine and received their "Critic's Choice Award".

Also released on a small scale early in 1999 was a self produced CD titled Still No Commercial Potential which harkened back to the band's early days as a completely improvisational ensemble. Totally improvised direct to DAT, this Limited Edition CD was sold almost entirely through the band's mail-order and Wayside Music. Most of 2000 saw the re-release and distribution of much of the band's back-catalog with new artwork and packaging on Cuneiform Records, and afforded the group the opportunity and time to begin practicing, writing, and recording its next release. And for a band that had been so successful at communicating with its fans through the mail in the late 80's and most of the 90's, Djam Karet decided to put the proper energy and tools required into a newly redesigned website to help further their connection with their fans.


As the new century unfolds upon the world, Djam Karet has charged forward into 2001 with a burst of activity from the group resulting in the scheduled release of 3 new albums. New Dark Age is a classic DK album crammed full of wailing Guitar Rock/Fusion and floating pastoral movements. Analog keyboards, Mellotrons and field recordings intermingle with stunning results. Ascension (NDA Volume 2) takes up where New Dark Age left off. Acoustic guitars, Moogs, wooden flutes and other ethnic instruments give this album a more organic sound, and is their most accessible release so far. Also released was the MP3 retrospective album: Djam Karet: A Beginners' Guide. Manufactured by MP3.Com (and also available as a NetCD in a data-only downloadable version) this retrospective/overview album is an excellent all-encompassing presentation of their music from the past to the present, and is a great place to start your collection.


As you explore the website and music of Djam Karet, always remember that they really talk in pictures, not in words.




YEAR RELEASE
2002 A Beginners' Guide, Volume II
2002 A Beginners' Guide, Volume I
2002 #2 (Second in a Series)
2001 Afghan (Live At The Knitting Factory)
2001 #1 (First in a Series)
2001 Ascension (Limted Edition of 750)
2001 New Dark Age
1999 Live At Orion
1998 Still No Commercial Potential (Limted Edition of 750)
1997 The Devouring
1994 Collaborator
1991 Suspension & Displacement
1991 Burning The Hard City
1989 Reflections From The Firepool
1987 The Ritual Continues




REVIEWS
"Djam Karet is an instrumental quartet hailing from Southern California but conducting its business way out in deep space, inhabiting a unique sector where Floydian dreamscapes intersect with the jagged complexity of King Crimson and the improv-guitar happenstance of the Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service." "#2 Independent Album Of The Year"
ROLLING STONE

"Progressive music hasn't died, its just gone way underground. And one of the groups lighting the torch through its tunnels is Djam Karet. Adopting its name from a Balinese phrase about "stretching time", this Southern California quartet can tear through ricochet polyrhythmic grooves, complex structures, and pyrotechnic solos as death defying as King Crimson on a particularly inspired day. Drawing upon music that spans its 15 years together, Djam Karet is never less then exhilarating in its virtuoso interplay, while never succumbing to jam band histrionics. While many of the group's contemporaries have moved into New Age ambiences and smooth jazz ministrations, Djam Karet reveals another path progressive music could follow." "Critic's Choice Award"
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE



"Hose down the living room or your furniture will be burned to a cinder by the intense guitar work of Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson in this jazzy progressive onslaught propelled by power-bassist Henry J. Osborne and drummer Chuck Oken Jr. If you like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and tight, hard jazz, this band is for you. It's not wall-to-wall solos (yeah, there's plenty of those -- don't worry), but instead the focus is on heavy rhythm, dark melodies, and clouds of sound all in well-arranged, sometimes offbeat, instrumentals. These guys play hardball!"
GUITAR PLAYER

"Guitars crunch, slash, crash, and bang through a bundle of hard-driving prog rock cookers. Think 1973 and King Crimson, then add the tight feel of '80s rock and you're on the right track. Suspension & Displacement, on the other hand, digs in rather than surging outward for its power. Guitars form the skeleton of the music, but the movement and outer appearance has as much to do with keyboards, sampling, and tape effects. Distance, not the speed that drives Burning, animates Suspension. Only by hearing extended sections of this CD can the listener perceive an overall shape."
KEYBOARD



