SATURNIA

"Mindrama" is a great opener bringing FLOYD to mind with that urgent sound with mono-toned, low key vocals. Very much a sign of 1971. He repeats "Mindrama" over and over on the chorus. But man this is experimental to start and finish. This is such an amazing headphone album, the sounds are all over the place. "Organza" continues that vibe and we get Turner adding flute and there's also some guest electric piano that I love. "Kyte" reminds me of that song off that MORTE MACABRE album with a female going "La la la la la...." same here. Catchy stuff. "Infinite Chord" has some delay and sitar and then it explodes into an uptempo groove. Crazy synths and mellotron too along with some wordless vocals.

"Analepsis" opens with what sounds like people playing tennis as guest acoustic guitar joins in then it becomes spacey with vocals. Such a cool and drifting track, I like this one a lot. "Aqua" is powerful to start, experimental too before becoming this flute-led piece late, quite beautiful after 5 1/2 minutes. "Nipple" opens with samples before heavy beats take over and organ. Vocals are laid back as they sing over top, flute too. So much going on instrumentally once again as this plays out. "Utterly Luminescent" has a nice slow heavy beat with sitar and sounds that echo and more. It's dark as soft vocals join in. I really like "Hedge Maze" a trippy tune with echoes and beats, sitar too and vibes. Yes I'm hearing mellotron too. Love this stuff. And what a great way to end the album with "Syrian" the longest track at almost 11 minutes. So much atmosphere and Daevid speaks!

Thirty years after the 60s ideology faded like Vietnamese villages smothered by agent orange, the hippie vibe was resurrected in Portugal as Simōes planned on creating a communal band however despite his achronistic tendencies, he nonetheless failed to attract kindred spirits to carry out his intended plans. Thus he became a one man band with a few guest musicians helping out.

Over the years Simōes has worked with many such guests including Gong's own Daevid Allen, Hawkwind's Nik Turner as well as Colour Haze's Stefan Koglek however on this eponymous debut that emerged at the turn of the millennium in 1999, the guest roster is a little more mysterious with no reliable credits cited over the internet (unfortunately i do not own this fine pleasantry so perhaps liner notes exist to shed light on this nebulousness).

If one was to judge from the album cover, this could've sat in the vaults since 1969 when artists like Quietessence, Oriental Sunshine, A=mh2 and Ananda Shankar were following the trend set forth by The Beatles to incorporate everything Indian into their rock music paradigm. However, this was the end of the 90s and much had changed in 30 years and the SATURNIA project utilized the similar in vibe electronic and indie aspects that graced the 90s with impunity.

This debut album embraces not only the feel good Rancho Relaxo vibes of the Summer of Love years but also takes advantage of the wealth of technological advances that had resulted in the ensuing decades. Since this falls into the Raga rock camp it goes without saying that the sitar is a predominant sound encountered in this album's run however what's unexpected is that this is equally a space rock album with techno drum and bass percussive drive with lots of ambient electronic effects as well.

Sounding like something between the 90s bigbeat Prodigy and more downtempo Portishead, this could easily have been played at a more chilled out gig in Ibiza with all the spring break college students smashed on E dancing their asses off like there's no tomorrow. Add to that a serene and chilled out church organ that slinks alongside the hyperactive beat adding a smoothed out chill zone. Also predominant are erratic fluttering electronic effects, another 90s trait. The production and mixing are masterful.

The vocals are quite subdued and even buried beneath the mix and the album comes across more as a DJ's tribute to an era passed as it certainly sounds more 90s than classic Indo-raga from the heyday of its popularity. This is definitely party music here. Not the the unhinged raves where the cops bust down the door and break out the firehoses but rather the nice house parties where friends come over to chill out and perhaps play Pictionary!

While the fusion of electronica and ethnic influences is certainly nothing new and especially in the 90s when whole compilations such as the outstanding Buddha Bar series exhibit similar sounds, SATURNIA is quite unique in how the drum and bass interacts with the organ, theremin, piano and sometimes off kilter no wave type guitar runs such as on my favorite track "Sculptress Sublime." While one can chill out and pay no attention to this music, the subtleties are quite attention getting. Really only the last track is bombastic. The rest is a cloud ride through the skies on that magic carpet ride. Nice!

