01	Bolshem						04:48
	02	Armchair Journey						05:53
	03	Jelly Lips						06:07
	04	Vedavox						02:51
	05	Space Base						09:36
	06	Disdots						06:48
	07	Etherclock						08:01
	08	Splat!						08:59
	09	Ping						06:39

OZRIC TENTACLES:
The Floor's Too Far Away

Brand New For 2006.
The first 5,000 CDs will be in Limited DigiPaks.

Performing on the album:
Ed - Guitar, Keyboards, programming, all tracks
Metro- Drums
Brandi - Bass, Synths
Merv - percussion on 'Armchair Journey'
Tom Brooks - Bubs

Ed Wynne has solved the mystery of time travel. As the keyboardist/guitarist/chief programmer/creative mastermind of the band Ozric Tentacles, Wynne traverses the ages through his primordial yet distinctly modern, mind-bending music. The Somerset, England, resident is a citizen of the world: his art knows no boundaries in time or space.

“Recently we have been playing the four corners of the world and it seems the audiences like the combination of techno rock, strange rhythmic grooves, stomping bass line, and the quasi ancient and ethnic music,” Wynne says.

Wynne jokingly refers to OT’s music as “ethnological forgery”, but Ozrics’ new Magna Carta release, “The Floor’s Too Far Away”, is far from bogus. Recorded in Wynne’s home studio in Somerset, England, the nine-track, all-instrumental CD is a musical reflection of Wynne’s centrifugal creative vision – a vision synthesized into a spiraled, multifaceted tapestry of butt-moving, trance-inducing ethno-techno space rock. “I’ve always been interested in Eastern music.” Wynne says. “But none of the scales I use are official, traditional Eastern scales. They are just snippets of what I have picked up over the years from traveling to different places and keeping my ears open.”

In many ways “The Floor’s Too Far Away” is a signature Ozrics record. Rife with incessant intergalactic grooves, the new record offers a satisfying, near state-altering listening experience. “We took a bit more time in coming up with the proper track listing for this,” admits Wynne.

Stamping their own identities on Wynne’s initial creations are Brandi Wynne (bass, keyboards, sampling) and keyboardist Tom Brooks. “I never have a complete concept of what the finished product is going to be,” Wynne admits. “It is like weaving a tapestry and then filling in the colors and little holes and polishing this and that.” Ozrics get a triple dosage of rhythmic intensity from the explosive chops of the Terry Bozzio-inspired drummer Metro, old friend and former Ozrics member percussionist Merv Pepler, and Ed’s very own programming genius. “There are some moments when you can’t quite tell if the drums are real or programmed,” Ed says with the hint of a laugh. “I’ll sometimes add strange little rhythmic twists to the real drum tracks. I’ll take a timbale sound and a click and it will repeat within a four-beat pattern as the drums are going along.”

The first track on “The Floor’s…”, “Bolshem”, recalls a distant era deeply seeded in our collective memory while informing us of a vibrant futuristic world of sonic possibilities. Its psyche-penetrating, prehistoric creature-like drone gives way to a spiraling interstellar vibe. (In visual terms: the fast cut in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey from ape-man tool to bone-shaped spacecraft.)

Though “Bolshem” represents a kind of evolution, the song is every bit as much a re-visitation as a referendum on Wynne’s growth as a songwriter. Bolshem People was the name the Somerset-based band used as it moniker before they were known as Ozric Tentacles. “Ages ago, we were known as Bolshem People for about three months,” Ed says. “The reason the tune is called ‘Bolshem’ is because it is a very sketchy version of something I wrote around that time. It sounded very different than the version you hear, but there is a link. I never did anything with it, so I chose the title to refer to that time.”

Nostalgia, purposeful design, and a healthy dose of serendipity helped define some of the record’s most outstanding moments. Through keyboard technology, the unintentional flick of the wrist resulted in meaningful output. “‘Vedavox’ was a little funny ethnic Eastern tune that started off with a sound that came about by happy accident,” Wynne says. “It is often how these tracks start. There is this little note that comes at the beginning of the song that is a really unusual sound for that synth to make. It is a Moog Prophet Pro-1 synth, and I never heard it sound like that before. So, I just started playing this funny, little Indian-sounding tune over it.”

“Jellylips”, the CD’s third track, launches with an unidentified voice sample. Continually contorted, the mystery voice settles to the same timbre as Wynne’s throaty keyboard riffs. “I can’t say whose voice we are using,” Wynne says, “but it is shocking, isn’t it? It kicks off and you think, ‘Oh, my God, where is this going?’ It definitely breaks you out of your reverie from the track before it.”

