01	chewier						05:26
	02	spirals in hyperspace						09:51
	03	slinky						08:39
	04	toka tola						07:46
	05	plasmoid						05:17
	06	oakum						09:03
	07	akasha						07:27
	08	psychic chasm						08:44
	09	zoemetra						07:23

OZRIC TENTACLES
Spirals In Hyperspace
released in 2004
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Track listing
1. Chewier (5:26)
2. Spirals in Hyperspace (9:51)
3. Slinky (8:39)
4. Toka Tola (7:46)
5. Plasmoid (5:17)
6. Oakum (9:03)
7. Akasha (7:27)
8. Psychic Chasm (8:44)
9. Zoemetra (7:23)

Total Time: 69:36
Line-up

- Ed / guitar, keyboards, mind colours, programming
- Schoo / drums (1,6,9)
- Seaweed / synthesizers & bubbles (6), kindling (1)
- John / Ney, Blul, Duduk & Silver flute (6,9)
- Zia / bass (6)
- Merv Pepler / drum programming & Samp-S'N'Stuff (8)
- Brandi Wynne / Glide bass (1), Spikes (5), Tea (8)
- Steve Hillage & Miquette Giraudi / guitar & additional synthesizers (7)

Label : CD: Magna Carta-MA 9067-2-USA-2004


The Ozric Tentacles home page is pumped over the instrumental space rock band's first studio CD in quite some time, Spirals In Hyperspace, "Be prepared to be totally blown away! Once again the band has come through with a monster album. The tracks are long and really groove. The band has taken the Ozric sound to a whole new level. The dynamic range on the tracks is incredible. Make sure you listen to this on a high quality receiver. Definitely a must have." Guitarist Ed Wynne has a very distinctive playing style that is peppered with weird and wonderful scales reported Guitarist magazine in 1994. Wynne comments, "Unfortunately I don't read music and I don't have any musical theory, so I couldn't name them. They're probably hybrids. There are about 10 different eastern sounding scales that I use, depending on what type of rhythm is behind it. I don't know what they are called, but they are very ethnic sounding. I do like the eastern scales. A lot of what I listen to is very, very raw ethnic music. People out in the middle of nowhere staying on a campsite clonking bits of wood together and playing home made violins and stuff. " Instrumental Guitar (Electric (Heavy)/Progressive/Hard Rock), total running time, 69:36




Ozric Tentacles - "Spirals in Hyperspace"
(Magna Carta 2004, MA-9067-2)


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Uploaded to Aural Innovations: March 2004

It has been a long wait for this new Ozric Tentacles CD. We were teased with one new Studio track with the Pyramidion CD-EP, but due to the bands label Stretchy falling apart and Simon Baker, long time manager leaving and some other bad dealings, the band had a long stretch without a studio record, but now it is here. While all this time has gone by it seems to have allowed this record to evolve into an Ed Wynne solo CD, with Ed being the only member performing on all the tracks and the rest of the members of the band playing only on selected tracks. Many have complained that the Ozric Tentacles CDs all sound the same. Well, they will not say that about this CD as Ed has taken the Ozrics further out into the electronic music realm than they have ever travelled before. Only 3 tracks have Schoo playing live drums and Zia only plays bass on one track, all the rest is programmed (very good programming). This is not really rock music anymore but a journey into electronic space music. "Chewier" opens the CD with some really cool synthesizer loops and bass lines. Amazing sound and a real tribal groove upon which Ed layers all kinds of cool sounds and synths and of course some ripping outer space guitar about 2 minutes in!

There are a lot of Middle Eastern influences on this CD and sonically it is the most amazing especially in the headphones. "Spirals in Hyperspace", the longest track on the CD (9:51), is next and is a much more laid back groove with some synths and leads that remind me of the Nodens Ictus chill out stuff, but the programmed drums are much more manic. It gets a bit jazzy in the style that the keyboards are playing. At the 8 minute point the song really goes out into hyperspace with some great guitar over the top of the throbbing bass line. "Slinky" is a heavy synth song which starts with a really funky groove and new age style keyboard before it mutates. "Toka Tola", the title that was announced for this CD a couple of years ago, but obviously not used is next. I really think it is too bad that Schoo did not play drums on this track as it really could have used real drums. It is a building track that the layers of synths float and groove on and then Ed sneaks in with the supersonic guitars. This one will be excellent live. "Plasmoid" has a great techno funk synth loop that Ed then layers guitars on and some ripping leads as well. A short (5:17) but potent track. "Oakum" was only released as a fan club only CD and this is quite a different version and the only rock song on the CD. This improves upon the original version and is total full on intense psychedelic space rock! Amazing stuff.

"Akasha" really reminds me of the Nodens Ictus material a lot with this gliding mellow synth layers but with more uptempo sampled drums and percussion. It also features Steve Hillage (GONG, System 7) on guitar and Miquette Giraudi (System 7) on synthesizers. I was trying to figure out what guitars were Ed and what guitars were Steve. I believe it is Steve who does the delay guitars for the most part of the first 4 minutes of the song and then Ed plays the guitars at the end. Some parts of this song remind me of Pyramidion. The synthesizers are very lush on this track. Next up, Merv (Eat Static, Ex-Ozric Tentacles, Dendron) is back with Ed to create a very freaky song and unlike anything else on the CD. "Psychic Chasm" begins with Nodens Ictus like keyboards and beautiful acoustic guitar and some samples. It gradually morphs into an electronic tripped out but not frantic techno track. "Zoemetra" ends the CD and features most of the band. It begins with some incredible acoustic guitar played in a mid eastern style. Schoo plays really tight and interesting drums. It is too bad he is not on more of the tracks.