From the beginning of the first track "Mindrama", we can get risky, dangerous riffs and upbeat ballooning pumps. This repetitive melodic effect reminds me of some lectures by a religious organization, which attract persons mentally in trouble. The atmosphere turns over a spacey channel upon the following "Organza", featuring bongo's brilliant rhythm prints and mystic rites. Not only upon this stuff but also upon the fourth chord "infinite Chord", it's such an antagonist for pure "rock" fans enough to get kicked away, and should absorb some Indo / Raga fiends obviously. "Hedge Maze" sounds similar to the title itself ... tribe fire flying might be seen just in front of us. Via "Kite" or "Analapsis" soft, smooth spiritual experience is heard, but not difficult to realize ... some say "this just isn't my cup of psychedelic curry" though (sorry Alan :P) ... they've seasoned this spirit with catchy phrases, and this phenomenon should be heard through "Aqua" or their expectation "Nipple". One of their masterpieces in this album, launches simple dull hollow sounds flooded with internal psychic power, such a hallucinogenic agent, and pop essence. The last "Syrian", that might have anticipation of the current nation or the worldwide environment I imagine, possesses complex motivation of rhythm and melody mixes (maybe inspired by Daevid, a speaker in this track), and this should be appropriate as the last presentation revealed by them.

Recommended for psychedelic progressive rock freaks who hope to escape from the bustle of the current world, let me say.

Some times I use months upon months trying to decipher a specific album´s armour - trying my best to understand what its getting at, if it indeed is getting at something intelligible and more importantly to something interesting. Other times you don´t need any interpretation - no second guessing - it just works from the get go. Saturnia´s debut was like that for me. Maybe docile is the wrong word here, and maybe I should use friendly or welcoming, but there sure is something about the music here, that leads you to believe that almost anyone could enjoy it.

This album sounds like the bastard child of an Indian version of Prodigy beats man Liam Howlett and Porcupine Tree´s first album. The drum n´ bass foundation of the first all wrapped up with some delightful Indian touches, and the fragile singing and melody laden aura of Porcupine.

This kind of music is very smooth and fluffy - it makes you feel relaxed and almost as if you´re lying on some beach in Goa sipping tea and watching brown girls walk by in the yellow sands. This is of course down to the sitar and gong, which are instruments used quite frequently on our vacation to the Buddhist part of the world, but even more so, I think the guy running things here actually knows a thing or two about the strange music of the far East. I think I read something about him studying meditation, but then again don´t you worry, because this album is far from being that: Meditation music. Too many twitches and wobbly bits for that to be true.

Imagine these long drawn out psychedelic soundscapes of bubbling organs, highly infectious programmed beats, the occasional sheep heard flute, reverberating gongs, nervous yearning theremins and the most gelatinous sounding wah wah guitar you´ll ever come across, and you´re almost there. The wah wahs here are not like you´ll here in Cream - with that overpowering fuzzy grizzly bear attack, but rather like soft cuddly string work with a clean echoing effect, that reminds me of multiplying ripples upon ripples. Often you´ll dream yourself away to some psychedelic Bollywood flick with sensuous belly dancers and clouds of weed smoke, and then out of the blue you get these wonderful vocal sections that lie somewhere between that first Porcupine album and Floyd´s Saucerful of Secrets. Sweet - sweet like jelly beans and honey.

If you´ve ever heard some of The Prodigy´s more laid back psychedelic material like 3 Kilos or Narayan, then imagine this kind of electronic wavering music spliced up with some curry powder and a big chunk of mango chutney. If you on the other hand have lived through the 60s and 70s, and already have made your mind up about what constitutes proper electronic music, -and you think that beats such as one can find in the likes of Massive Attack and Prodigy are immensely overrated and grating and only for tiny girls with neon make-up, - then do yourself a favour and drink a bottle of tequila before you put this album on, roll up a doobie, fondle your missus hand bags - and then go have a listen just like you did way back then. I think this album works very well, whichever way you want to approach it from. Be that from the old school hippie psych pastures or perhaps the "new" electronic fields with a bouncier beat and a different twist to the usage of droning textures. Just don´t forget that ze Germans invented that droning kind of music back when Klaus Schulze started out playing refrigerators and other big boxes.

I´d like to think that I can recommend this album to just about everyone here, well maybe except for people who only stick to marmalade and French toasts. Anyway, this album really is a lovable affair that takes you under its wings and just floats on by like some magical oscillating carpet ride beneath the Eastern skies.

