Album Review: Drone Jams Vol. 1 by Space Spectrum

The jam is something that seems to be missing in much of mainstream music these days. I am not saying that it was ever that prevalent, but there have been times when musicians just got up and played; just to see where it would take them. This, of course, would be an anathema to most of the music business which likes everything neatly packaged and endlessly reproduced.

There has, however, always been room, perhaps a dingy back room, for jamming; much of which by its very nature is never captured and if it is that recording is often lost amidst the huge amounts of…well…stuff that is out there. This is a shame because the genesis of great ideas and fantastic music can often be captured in jams, a group of people just letting themselves go and working off each other.

‘Drone Jams Vol. 1’ by German “space/drone/kraut collective” Space Spectrum is something of a mid-way point between a live jam and a studio recording, taking a series of jams that were originally recorded and mastered by the band themselves along with former band-member, Jan-David Schulz, in the time between their first two albums, “The Red Eyed Queen” and “In Search of Drone”. Having left them alone for some time the band have done some re-recording and overdubs to include additional synthesiser effects provided by new member, Florian. The result is a quality recording of some really nice free-flowing, but never loose, playing with the later additions melding seamlessly into the mix. This is a wonderfully controlled set performed by a band collectively on top form rolling out some really spaced out kosmiche drone rock.

This is the second release of Brighton-based Drone Rock Records limited to 250 copies, 100 on white and 150 on a lovely  cyan blue, red and double-mint splatter effect. You are probably going to want to catch one of these before they disappear.

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