"An all-instrumental band, Djam Karet takes the best of '70s progressive rock -- complete with tortuous harmonic twists, odd time signatures, and extended solos -- and adds '90s edge, maturity, and sophistication."
BASS PLAYER

"Take the Grateful Dead at its improvisational best, mix it in with some Quicksilver circa Happy Trails, add to that some King Crimson, some influences from German Electronic bands, throw in some jazz and a whole lot of originality and there you have it, a rough estimation of the sound of California's Djam Karet. Of course, as you can imagine, this group is quite unique."
RELIX



"The disc [Firepool] opens with the roar of an engine and never lets up on the throttle. Powered by the syncro-mesh of drummer Chuck Oken Jr. and bassist Henry J. Osborne, Djam Karet locks into complex, polyrhythmic, multipart compositions with juggernaut intensity and then spins it into another direction. Riding herd on this maelstrom are guitarists Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson. There aren't too many notable guitar duos these days...but Ellett and Henderson make a compelling case for the twin crowns. Their solos swirl and bend in sinewy refractions of sound. On the Moroccan rhythms of Fall of the Monkey Walk, their siren feedback guitars wrap together in long glissandos like elegant scrawls of light on slow-speed film."
CD REVIEW

"The Sky Opens Twice is a study in contrasts. One being a King Crimson-esque 6/8 feel with a Tony Levin-spidery bass line from Osborne. But after a brief fade, a slower 7 pattern hovers like a Pink Floyd lunar landing. Celestial atmospheres smoothly shift to Deadhead-length jams, bristling with dense textures without over-intellectualizing large odd numbers. Pretty interesting stuff, and I'm sure Rolling Stone Magazine ignored it - so you know there's actual skill involved."
ALTERNATE MUSIC PRESS

"Instrumental rock that rivals the glory days of Pink Floyd...the greatest undiscovered band in the world."
ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN







EQUIPMENT & TOYS




Instrumentation:

Djam Karet is a unique group that merges traditional Rock instrumentation such as Electric Guitars, Bass, Drums, Organ & Synths with more exotic instruments such as Japanese Koto (Lost, But Not Forgotten), Theremin (Room 40), Tibetan Glass Crucibles (Submersion), Grass from lawns (Moorings), Wind Talker (Night Of The Mexican Goat Sucker), Ocean Drum (Cliff Spirits), Bird calls slowed down to 5% of original speed (Run Cerberus Run), Baby Toys (Foreign Lesion), Creaking Mic Stand and Trains (Reflections From The Firepool), Bottled Bass and Chains (Animal Origin), E-Bow, an electro-magnetic bow for guitars (Fall Of The Monkeywalk), various ethnic percussive instruments (Dark Clouds, No Rain), Electric Door Alarm (Food Chain), Medical Lecture Series tapes (Consider Figure Three), and Short Wave Radio signals (Submersion) to name a few.

For us it is very enjoyable to work with, and incorporate, these rather unusual instruments into a Rock based style of music. If you have any further questions about the instruments we use, feel free to drop us an email.




Recording Equipment:

All of our early albums, up to and including Burning and Suspension, were recorded on a 1/4" 8-track analog reel to reel tape deck. The Devouring and Live At Orion were recorded onto 24 track digital tape decks. Still No Commercial Potential was recorded direct to DAT with a single stereo mic, with no mixer or overdubs. Our new CD is being recorded onto a computer based hard drive system with automated mixing.



Bonus Stuff:

There are 2 common denominators that have held our studios together in the 15 years Djam Karet has been together - how cheap is the space and how loud can we play??!! This has resulted in numerous undesirable cramped low rent locations that we have called home. See below...