My main gripe with Muzak by Saturnia is the lack of development in both the songs as individuals and the album as a whole. The songs just kind of drone and beat through their duration, often with touches of Indian music. I've also never been a fan of Indian music in general, so anything influenced by it is sure to leave a bad impression. There are a few nice sounding electronic elements present on this album, but that isn't enough for me to give this album more than one star, unfortunately. I tried really hard to enjoy this album and view it objectively, but I suppose this just isn't my cup of psychedelic curry.

The music character of this Saturnia that had acted since the time of 1996 is a route of psychedelic. And, it is original and interprets it not to imagine specific of the genre partially. As for it, the purpose of Luis Simoes might be reflected. Painting and music, and design and the culturesIt is projected surely to the music character and expressed. The music character cultivated with the Cranium label well versed in the item of psychedelic and Trip Music has been succeeded enough by this album. Their from the especially 2000's music characters might have succeeded in establishing the music character with the refined flow. The imagination of the music character by two of Luis Simoes and Francisco Rebelo surely exactly stimulates listener's aural and sight. The usage and the composition power of musical instruments introduced by the tune are overwhelming.

They are having them establish the music character by Mellow Records further in this album. Establishment of usage of synthesizer and Theremin. Or, the fact to contain the element where it doesn't stay simply and psychedelically by using Sitar. And, it is partial in which it runs to the whole volume, a progressive flow is understood, and it absorbed it. It has atmosphere that is reminiscent of the route of a certainly famous band of psychedelic and group of Electronics. However, they may say that they will develop an original route overall.

"Hydrophonic Gardening" is continuousness of the sound that flows in the part and the space of effective SE. And, the processing of a guitar that produces the anacatesthesia and an electronic sound intersects. Music is imagined while including a few psychedelic and ambient elements. The construction of the done consistent music character stimulates aural. The continuousness of the shining sound is the world completely exactly constructed.

The flavor of Neo psychedelic and Experimental Rock flows exactly well in "Kozmische Part1&2" with the length. Melody of organ of psychedelic in close relation to constant rhythm. And, the atmosphere of the Middle East appears exactly well in the melody of the guitar and the scat that twines because of the distorted sound. The flow that the melody of Raga Rock twines round the flavor of good psychedelic might be splendid. The usage of Sitar is also good each other. Repeated rhythm and melody indeed express the gaga part. It changes tempo in the part of Part2 and the tune is composed of another angle. It progresses while taking mixing an electronic sound and the element of minimal.

The sound of a melody with expression of feelings and a pastoral guitar gently affects "Sunflower". An effective melody of the flute and the sound of the decoration exactly have the flavor of psychedelic Neo. The part and the composition power of the song that constructs the atmosphere of the tune can be improved.

"Lava Lamp" is connected from the part of Coda of "Sunflower". It rushes into the part of a heavy rhythm and a complete anacatesthesia while continuing silence and the tension. The synthesizer in close relation to the melody of the guitar is completely progressive. There might be space that they create. The composition in which an electronic sound twines round the flavor of psychedelic Neo is expressed well. A transparent feeling and the anacatesthesia continue.

"Planetarium" expresses the flow of heavy darkness. Flow that is reminiscent of Strings with keyboard. Continuousness of decoration of electronic sound in close relation to it. The flow round which various sounds twine gives a good tension.

As for "Vimana", the taste of psychedelic with an enchantment rhythm and the sense of relief is impressive. It is likely to be able to catch as complete Trip Music. The element of the ambient and minimal is added to the flavor of a length and flowing psychedelic Neo. And, the sound of the decoration that introduces it everywhere makes the atmosphere of the tune act effectively.

"Omnia" is a tune that continues a completely bright melody. However, a transparent feeling and the anacatesthesia that flows through the whole volume consist as a flavor of psychedelic that they do and an original composition that is. Part of song that produces transparent feeling. Or, the progress of Chord toward the top is processed. Melody of guitar with flavor of psychedelic that flows consistently. Sense of relief of synthesizer and organ in close relation to it. All might create one complete space.

The element as Raga Rock might not been so introduced in this album. It is established by this album as Music who indeed has originality the part as Neo psychedelic and Experimental Rock the Music character however that they create.