Ed refers to “Etherclock” as the only “pop” tune on the record. In reality, the song is something akin to an outer body experience: there is something strangely soothing yet insidious about the song, as if the listener is hearing the sound of his/her own soul sliding away. Other notable tracks include the frenzied “Splat!” (think a buzzing fly headed for a car windshield), “Ping” (its melodic overgrowth chirps with the sounds of a jungle that time forgot), and the trance-ndent “Armchair Journey”, which, one can imagine, is the sonic equivalent of ancient holy men chanting magical incantations.

Wynne started from humble beginnings in the mid 1980s. Having left school when he was just 16 years old, and having learned a thing or two about composition and musical identity from listening to Frank Zappa, Hawkwind, Jimi Hendrix, Germany’s Kraan, and French art-rockers Gong, Wynne dreamed of one day making his own bold and idiosyncratic artistic statement. “I started recording on my four-track reel-to-reel with all my channels connected to a Marshall guitar amp and that was my studio at the time,” Wynne says. “But it worked.”

From his home studio, Wynne embarked on a prolific recording career as the mastermind of Ozric Tentacles, which has seen over twenty records marketed in over twenty years. The band broke barriers with their first record, “Pungent Effulgent”, and increasingly won fan support through such favorites as “Erpland” (based on the fictional character “Erp”, hatched from Wynne’s imagination), “Afterwish” and “Strangeitude.” In 1993, the Ozrics spawned the cosmic/old-world-meets-new “Jurassic Shift”, which soared to within the British top 10 pop albums chart. With one fell swoop the Ozrics were instantly identified, perhaps erroneously, with the “Crusty” movement – England’s youth culture movement that mirrored the U.S.’s ‘50s beatnik generation and ‘60s hippie revolution. “When we recorded ‘Jurassic Shift’, there were a couple of coincidental trends going on at the time which meant we were kind of cool, even though we were exactly as we were and would be,” Wynne says.

Subsequently, one of the Ed’s tunes, “Sploosh!” would be used in a BMW automobile commercial. It was a defining moment for the band: Ozrics were capable of putting butts in seats, claiming mainstream appeal, and never losing sight of its original creative intentions. Wynne continues to explore and his musical expedition unfolds into the 21st Century. All the time Wynne fine-tunes his writing, commenting on life as it was, is, and will be. “Eddie works all day,” explains wife, bandmate, and Ozrics manager Brandi Wynne. “He wakes up, has a cup of tea, then goes into the studio and stays there all day.” “Writing is pretty much what I do day to day,” Ed says, “and I am fortunate to be able to explore any number of different musical directions.”


Ozric Tentacles - The Floor's Too Far Away


Year of Release: 2006
Label: Magna Carta
Catalog Number: MA-9085-2
Format: CD
Total Time: 59:46:00

I've listened to Ozric Tentacles off and on since buying Jurassic Shift years ago, and make no claims to being an expert. That said, and despite that, The Floor's Too Far Away seems to be a mostly grounded adventure in music. All but one of the tracks has a distinct focus and direction to them, even as they are evolving and amorphous beasts. What I like here is the brightness of sound - the production is very clear, crisp allowing all the colours of sound to show through. And believe me I can hear in the music that the band is painting colours, bold, psychedelic colours. Each piece is alive, perhaps because of the use of effects; and to say this is an effects laden album would be an understatement. Yes, there's also guitar, bass, and drums at play, and I don't think we need fear that any of the players - Ed Wynne, Brandi Wynne, Matt "Metro" Shmigelsky, Merv Pepler, and Tom Brooks - are not allowed to stretch out. Something is always going on, but never to the point of being too busy (though a section of "Splat!" comes close). It is an entertaining release to listen to, or to have on for … atmosphere. It's not relaxing in any way, but it is freeing.

The Floor's… begins with "Bolshem" a piece that takes a while to get going - it starts sparse with a moaning, fog-horn-like guitar and chirping effects, moves through gossamer-like keyboard washes that also have a slightly Asian-music quality to them, that then evolve into spindly wheels of sonic texture. But once the track does kick into gear, it is a heart-pounding sonic adventure. Not so much rollercoaster ride as cruising down the highway fast (said from experience). You can imagine it being used behind extreme sports footage of daring skateboarders or snowboarders or skiers (etc.). I've still got the band's NEARFest performance light-show going through my head, and this music fits that kind of effect perfectly.

It blends right into "Armchair Journey," an arboreal like piece, rainforest dense and wet, with more chirping effects (some actual recordings), feathery percussion, and subtle guitar accents. While it might suggest I have an unnatural fixation, I thought of 90's Marillion, in terms of approach, though this is far more psychedelic and not just an atmospheric transition between two prog rock songs. Like its predecessor, this track builds into something palpable. New sonic effects provide context over soaring and searing guitar leads, throbbing bass, energetic drums and percussion (without the sound effects, it seems a little like late 80s/early 90s Rush).