Djam Karet [USA]
Updated 4/30/01
Discography
McMusic For The McMasses (82)
No Commercial Potential (85)
The Ritual Continues (87)
Kafka's Breakfast (82, re-release and outtakes)
Reflections From the Firepool (89)
Suspension and Displacement (91)
Burning The Hard City (91)
Collaborator (94)
The Devouring (97)
Still No Commercial Potential (98, Limited edition CD)
Live at Orion (99)


Reviews
These four Californian musicians are very unpredictable. On Burning the Hard City, they play a kind of space-fusion that blends elements of psychedelic rock with electric jazz. This four piece band uses guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and sound effects to create very spacy music. But that doesn't translate into relaxation music. The compositions occasionally use heavy riffs and involve some improvisation that brings about long guitar solos. In fact, this disc will appeal primarily to electric guitar fans, even if it also features a very dynamic rhythm section. On Suspension & Displacement, the music is very experimental and ambient. This four piece band uses guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and sound effects but the tracks show very slow developments and serve primarily to create atmospheres. As a result, the music has an electronic sound where the use of melodies is limited to slow hypnotic sequences on guitars, keyboards or percussions. An original production with gloomy themes and an intensity that can make you dizzy. Certain scenes may not be suited for some audiences. -- Paul Charbonneau
First, lets all get the pronunciation down pat: zhahm ka-RETTE. Something like that, anyway. It's not DEE-jam Carrot. (According to the band, Djam Karet is a Balinese phrase that means "the hour that stretches.") However you pronounce the band's name, one thing is certain: Djam Karet has produced some of the most original American Progressive Rock within the past 10 years. Some people claim that Djam Karet is easily one of the top five American Prog bands in existence today. Others say that Djam Karet is one of the top five most HYPED bands in American Prog today. By the end of this review, I reckon y'all will know how I weigh in.
A few generalizations can be made about Djam Karet and their first four albums. The band is four members: Chuck Oken, Jr. on electronic and acoustic drums and sequencing; Henry J. Osborne on a variety of bass guitars; and Mike Henderson and Gayle Ellett on a variety of electric and acoustic guitars. All four members contribute percussion, keyboards and miscellaneous effects. Each musician has a heapin' helpin' of musical talent and each contributes effectively to the intensity and creativity of their music. When describing Djam Karet, I have always said they have the intensity of King Crimson and the spaciousness of Pink Floyd. Yet they sound like neither of them. Nor do they sound like anyone else. Djam Karet draw from many different elements of European Progressive Rock and have blended them into a unique musical statement. Reviewed here are the band's five CD releases. No Commerical Potential and McMusic for the McMasses (released under the band name Kafka's Breakfast?) were two previous cassette-only releases that are out of print.
The Ritual Continues features a variety of styles that would be explored in more detail with subsequent releases. The opener, "The Shamen's Descent," sets the stage with ethereal voices. Songs like "Familiar Winds" and "The Black River" have a relaxed groove with laid-back guitar solos. "Technology and Industry" picks up the pace with free-blowing jams, heavy guitar and thumping bass over shifting drum patterns. Then the pace slows considerably and takes on psychedelic hues for "The Ritual Continues"; tablas and sitars define the ages-old Shamen's ritual. From this point on, we hear less of the guitar jams and begin to move into spacier ethnic realms, as the Shamen's ministration of peyote recalls sacrosanct memories of the ancient tribe's forefathers. (OK, OK...I'm losing it here. Still, it sets the mood.) By "Fractured," we're treated to ominous synth and processed electronics amidst tribal percussion. The final 17 minutes of this album, "Revisiting a Quiet Place...," is a gentle wash of bird song, babbling brooks, night-time sounds, spacy music and interjections of found sounds and more processed electronics. This album flows wonderfully, which is why I'm a bit upset that they added two Happy Cancer bonus tracks as the second and second-to-last tracks, interupting the flow of the original album. Happy Cancer were a pre-Djam Karet formation with a couple of different members. "Tangerine Rabbit Jam" (cool name) is surprisingly Djam Karet-like but "Night Scenes" is a weird mix of slightly dissonant acoustic guitar, disrhythmic music and demented voices. Though "Tangerine Rabbit Jam" works OK in the general flow of the album, I find "Night Scenes" ruins the transistion from "Fractured" to "Revisiting...." Also, it's songs like "Revisiting..." that is one reason some people aren't able to get into Djam Karet. The disjointed addition of jackhammers and bizarre electronics to the tranquility of the night comes off as schizophrenic and disturbing. Others, of course, will find the juxtaposition amazingly powerful. I'm somewhere in the middle, though I quite enjoy the album as a whole.

