MAGNOLIA

WELTRAUM = Space. This name is surprisingly occupied by a relatively young german band. Nevermind - it suits fine. Whenever or whereever you think of or talk about producer of trippy music - you won't ignore this band any longer after listening to their current album 'Magnolia'. The WELTRAUM crew around drummer Denniz Gockel and bass player Dora Gockel is experienced, busy for about ten years now with the preference on playing improvised psych/space music. During this time they produced more than 20(!) self-released albums, mainly recordings from their live gigs. A big surprise for me - I didn't notice them earlier!

The band name obviously points to the stylistical fundament, the space rock. However - a synthesizer is missing here and the songs are made up in a special meditative mood accompanied by a proper portion of ethno flavour. This is reminding me of the Russian band Vespero during some parts. Briefly speaking: music which I really like! The album consists of live recordings from 2008 fading in with the title song Magnolia - very tribal first with Djembe and sensitive cymbal work by Denniz Gockel. The Didgeridoo serves some strangeness, slicing and soaring guitars are joining by and by. And then it all begins to groove more and more when bass and drums are coming in. The crew takes time and carefully increases the tension over the course of nearly fifteen minutes - only once interrupted by a mandatory relaxing period - one word: fantastic!

The following Break it appears in somewhat different clothes - trip hop respectively dub influenced mainly but also coquetting with jazz rock - echoing experimental guitar excursions included. Another groundbreaking piece of work. And this is followed by Leaving Astral Airport leading over to the album's hallucinogenic experiences based on deformed guitars and voices. The next long track Canalize and Drunken Eagle are trance infected - wonderfully meandering attached to a weird ... even avantgarde note - responsible the Didgeridoo among other things. The jamming side of Daevid Allen's Gong comes into my mind which I recently could enjoy on the stage. Both guitars are ultimately soaring ... up up into the sky ... well done!

End Ending is provided with overlaps to 70s krautrock here and there. This means playful ethno psychedelia in the vein of Agitation Free dominates the first minutes. The rather jazzy drum playing and the repetitive trance behaviour later on lets me think of Can immediately where the guitars are played very melancholic with delay effect.. 'Magnolia' closes then with the more trip hop styled Dubrocks spiked with some weird, distorted impressions.

If you have an open mind about such spaced out stuff you surely have discovered a great effort as for my conclusion - a grower really! After having some rehearsals now I'm first of all delighted by the excellent guitar work of Boris Mihatsch and Sebastian Widjaja - sorry - not wanting to degrade the other crew members by all means! Comparable bands: Zone Six, Vespero, Beiruth.