"Jellylips" defies description -- there is something firm, yet jiggly about the arrangement. But, does one sense that knowing the title or despite the title? And when the guitar gets a soloin', one wonders what lip-gymnastics are being imagined there … lips doing the Macarena? The Wave? The Hand Jive? There is more than a hint of a psychedelic feel, owing to the percussive sound effect stuttering throughout, and the open, freewheelin' play of the drums, bass and guitar (in rhythm mode).

"Spacebase" is what the title suggests (even if the spelling doesn't), a spacey bass-centric piece, though no actual bass is credited - instead guitar, synths, drums, spacelines, bubs, synchroblips. Yet, this piece throbs mightily. It'd be appropriate for a show like Red Dwarf or the like, because there's a hint of fun in the whole arrangement that almost any other sci-fi show would be too serious for (even Dr. Who). Or maybe a blooper reel for those otherwise serious sci-fi shows (and suddenly William Shatner as host comes to mind). "Etherclock" begins and ends as moody and ethereal composition, mostly down to the keyboards. But in the middle, it has a mellow jazz-rock and guitar-rock feel to it, owing to the guitar playing of Wynne. Elements that sound like Rhodes piano also add a jazz flavor to it. And you can't help but think of Pink Floyd at times, as there's a touch of Dark Side Of The Moon here and there. "Vedavox" sounds at once Asian and Middle Eastern; Ed Wynne (guitars, bass, synths, etc.) is credited with "Eastern Flavors" - what I hear is sitar, keyboard effects, percussion all played in a rhythm too quick to be called seductive, and yet it is. "Ping" is Wynne on everything (again) - fretless bass (the lead instrument), guitars, synth and drums. The fat sound of the bass contrasts with the slim sound of the synths and the crispness of the drums. Electric guitar is a hazy accent and at one point Wynne solos on acoustic guitar (steel stringed, from the distinctive sound of it).

"Disdots" is the one piece that seems… Whereas most of the tracks seemed to have a distinct direction, as I said above, this one not so much, as it is like a series of ideas are strung together: It begins life as a dark and dangerous piece with searing fuzzed guitar, ghostly-moaning bass, more bits and bobs of sonic effects. It's quite acidic. It involves into something only slightly less menacing but certainly spacier. And later into a long section that includes sharp, sometimes shrill, guitar soloing as the central figure while the requisite sonic effects - including at times more bird chirps - swirl and dance and flit and float all about.

I really dig The Floor's To Far Away. Once it gets going, it will carry you along until the very end (the "bump" in the journey being "Disdots," though it isn't a bad track; more like three good ones, I'd say). Those new to Ozric Tentacles should check this out; those more experienced… this is either more of the same (as someone told me "if you have one OT CD, you have all you need") or something fresh for them. If there is a criticism to be said, it is that some of the tracks seem the same as each other, and not in the "restating a theme" concept album kind of way. I like this anyway.

Tracklisting:
Bolshem (4:48) / Armchair Journey (5:53) / Jellylips (6:07) / Vedavox (2:51) / Spacebase (9:36) / Disdots (6:48) / Etherclock (8:01) / Splat! (8:59) / Ping (6:39)

Musicians:
Ed Wynne - guitar, synths, samples, bass, eastern flavors, forest, drums, fretless bass
Brandi Wynne - bass, synth, wildlife, spacelines, space tendrils, stuff
Metro - drums
Merv Pepler - percussion (2)
Tom Brooks - bubs, synchroblips

Discography:
Erpsongs (1985/1994)
Tantric Obstacles (1985/1994)
Live Ethereal Cereal (1986/1994)
There Is Nothing (1986/1994)
Sliding Gliding Worlds (1988/1994)
The Bits Between The Bits (1989/1994)
Pungent Effulgent (1989/1990*)
Erpland (1990)
Strangeitude (1991/1992)*
Sploosh/Live Throbbe (12-inch single) (1991)
Afterswish (comp.) (1991)
Live Underslunky (1992)
Jurassic Shift (1993/1998)*
Vitamin Enhanced Ozric Tentacles (6 CDs) (1994)
Arborescence (3-sided LP w/extra track) (1994)
Become The Other (1995)
Curious Corn (1997)
Spice Doubt - Streaming A Gig In The Ether (ltd ed webcast live CD) (1998/2003)
Floating Seeds (remix album w/var. artists)(1999)
Waterfall Cities (1999)
The Hidden Step (2000)
Swirly Termination (2000)**
Pyramidion (ep) (2001)
Oakum (Ozric fan club only) (2001)
Live At The Pongmasters Ball (CD/DVD) (2002)
Spirals In Hyperspace (2004)
Eternal Wheel, The Best of Ozric (2004)
The Floor''s Too Far Away (2006)