Reflections from the Firepool is a cauldron of boiling and emotive guitars, brooding and atmospheric synths, and percolating percussion, seasoned with a dash of savory effects. Beginning with "The Sky Opens Twice," the band takes off on a melodic guitar romp with a heavy, sawtooth edge that soon becomes more brooding and passionate. The heavy instrumental edge is heard on the first few cuts. These tracks hint at the improvisational nature that marked the early days of Djam Karet. At any moment, I expected the band to take off on extended, free-form excursions but they generally stayed within the structure of the song. After these songs, the band moves into more atmospheric and experimental realms, straddling the border between Electronic music and Prog. For example, Oken shifts from the polyrhythmic drumming of "Fall of the Monkeywalk" to the electronic percussion heard in "Scenes from the Electric Circus" and "The Red Monk." The primordial "Animal Origins" highlights what I like about Djam Karet and this album: the band create and explore textures usually associated with Electronic/Synth music but create it with guitars, bass, percussion and only some synth. Except for the solos, you rarely hear the pick's attack on the guitar strings. It's as if the guitarist turned up the volume knob after striking the string, or if most of the notes were created just by sliding up and down the fretboard. Think of what Jimi Hendrix did with (to?) the "Star Spangled Banner," with his incredible use of sustain and feedback. Djam Karet successfully employ those techniques throughout this album. They are also capable of creating a good deal of tension within a song. For example, the "free-jazz" sax solo contained in "All Doors Look Alike" tries to drive the pace to increasing speed but the guitars remain steadfast. The tension is relieved by acoustic guitar reminiscent of early Pink Floyd. Thus, Reflections from the Firepool still shows the diversity of style heard on The Ritual Continues but the band has matured and made better use of studio and effects.

In 1991, Djam Karet released the paternal twins, Burning the Hard City and Suspension and Displacement. As the liner notes claim, the two albums each have a different musical focus, yet they are complimentary. Burning the Hard City takes an aggressive stance, with one guitar scorching, the other searing, both blistering. The buzzsaw attack of songs like "Grooming the Psychosis," "Province 19: The Visage of War" and the title track is relentless, and further honed by the driving bass and percussion. There is a tendency to want to call the instrumental, guitar-dominated songs "fusion." However, to my ears, jazz is not involved. This is instrumental rock, through and through. I'll note here one of the biggest complaints that many have about Djam Karet. On this album, six of the eight songs are 9-12 minutes in length. The problem is that, despite the meaning of the band's name, the songs don't necessarily have that much to say. The development of the main theme drags on too long before the solo comes in and often drags on too long after the solo ends. This annoyed me a great deal when I first got this and it is my biggest criticism of Djam Karet's style. Some of the songs on Reflections from the Firepool (e.g., "Scenes from the Electric Circus") suffer from this problem, as well. To be sure, there is some excellent guitar work to be heard from both Ellett and Henderson (I don't know which solos belong to which guitarists, so I'm not making distinctions) but I think many of the songs would have been more effective at seven or eight minutes. I say it used to annoy me; I've since adjusted after many listenings. First, there is a bit more going on in the background than is first apparent and, second, I've gotten used to it. In several cases, a song shifts mood and character enough such that it seems one song is actually composed of two. Still, especially in the case of Burning the Hard City, the repetition within a song goes beyond tension building and can get tedious unless I'm in the right mood. Many people, however, cite this album as their favorite Djam Karet release.
These same folks, however are sometimes not quite sure what to make of Suspension and Displacement. The sister album takes a vastly different approach, exploring fully the textural aspects of sound that can be created with a four-piece band. Both The Ritual Continues and Reflections from the Firepool contained a few songs in this style but Suspension and Displacement is nothing but brooding, atmospheric music throughout. Take for example, the opening track, "Dark Clouds, No Rain." This song calls to mind images of heavy, swollen, ominous clouds drifting overhead, ready to burst into an afternoon summer thunderstorm. Images like this are musically described across the nine songs of this 70 minute disc. A particularly interesting tune is "Consider Figure Three" which takes a university anatomy lecture and places it behind the atmospheric music. It sounds strange but works wonderfully. Occasionally they touch down on familiar ground, such as the Gilmouresque acoustic guitar work in "Severed Moon." Most of the comments above about their more electronic works apply in spades to this release. One interesting sidebar: Here on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana, there is an abundance of rainfall. After a rain, the frogs start chirruping and the birds start singing. Listening to Suspension & Displacement balanced against the natural sounds drifting through the open windows was simply exquisite. Mother Nature was improvising against the brooding backdrop of Djam Karet and it worked marvellously. If you get into textural explorations, this album is a must.

