10 YEARS OF AURAL PSYCHEDELIC JOURNEYS

On the occasion of the band's 10th anniversary the ZONE SIX members checked the archives to collect some rare and unpresented recordings. This release lights up the recent ten years playing spacey psychedelic jam rock in their unique way. The band is known for extended and unpolished live improvisations - some of them can be found here on '10 Years Of Aural Psychedelic Journeys' in a chronological order and it's really turned out well. Dave Schmidt aka Sula Bassana playing the space-bass is the constant of the band which saw several contributors during the years.

It was a little bit surprising to figure out that ZONE SIX worked together with a female vocalist at the beginning. With the support of Jodi Barry - originally from Australia - the band is showing a new facet here for me. The first three studio songs - each with more than 10 minutes - are differing to the rest developing an interesting pleasant flow. They remained from a recording session for a new album which was not completed for unknown reasons. I first want to underline the openerSomething's Missing - the album highlight - expressing a special sort of easiness with (prog) hit character. The song has dynamic with a pumping bass but is also trancy with suitable somewhat breathy vocals, decent synth patterns in the background and a wistful guitar played by Hans-Peter Ringholz. Thanks for digging this out, Dave!

Knuf On Tog is the first live song and from a later phase where Jodi Barry had left the band already and they had to play totally instrumental futher on - a propulsive one which much tension. The following studio track Hiddenworld - left over from the recordings for the third album - serves a groovy triphop mood based on spacey synths like the band Fila Brazillia. Here we have another example that the band isn't limited to a special style.

The last three songs are live recordings from 2006 with jam character for what the band is known for predominantly. The first two from the Grateful-Dead-Head-Meeting 2006 are rocking grooving with lots of spacey guitar work with wah wah and delay effects by new guitarist Julius-K. with the support of Ben Basgard on lap-steel guitar. Finally Infernal Grande from the Burg Herzberg Festival in the same year - what name could be more suitable? - is wild and weird, near to krautrock and for one or two the song might be too hyped. Not my favourite too but another demonstration for versatility on the other hand.

From my experience in the meanwhile I can admit that every album with a Sula Bassana contribution can be recommended per se. Yet another example full of pleasant psych/space music. If you like long and spacey jams with some references to other genre bands like Pink Floyd, Hawkwind and Man you are right here and the album is also provided with three interesting excerpts from the early phase with female vocals.