SPACECRAFT (NOT THE USA GROUP) 
429412
CD
PARADOXE (MORE ELECTRONIC HELDON STYLE)

STYLE/LINK:HELDON

Enter the strange and mysterious musical world of recent Richard Pinhas music collaborator and synth musician John Livengood, and guitarist Ivan Coaquette, who was best known in the mid-late 70's for his work alongside vocalist Annankha Raghel in the duo Fondation. That duo’s collaborative work has yet to see the light of day on a silver disc, but the ‘Paradoxe’ album by the Livengood/Coaquette pairing has, and the good news is - the original thirty-nine minute album has now been augmented by the addition of a near twelve-minute, previously unreleased track from 1973. So, with a new running time of fifty minutes, the duo embark along an unusual array of 7 musical paths; unafraid to whip up a musical storm at any time along the way, and then play it more soft and celestial round the next corner. With influences coming mainly from the area occupied by the likes of Terry Riley & Steve Reich, and an instrument line-up of synthesizers, guitars and effects pedals/devices this is definitely music geared toward the ears of the more adventurous listener.

The synth/guitar based music on this, the only album ever released by the Livengood / Coaquette duo is in no way indicative of the more tune-based stuff coming out of other countries. So, is it melodic at all? – Yes it definitely is, but the duo use constructions that were unique to their band, and, to an extent, a lot of the synth music coming out of France at the time. Just because it was a bit strange, sometimes a little shrill and occasionally rather stark, it never quite got the recognition it deserved. However, it was totally creative and fresh-sounding music, that still sounds almost discordant in places when played today, thirty years down the line, owing more to the likes of Terry Riley, Steve Reich and 'systems music' than to Tangerine Dream, Agitation Free, etc. This is the sound of a duo creating a rich and unusual array of musical textures and soundscapes that is melodic in terms of the music being created; yet the actual sound of it can be unnerving at times. They are certainly not afraid to play it loud and aggressive at any time, but equally, they are happy to calm everything and go soft and celestial for the next passage, or on the next track. The bonus track is the earliest and possibly the most accessible track, being nearly twelve minutes of space music in the vein of Tangerine Dream's ‘Zeit’ opus; only these are deeper, darker and more addictive soundscapes.

Weight: 150.00 g