AKINETÓN RETARD

All hail to Akinetón Retard! This is one of the most brilliant avant-garde rock bands from Chile, nowadays: the instrumentation, consisting of guitar, bass, drums and two saxes, is used as a vehicle for the simultaneous provision of the demented energy of Crimsonian prog, the nightmarish insanity of Zheul, the magic of old fashioned jazz and the challenging impetus of free jazz, all of them refurbished by the exuberant colours of Latin jazz. Though the input is mostly instrumental, the onomatopoeic chanting that appears in places serve as a special extra ingredient in AR's own sonic amalgam. But the main "chanting" comes from the dual saxes, which create alternate auras of neurosis, tension and mental confusion while the lead guitar goes sneaking in hither and thither. All this sonic outburst is kept right on track by the efficient rhythm section: not being without extravagance, the Tutas-Tradib duo manages to provide a solid focus of intelligence for the overall musical dementia. The album's opener 'Copenhaguen Schtorba' is a real shocker: a bizarre treat that grabs the listener by the neck of their shirt and demands them to "submit themselves or go to hell" with awesome urgency. The 5/4 initial motiv, the brief punkish sung bridge and the jazz rock main motif succeed each other in total fluidity, with a never decreasing fire. The listener willing to go on will benefit from the experience of the following two numbers, also pretty intense and magnificent: 'Primogenia Satiria', which is longer, simultaneously a bit more restrained and more insistent than the opener; 'Viaje a Erlebnis', on the contrary, is shorter and more concise, bearing a lighter mood while preserving the same insanity. A moment for relaxation comes with the introspective 'Blues in Re', a sort of reminder of old fashioned jazz from the era of 50s bohemia and beat poetry. 'Gansos, Patos y Gallinas' brings shades of "Red"-era King Crimson's most aggressive side spreading on a Latin-jazz tinged tropical pace - go figure! 'Mamut y Milodones' keeps a similar pace, albeit a bit jazzier, not unlike "Köhntarkösz"-era Magma. It's such a pity that this number is less than 3-minute long. The album's closure is much longer, fortunately: all throughout its 8+minute duration, it recapitulates some of the most prominent ambiences featured in the preceding repertoire. The band took their name after a medication against the spreading of Parkinson's - well, if listening to AR's music is hardly recommended to those who suffer from it, it is almost mandatory for those rock fans who long and yearn for bands that recreate the aura of old progressive's most bizarre side in a most inventive manner. In conclusion: AR's debut album is an excellent item in the contemporary section of your prog collection.

The debut album from this excellent Chilean quintet consisting of a double brass attack fronting a guitar, bass and drum trio. The least we can say is that they are strongly influenced by Crimson circa 69-74, but limiting them to such a lone influence would be reducing namely Coltrane and Aka Moon. Only four of the seven tracks are sung and the vocals are not a dominant force in those tracks either. Of the last four tracks, three are instrumental.

There are times during the opening track that can make you think of Schizoid Man, the second track being strongly influenced by jazz but also a superb Frippian guitar. One can hear Magmaian chants (maybe even in Kobaian) in the Viaje a Elerbnis track, Ganses is IMHO, the highlight of the album with its superb interplay between the twin- lead sax cam and valves sparked by the guitar turbo-injection system, while the bass- drum duo rumbles like a V12 motor. But the 8 min finale is the other highlight of the album, with a slow intro with eastern sounding ambiances and a wild development. Although I do not own another A R record , I heard two others, and I can tell you that this album is no fluke and this group is a real find only waiting for your discovery.

4.5 stars. Here's another album that is calling out for a 5 star rating, and down the road I may bump it up because this is amazing stuff. Think "Red" by KING CRIMSON and add some darkness and avant moments, then mix in some Jazz and Zeuhl and there you have it, a dish special made just for me.This might be my favourite AKINETON RETARD album. By the way the album cover suits the music that is inside.

"Copenhaguen Schtorba" opens with pounding drums and blasting horns. It settles in quickly until a minute in when the guitar and rough vocals take over, then back to the drums and sax. It settles again with guitar and bass as the drums continue. Horns after 3 1/2 minutes. Nice. "Primogenia Satira" has a brief but powerful guitar intro then the bass and drums rumble in as the guitar continues. Sax a minute in. Great sound here. Man this is so good. Vocal expressions after 3 minutes. Dissonant horns 5 1/2 minutes in. Some nice growly bass before 7 minutes then the vocals return. "Viaje A Eriebnis" has these Zeuhl inspired vocal chants that join the powerful soundscape. It settles with horns 1 1/2 minutes in.The guitar is ripping it up 3 minutes in.