With the release of Collaborator, the morphous Djam Karet further expanded the envelope that defines the band and their style. In this formation, Djam Karet is simply Gayle Ellett and Henry Osborne. Mike Henderson also gets credit though he is no longer a full member of the band; neither does he contribute to all the tracks. Gone completely is Chuck Oken. Collaborator is a collaborative album from afar: Various electronic musicians sent different, incomplete musical sketches to Djam Karet, who then finished off the ideas with their own. Never were the guests and Djam Karet together in the same room, nor were Djam Karet aware in advance of what music was to be sent. Collaborating musicians include Kit Watkins, Walter Holland, Marc Anderson, Carl Weingarten, Loren Nerell, Jeff Greinke and Steve Roach. Most guests contributed in final form to two songs, although two cuts are co-efforts (e.g., Watkins and Nerell, and Greinke and Roach). Surprisingly, Djam Karet were able to seamlessly intertwine their own ideas with the musical ideas sent to their door. I expected the effort to be somewhat disjointed. I would guess Ellett and Osborne spent a lot of time with the sketches before laying down their own ideas. Because Djam Karet often used various sequencers on their previous albums, differentiating between Djam Karet and the collaborative artist can be difficult. Yet, there is one thing missing that distinguishes Collaborator from previous Djam Karet releases: the guitars. While not the guitar-driven instrumental rock of songs on Burning the Hard City or Reflections from the Firepool, even the textural Suspension & Displacement features the distinctive buzz-saw guitar tone employed by Ellett (and Henderson). Of the 12 songs on Collaborator, few (e.g., "The Day After" with Steve Roach) are the cuts where the guitar is truly evident. The noticeable lack of electric 7-string guitar separates this release from Suspension & Displacement, the most similar Djam Karet album in style. Still, Collaborator flows well, is rich with inventive musical thought from all involved musicians, and is a fine blend of texture and atmosphere. I suppose a few folks will have trouble accepting Collaborator as a Djam Karet album. Why didn't they use the guitars more? Where are the burning solos that melt hard cities? Where is the reflective firepool?