This is the longest CD the band has made since Erpland and another incredible sonic journey out of this world and into another one for 70 minutes! Totally mind blowing electronic music for the 24th century!

For more information you can visit the Magna Carta web site at: http://www.magnacartarecords.com.

Reviewed by Scott Heller


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Ozric Tentacles - Spirals In Hyperspace


By my reckoning, Spirals In Hyperspace is the 13th or 14th release (and first for Magna Carta) by the erstwhile Pongmasters since they first released Erpsongs in 1984. It would also appear to be very much an Ed-led project. Mr Wynne has solo writing credits for 5 of the 9 tracks with just 3 credited as to the Group. The other track is credited to Ed and Merv. He also takes sole credit for recording and production, again with a joint credit to Merv for 1 track.

Looking through the contributions of the other band members, Schoo supplies drums on 3 tracks, Seaweed & John appear on 2 tracks, the returning Zia adds bass to one, Merv contributes drum programming and sampling to one, Brandi Wynne (Ed's wife) is credited with 3 appearances and there is a special appearance from Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudi on one track.

So what's it like? Simple answer is that it sounds like the Ozrics! There's no denying that the band have their sound and that you either get it or you don't. Luckily for me I get it, and I like it.

Opener 'Chewier' (5:26) is perhaps the most 'typical' Ozrics track on the album. It starts off with a great burpy bass riff, quickly followed by some driving rhythmic drums courtesy of Schoo. These are built on for a couple of minutes with a great range of wooshes and squelches before an Ed solo kicks in to really take the track forward.

The track continues to groove, adding further sounds and grooves before it slows to an ambient soundscape before kicking in to a riotous coda. Classic Ozrics.

Track 2 is the title track and the longest on the album (9:51). It starts of with a more spaced-out groove of jazzy/dancy drums (a machine) and computer bass line before moving to a great Jeff-Beck-in-the-70s style syncopated riff and coolio solo. at about the five minute mark it moves to a heavily percussive and eastern repetitive riff with an acoustic solo before we're back to Ed-shred mode. This leads into a drum-free section with some more fine guitar playing and great synth pads before we head into the end of the track. The drums pick up, the guitar speeds up and we're off - next stop track 3!

The 3rd track, 'Slinky, (8:39) is another long piece. Again it starts off with more of a mellow groove. Nice synth pads, a mellow bass line and some gentle rhodes-piano-y keyboards over the top. Slowly it migrates to a more spacey vibe with some nice ambient sounds that slowly build up, layer on layer. Before we get to the guitar solo. This builds to a nice finish, slowly bring the beat back down to a full stop.

Toka Tola (the album's original title and 7:46) comes up next. Again it builds on a keyboard, bass combo before the guitar comes in with a tight riff. Things lessen off again to a nice dubby bass bit before it kicks in. The drums get more urgent and some great keyboard runs start to lift the track, the guitar starts and...a computer bass hi-hat bring things back down. Again the track builds by adding layers of sound before we go back to some spacey-ambient whispering cavern sounds.

Up next comes Plasmoid (5:17), the albums shortest track. Computer machine code and some nice drum programming kick this one off. The bass line adds a nice mid-tempo groove to it, followed by some funky 'Chic' guitar comping from Ed. After this comes some very odd Vocoder vocal effects and a kind of Eastern-y sounding harp. A small electro-drum interlude adds in a bass groove which
s l o w l y s p e e d s u p and up to the end of track. Nice touch.

Oakum (9:03) is up next, nice sounds of water and bubbles from Seaweed provide a great ambient opening before an arpeggiated bass riff of the sort Tangerine Dream used on 80 film sound tracks clicks in. This builds and builds with some nice flute over the top before the drums and guitar arrive to drive it onwards. Oakum has a great groove to it, helped no end by Schoo's drumming and Zia's bass. These both help to create a great atmosphere to the tune and really make it stand out.

Track 7 is Akasha (7:27), the one featuring the boys from Gong. Its another slow builder, starting with a delayed guitar and what sounds like a gamelan. The track grooves along at a nice, easy pace, with guitars and keyboards dipping in and out to give it a real atmospheric feel. It consists of a number of movements that link together with keyboard riff pretty much a constant.

'Psychic Chasm' (8:44) sounds exactly as one would imagine a psychic chasm would (go on, close your eyes and try). A train rhythm slowly builds the track, buried under some pretty noodly keyboards, and at the next station its joined by what sounds like a tabla. It slowly winds down before an old-skool drum machine kicks in to some drum'n'bass action courtesy of Merv. Perhaps the most synthetic sounding track on the album, it stands up well against the other tunes.

The final track, 'Zoemetra' (7:23) features both Schoo and John and builds on some old-style Ozrics eastern sounds, with some nice acoustic guitar playing from Ed. John's contribution really stands out, his collection of wind instruments really adding that wee bit extra that keyboards just can't do. Overall, a nice atmospheric tune and a good way to finish the album.

So, another Ozrics album. Is it a great leap forward? No, not really. However, the tunes all stand out as individual and the recording sounds great. I imagine that a number of the tracks will make an excellent transition to the live set, and should make the upcoming tour one to watch out for. Overall, a solid release but perhaps one that's not going to win the band a huge army of new fans. However, the existing peeps will be very happy with it.

Here's hoping Magna Carta give it the advertising it deserves. A good, solid 8.

Added: March 10th 2004
Reviewer: spacerock
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