"Blues En Re" is jazzy early on. Horns join in this laid back tune. Cool song. "Gansos,Patos Y Gallinos" has these crazy vocals as the tempo swings abruptly and often. It settles in before 1 1/2 minutes.The guitar solos beautifully after 2 minutes as the bass and drums rumble underneath. Horns are back before 4 1/2 minutes. A calm a minute later then the horns and drums lead to the end. "Mamut Y Milodones" builds with horns as heavy outbursts come and go starting at 2 minutes in. "Aquelarre Satiri Sarnaz" has some good atmosphere with the guitar, horns and drums standing out. It's heavier 3 minutes in. So good. A calm before 4 1/2 minutes. Check out the Krautrock-like guitar 6 1/2 minutes in, then he's lighting it up a minute later.

Another killer album from Chile. Highly recommended.

One of the wildest and most unique progressive bands to emerge from Chile, the Santiago based AKINETÓN RETARD has also become one of the more famous experimental acts to emerge from this far southern nation. Formed in 1994 by Vicente García-Huidobro (guitaris, vocals), Leonardo Arias (saxophonist, clarinetist) and Pablo Araya (bass) as music students at the University of Chile, the trio would soon find company with drummer Cristian Bidart and saxophonist Rodrigo de Petris set forth to craft their own potpourri fusion blend of diverse artists such as Frank Zappa, John Coltrane, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson and Magma amongst many others.

The band's unusual name refers to a medicine used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease but with such unrelenting rhythmic drive and crazed unpredictability it's more likely that the music will cause seizures in the uninitiated rather than cure them! The band is notorious as being a multi-media act with great effort placed on sound effects, videos and other visual touches in their live performances and has performed extensively across Europe, Japan and China. The band's unique blend of jazz, progressive rock, zeuhl, Latin music and modern classical give it a very distinct sound unlike any other that i've found and the duo saxophone combo effects along with a bass clarinet offer an extra jazzy assault of sizzling squawking action .

AKINETÓN RETARD has released five studio albums and its 2005 live album "Akinetón En Vivo" which got the band recognized internationally. While focusing more on Latin rhythms and musical styles in the modern era in order to gain a bit more crossover appeal, the band's earliest efforts are a wild and unhinged affair which all started on this self-titled debut that emerged in 1999. To call this band off kilter would be an understatement. Crafting its own nonsensical language in the vein of Magma, the band brazenly delivers a wild guitar abandonment in the vein of classic Red-era King Crimson or Anekdoten along with stuttering zeuhl rhythms along with avant-prog angularities in the vein of Present or Univers Zero.

The jazz influences are really unlike any fusion bands that you've heard with a unique contrapuntal effect between dueling saxophones. The music is primarily improvised instrumental segments with a restless delivery system that is in many ways the musical equivalent of Parkinson's strangely enough. Vocals presented are often shouted in a hysterical form sounding more like something from the world of post-punk rather than anything prog or traditional rock. The over the top approach adds a touch of humorous whimsey reminiscent of England's Canterbury Scene or even Sweden's Samla Mammas Manna only vocals here are gruff and explosive and verging on psychosis at times. The music drifts from overtly aggressive to passively sleek and subtle starting out on the more aggressive side and finding a bit of more contemplative slower moments beginning with "Blues En Re."

The mix of three different saxophones and a bass clarinet give the entire shebang a very woodwind dominated sound although the guitars carry a lot of weight with crunchy discordant riffing tirades as well as cleaner moments of reverb. The compositions can follow a fairly repetitive groove or engage in knotty brutal prog excess sometimes well within the confines of a simple cadence or two. While the jazzy touches are in the forefront, often the compositions themselves sound like something straight out of the world of 20th modern classical which offers bizarre transformations from one dominant style to another. While it's hard to compare AKINETÓN RETARD to any other act on the scene, fans of twisted avant-prog jazz fusion similar to bands like Jean Louis, Auktyon, Ne Zhdali, Utopianisti or even classic Area will find a lot to love here only this band is a bit more anarchic in its approach than any of those.