As part of my nostalgic look back Sherpa comes recommended. They hail from Italy and their album ‘Tanzlinde’ is also on Sulatron Records on CD and limited LP (the latter probably sold out). It is described in the press release as the sort of album I would like “translucent sounding, becoming better and more intense with each listen.” ‘Thematically ‘tanzlinde’ is literally a linden tree under which one sits to connect to one’s deepest feelings. Musically, there are “influences

A blast from the past: I’m listening again to ‘Hypnotiser’ . Right away the palpable spacey groove hauls you in for a ‘Lift Off ’ . The title track continues the journey: “Let’s have a look at the Earth- Professor, what do you see?”, a lethargic, hypnotic listen. The line-up is Sergio Ceballos on guitar and voice, Sula Bassana on bass and Pablo Carneval on drums, all original pieces of around 10 minutes in length except for ‘Kosmos Amigos’  which is instantly recognisable as

More hypnotic sounds from Astral Magic led by Santtu Laakso who wrote, produced, played and sang on his latest album. I particularly liked the eastern vibes of ‘The Veil of Isis’ with Fred Laird guesting on electric guitar and bouzouki and ‘Mirror Universe’ with guest Pete Bingham of Sendelica on electric guitar. ‘The Shining Ice’ features Luís Simões’ sitar, tampura, tabla and gong – the eastern vibes again. The synth exchanges on ‘Ghostly Apparitions’ are haunting (as you’d

FROM THE ARCHIVE I have been reviewing the prolific improvisational space rocker Øresund Space Collective . Going back to “Ode to A Black Hole ” (2016), also by is very different. The synths take centre stage to a backdrop of heavy toms recalling the feel of Pink Floyd ’s early space explorations, guitar making an appearance later on in the second (long) piece, in a kind of Tangerine Dream  way. Mind you, it’s more of a tranquil, trippy experience than a being ripped apart as

The prolific Santtu Laakso AKA Astral Magic along with Jonathan Sigel on guitar and violin and Shane Beck’s spoken word/ poetry is back once again asking the question – are we being watched by alien beings? A big question and a legitimate one. The musical groove starts on ‘Wormhole’ with some nice guitar fills. ‘Vector Equilibrium’ is a swirl of synthesiser as Shane continues the narrative. ‘It’s all Just a Simulation’ is like a mirror image of ‘Wormhole’, and similarly intox

CD 1 is the original album remastered with the A and B sides of singles. CD 2 and 3 are live at Edmonton Sundown (1974) and previously unreleased with only a couple of tracks of the actual album. There's a new mix of the Live in Chicago concert from 1974 on CDs 4 and 5 and the Cleveland concert on CD 6 and 7. There is also a surround sound Blu Ray mix of the album and the Cleveland concert (18 tracks in all) is also captured on Blu Ray. A true collector's piece for Hawkwind d

An exact facsimile of the original Charisma Records LP with a inner bad and liner note insert, “Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music” lays to...

Chakra Vimana is Santtu Laakso from Astral Magic on synthesizers, vocals, and bass, Mark Cook on fretted and fretless Warr guitar,...

In an occasional series of ‘blasts from the past’, Nik Turner’s Space Ritual was reviewed in “Acid Dragon” #48 if memory serves. As you...

Sad to hear the news that Simon House has passed. Classically trained, his violin work helped to define the sound of the legendary High...

The hospital field recordings and blood pressure readings seem an unusual way to start a new album by Welsh space rockers Sendelica, but...

This is the third in a trilogy of heavily synthesised albums that includes last year’s Stories from Time and Space  and The Future Never...

I don’t know where Santtu Laakso finds an energy of such cosmic proportions. He’s back again, but not under his Astral Magic moniker this...

Thanks to Garry Lee for playing ‘Robot Formation Dance’ from the latest Paradox One “Extinction” EP series. It appears on hour 2 of part...

I asked Santtu about the lyrics of the vocal tracks and the meanings behind the songs on the album: ‘Dance of Destiny’: This is about how...

“Dance of Destiny” could prove to be one of Santtu Laaksu, the man behind Astral Magic’s most powerful releases, especially in the...

This compilation spans 25 years of the Paradox One project and can be purchased for the modest price of £7. Please feel free to use the...

This compilation spans 25 years of the Paradox One project and can be listened to on BANDCAMP. Please feel free to use the following link...

Kozfest was held in Axminster (famous for its carpets) in England on 29th July, 2023. Synthist/ synthetist Dr Space is joined by Vince...