In my opinion, Djam Karet are one of the better American Progressive bands of the late '80s and early '90s, though they may indeed have been hyped a wee bit in some circles. They certainly are no slouches, though. The band shows no compromise in their style; they play what they want to play. Having their own studio frees them from any commercial pressures they may otherwise feel. Sometimes, their melodies suffer from overdevelopment that can get tedious (e.g., Burning the Hard City) but the majority of their albums provide a good balance between hard, instrumental Prog and sonic explorations in texture. Personally, for starters, I would suggest Reflections from the Firepool as that provides the instrumental work of Burning the Hard City and the atmospherics of Suspension & Displacement on one disc. -- Mike Taylor
I have The Ritual Continues, which is spellbinding improvisational music. Has been compared to Edhels, but Djam Karet is infinitely better, more professional sounding and taking far more chances musically. Keyboards take a back seat here to the dual guitars of Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson. The arrangements are percussive and often somewhat ethnic sounding. Early instrumental Amon Duul II is the closest comparison I can think of, maybe some Pink Floyd or Gong too. "Shahman's Descent" is really great! I've heard Reflections From The Firepool as well. It's another good one. -- Mike Ohman
After reading all the raves reviews on this band I was expecting something fantastic. The Reflections From the Firepool album is not. I was much more impressed with No Commercial Potential. Yes, they are very talented. Yes, they are very innovative. No, they are not that good. There are some tracks I really like, and others I can't stand, with a complete range in between. At least two cuts (can't remember their names) show hints of true genious but most of them drone on and on and on... Djam Karet just don't keep my attention. I admit that the more I listen to Firepool the more I like it but after a couple of months I still don't like it very much. Case in point, I have no intention of getting it on CD right now. If I had to narrow it down, I'd say that the main detraction is their repetitiveness. Good rhythms are good rhythms but if you don't change fairly often I tune out. The title on No Commercial Potential says it all - an hour of improvisational jamming is not something you every expect to hear on the radio. Good thing too. The 3 cuts on this cassette only release are "spontaneously composed" excursions into duel guitar/bass/drum indulgence. Compared to Reflections from the Firepool, this is much better. The rhythms are busier, dual-leads and guitar harmonys, and its a hell of a lot less repetitive. This seems surprising in a spontaneous jam, but DK shines with their unique interpretation of heavy fusion. The tracks seem to have a well-thought-out approach that their other offerings lack. Quite a remarkable and worthwhile undertaking.
Imagine a sound with the force and power of mid-period King Crimson, the fluidity and spaciness of Pink Floyd, and the percussive power of Peter Gabriel's "Security." Throw into that mix a generous helping of the new Industrial Rock, and you have the sound of Djam Karet. Their sound is progressive, snarly, full of fire and 100% instrumental. These guys, who come from the Los Angeles area, are no newcomers to the music scene. Their first recording was in 1982: McMusic for the McMasses under the name Kafka's Breakfast. Although it didn't do much in the states, it was widely respected in UK progressive circles. Their 1987 live release titled The Ritual Continues was voted among the top ten releases of that year by Electronic Musician Magazine. In late 1991 Djam Karet released two new compact discs. The first is titled Burning The Hard City and focuses on the more hard driving side of the band's sound, the rock and the rhythm. The bottom end is handled by the top notch rhythm section of Henry Osborne on Bass and Chuck Oken on Drums. At the top end you have the dual blistering lead guitars of Chuck Henderson and Gayle Ellett: some comparisons could be made to Dave Gilmour, Bob Fripp, Steve Hillage, or electric Steve Tibbetts, but all in a more industrial rock setting. The two switch off between lead and power rhythm, alternating solos, Ellett also filling in on keyboards on some of the tracks. All of the discs seven tracks are outstanding, the most noteworthy being "Province 19: The Visage of War," reminiscent of Crimso's "Larks' Tongues" period, the scorching "Grooming the Psychosis," "At the Mountains of Madness," and the incredible title track "Burning The Hard City." The other CD is titled Suspension And Displacement, and focuses on the more industrial and spacy side of the band's work. Here the guitars whirr and groan, and synthesizers are used liberally for effect, not melody. Haunting rhythms and textures seem to appear out of nowhere, from every shadow. All of the discs nine tracks hail superb, including the eleven minute album opener "Dark Clouds, No Rain," "Consider Figure Three," a riveting "The Naked and The Dead," and "A City of Two Tales, Part One Revisited," a re-recorded and much improved track that originally apeared on Ritual. The two discs are very different, but complementary. Both contain around 70 minutes of music each, and were in the works for well over a year. Both are brilliant and imaginative. Highly recommended. Also worth checking out is their back catalog, especially their 1989 release Reflections From The Firepool, and the previously mentioned 1987 release The Ritual Continues.