Nodens Ictus - Spacelines (2000)

*CD has extra track; **not an official or recognized OT release

Genre: Psychedelic/Space Rock

Origin UK


Reviewer: BENJAMIN MILER

It's nice to see Ozrics give us another album, in this case, The Floor's Too Far Away. The wait wasn't as so long between studio albums as had The Hidden Step and Spirals in Hyperspace (in which the band tied us over with a live EP called Pyramidion and a live 2-CD set, as well as DVD called Live at the Pongmasters Ball). The new millenium sure didn't seem kind to the band. Their second label, Stretchy went under around 2001. They were going through so many lineup changes that you couldn't even keep track (they even had Hal Waters for a short in the band - none other than the son of Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame!). They tried to mend relations with Snapper, but apparently did not want to continue recording for them, so they moved to Magna Carta. Spirals in Hyperspace became more of an Ed solo album than an Ozric album (with only band members participating on three cuts). Ed even brought his wife, Brandi Wynne to the band. Perhaps the biggest shock was the departure of John, although you have to bear in mind he was not an original member (he did not appear on their first four early cassette releases, it was only 1988's Sliding Gliding Worlds that he made his first appearance). Still John would be sorely missed, because he was responsible for those wonderful exotic flutes (he used both modern, Western flutes, and Eastern flutes, like the ney) that gave the Ozrics music that extra dimension.

With all that, this new release, The Floor's Too Far Away features Ed (as always) with Brandi, and new drummer Matt Shmigelsky aka "Metro". Tom Brooks, after a 20 year abscence has made a return to the band (excluding his guest appearance on Erpland) providing plenty of synth bubbles. Merv even guests on "Armchair Journey", so the presence of Merv and Tom on this album comes to prove that Ed hadn't forgotten his previous bandmates.

Many people might say if you heard one Ozric CD, you heard them all. Well, they're not King Crimson, who had a habit of changing their sound every time they changed their lineup. On the flip side, at least they won't suddenly give us a rap or polka album (thank God!), or sell out to commercial pop like Genesis and Yes had did in the 1980s. In other words, if you've been enjoying what the Ozrics been doing, you shouldn't be disappointed with this new CD.

I also really love the fact Blim is here, once again, providing nice cover artwork, I really believe she is to the Ozrics what Roger Dean was to Yes. I remembered being really disappointed with the computer generated artwork of The Hidden Step and Pyramidion (although they still made great music on those CDs, just needed better covers, specifically from Blim), so it was nice to see Blim return for Live at the Pongmasters Ball, and now this new CD (doesn't appear Blim did the artwork to Spirals in Hyperspace, no mention of who, but I suspect Ed).

"Bolshem", so named because the band was originally known as The Bolshem People back in '82-'83, starts off not unlike something off The Hidden Step, with those sequenced synths. "Armchair Journey" has more of an ambient feel, but then the music picks up speed, and the intensity gets more as this piece continues on. "Jellylips", is more of a techno experiment that the band has been doing ever since the days they had Rad and Seaweed in the band. "Vedavox" had more of a Middle Eastern feel to it, the only piece on this CD where Ed was the only musician playing, while "Spacebase" lives up to its name, emphasizing electronic synth basses, with tons of changes, including a short passage where the band does reggae (something they have periodically done, but not on every album) turning out to be one of the album's highlights, in my opinion. "Disdots" seems much more chaotic with all sorts of things going on at once, while the band continues on with the wonderful "Etherclock". This is another one of the album's high points, and I really believe this is simply one of the finest the Ozrics done in a long time, it almost wouldn't seem out of place on an album like Erpland! "Splat!" is another one of those techno-oriented numbers. The album closes with "Ping", a nice ambient piece, with fretless bass and nice spacy synths, but the piece does pick up with Ed's usual wild guitar playing, but keeping that spacy ambient sound throughout. It's really too bad to see the band disintegrate to the point you have no idea who would be in the band this week (aside from Ed and now Brandi), but at least in the studio, Ed and whoever he gets to record with (this time with Brandi, Tom, and Metro), is still able to hold their own, and still never disappoints. Now if only the band can get a steady lineup once again, people would even be happier.

I've been a fan of the Ozrics since 1997, ever since I started my Ozric collection with Jurassic Shift and Arborescence and I have to say there's not one bad Ozric CD I came across. How many bands that been around for over 20 years now can claim this? Not too many. Nice to see them going this strong after all these years and I recommend this CD to all Ozric fans.