EDGE OF TIME

Edge of Time is one of the highlights of the folk-on-acid lineage in the Kraut dynasty. It's an amazing trip, one that has dreamy acoustic space-folk as well as far-out sonic experiments and proto-industrial noise. It's the only album of a somewhat obscure international Krautrock band Dom which united musicians from Hungaria, Poland and Germany.

The album was first issued on CD in 1994, a dodgy affair copied from a scratchy old vinyl. The issue to get is the 2001 'Second Battle' CD, which pairs the original 1971 album to a couple of 1972 demos and a one-off 1998 recording of the Hungarian v. Baksay brothers. It's amazing how perfectly it all blends in with the original material from the 70s.

But the original material is sure the focal point, offering four 9-minute improvisations that explore the pastoral-psych path that Floyd briefly touched in 68-69 but left all too quickly again. Fans of the style will hear the mood and quality of songs such as Julia Dream, Careful with That Axe and Cirrus Minor. They get mixed with the sonic chaos of the Ummagumma studio album.

The songs are mostly instrumental but for a few whispered words and wordless oohs and aahs that float along with the music. On the parts where drums join you will also hear flashes of early Hawkwind, most notable on the title track which drones along in true Master of the Universe fashion. But this album predated In Search of Space so here is where you look if you want to know what mr. Brock was listening to in 1970. Also the band Mythos owes a lot to this album.

It took me ages to track down a properly priced CD of the album, but at last I found one in a record-shop not even 5 minutes from where I live. The message learnt, never despair! (and go living in Antwerp:) This albums is a must have if you want to claim a Kraut collection of serious standing. A near masterpiece.