Djam Karet is a California based band whose somewhat fusion-tinged brand of progressive rock recalls some of the best improvisational bands of the seventies and prog bands of the new French scene, such as Edhels or Minimum Vital. The music is very strong, and is fronted by guitars and keyboards. Another possible comparison would be to the long lost Dregs, though Djam Karet tend to be more "spacy" at times. Reflections From The Firepool was released a couple of years back, and is orders of magnitude more sophisticated and virtuosic than their previous works. It exemplifies the style of the band as described earlier. Burning The Hard City is the follow-up to Reflections... as far as style is concerned, and is, in their words, .".. 70 minutes ... Full on, aggressive instrumental rock with chunky power rhythms, wailing guitar solos, and complex musical interplay between two guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, and percussion!." That sums it up pretty well! In addition, Djam Karet also compose electronic music, and the companion release to Burning..., Suspension and Displacement, is evidence of their skills in that area. To leverage off their descriptions again, .".. 70 minutes ... the quieter and darker side of Djam Karet. Acoustic instruments meld with synthesizers and treated guitar, weaving surreal dreamscapes of sound.." As before, that is a fair description, and the music is probably best compared with that of Klaus Schulze in his more atmospheric moments, or Michael Stearns.
Imagine influences of King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and Tangerine Dream at their improvisational best - mix in some vaguely ethnic musics - and top it off with one of the tightest fusion bands in history and you more or less have Djam Karet. Not that these guys sound distinctly like any of those bands, the influences just give a vague direction as to where their music is heading. Their all instrumental music may be some of the most original music heard since the classics of the early seventies Start with Reflections From The Firepool and than get the rest!
Great instrumental band from California. Five CDs so far, and a couple of tape-only releases before that. One live video as well. Powerful instrumental work that occasionally gets mellow like Pink Floyd, sometimes dissonant like King Crimson, and yet retains a style of its own. Worth checking out, IMO. Start with Reflections from the Firepool for a good cross-section.
I love Reflections from the Firepool and Burning the Hard City, but couldn't get into to the ambient...noise of Suspension and Displacement as much. The first is a compilation of earlier works, and has some great tracks on it. The second, well, how bad could an album with a track called "Grooming the Psychosis" really be? I'd say that a couple tracks remind me a good bit of Floyd, and Burning the Hard City has an overall feel which reminds me somewhat of Red from Crimson.
Djam Karet (on Reflections From The Firepool) have a relaxing quality to their music which makes it very listenable. For me, this album is mixed: some very good bits, lots of quite good bits and some bits which I find a little jarring. These subdivisions don't necessarily follow the guitar/bass/drums vs. midi sounds divide which also exists on the album: I like parts of each. I've only listened to this a dozen times so far, but I reckon it will yield a whole lot more in the future.
Just a bit of pre-history. The band began in the very early 80's in Claremont California as Happy Cancer. They played college gigs and developed their sound. I recall speaking with them at the time regarding their love of bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Brand X. When they finally decided to try to cut an official release there was some question as to the viability of a name like Happy Cancer. If my memory serves me Gayle Ellet and Chuck Oken were in different bands as the time, with Chuck leading Happy Cancer. Happy Cancer changed their name briefly to Kafka's Breakfast and recorded the four track McMusic for the McMasses. Andrew Frankel played Xylophone and other percussion (and wrote the classic Tangerine Rabbit Jam) and Ted Ellenhorn played guitar, both of whom have since pursued other careers. A bit later in '82 or early '83 Gayle and Chuck merged their bands and Djam Karat was born. -- Mike Habiby