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1k016
GOLDBUG-THE SEVEN DREAMS
US$15.00 Email This Item! GOLDBUG-THE SEVEN DREAMS (1k016) a new studio project featuring drummer ERIC SLICK (Adrian Belew Power Trio, Dr. Dog, Project Object), bassist BARRY MEEHAN (Base3, Sister Gertrude Morgan, NuCultures), UK sax/flute phenom THEO TRAVIS (Gong, Soft Machine, Robert Fripp), and guitarist TIM MOTZER (Base3, Burnt Friedman+ Jaki Leibeziet, Ursula Rucker, Tilomo). An immersive journey in groove exploration, textures, and orchestration—cut up, mis-aligned, and re-imagined for the wandering ear. Catch the Bug! GOLDBUG—THE SEVEN DREAMS 1 Shadow Memory 2 The Departure 3 Unraveling 4 Scratching The Third Eye 5 Elevation 6 The Past Is Still Present 7 Persistence Of A Memory personnel: TIM MOTZER - guitars, keyboards, piano, laptop THEO TRAVIS - tenor saxophone, flute, ambitronics BARRY MEEHAN - bass, piano, voice ERIC SLICK - drums, percussion, voice, kaos pad produced by tim motzer for 1k recordings all music composed and improvised by goldbug. album arranged and sequenced by tim motzer and barry meehan. mixed by jeff chestek and tim motzer. mastered by jeff chestek at the hat, philadelphia january 2010. recorded by tim motzer at nautica, philadelphia june 2009 except saxophone & flute recorded by theo travis at ether studio london december 2009 kudos to: rich chychota for his masterful drum mic placements. istanbul and philadelphia field recordings by tim motzer. theo travis uses the travis system of ambitronics. scarab illustration by austin dodson cover photo: norwegian wall by tim motzer design by dejha ti thank you: zvex, line6, guyatone, nomad factory, ableton, paiste cymbals, vater drumsticks, evans drum heads, mcd drums, apple, fender, ashdown, universal audio, and zoom. licensing requests: info@1krecordings.com published by one k music co (bmi) c p 2010 1k recordings. (1k016) all rights reserved. 1krecordings.com myspace.com/timmotzer theotravis.com myspace.com/theotravis ericslick.com Goldbug: The Seven Dreams Goldbug reviews: (as of August 30, 2010) "Highly cinematic, sounding like a soundtrack to an artsy underground film (and being perfect for it), Gold Bug find themselves in the vein of Trey Gunn, The ProjeKCts, & Quodia; it's music that reinvents the whole way that experimental-minded artistic music is executed, modernizing the approach that Ornette Coleman brought to the table years ago." Tommy Hash Yetsjam.com ***** "The Departure" is a taut, tough blast of fusion funk, with
Motzer inhabiting the ethereal realm staked out by the early John
Abercrombie; his notes and tones float, rather than hit. The 11-minute
"Scratching the Third Eye" opens with burbling electronics before
settling into a groove reminiscent of Miles circa Live-Evil. The
equally leisurely "The Past Is Still Present" explores an Arabian mode
-- imagine mid-period Pink Floyd with better musicianship. ***** Anyone familiar with Motzer's 1 K Recordings label may have
some idea of what to expect here. These exceptionally talented
individuals create music that is somewhat of a cross between jazz,
modern classical, progressive rock, and ambient experimentation. Rather
than specific melody driven pieces, these compositions tend to pass by
like ocean waves...with the ideas and intent behind the music being
more important than exact notes or melodies. Five of these seven tracks
were recorded live in the studio...while the remaining two were
"reconstructed" by Motzer. Peculiar and dreamy...this disc comes from a
decidedly distant universe. Compelling cuts include "Shadow Memory,"
"Unraveling," and "Persistence of a Memory." ***** "I have to admit that prior to receiving this exhilarating new project Goldbug, I was unfamiliar with the talents of Philadelphia based musician / composer Tim Motzer. Turns out that in addition to not only being an internationally known player who has recorded with the likes of David Sylvian and Jaki Liebezeit (Can) to name just a few, he is also an accomplished producer who has been running his own record label 1K Recordings for the past ten years as well. Along with Motzer who handles guitars, keys, piano & laptop, Goldbug's debut album The Seven Dreams features a killer lineup of supremely talented musicians. First up we have Tim's longtime Base3 collaborator Barry Meehan on bass. Manning the drums Tim enlisted another Philly area native in Eric Slick who has been gigging with Adrian Belew's power trio for the past couple of years, and last but certainly not least The Seven Dreams is also graced by the presence of British sax & flute player Theo Travis. The majority of the music on The Seven Dreams was basically cut live over the course of a couple of improvised sessions, with only a few compositions later being subjected to Motzer's sonic reconstructions. After the brief electronic tinged opening number "Shadow Memory" things kick into high gear immediately on "The Departure" as the downright funky rhythmic patterns and deep, meaty grooves laid down by Slick and Meehan take center stage, while Motzer applies thick layers of jazzy, textured guitar that at times sounds otherworldly. Next up is "Unraveling" which is one of the above mentioned reconstructed tracks. Highlighted by Tim's spacey analog synth splashes and Eric's cut-up, off kilter percussion work, this two minute composition segues seamlessly into the eleven minute tour de-force "Scratching The Third Eye". Much like "The Departure" this multi-faceted track is once again anchored brilliantly by the dizzying amount of tempo changes executed by both Slick and Meehan. The intensity gradually builds and builds as Motzer unleashes a plethora of sweeping electronic textures and fluid guitar runs overtop the repetitive piano melody lying just beneath the surface. As if the majestic beauty of these first four tracks wasn't enough to satiate the listener, the superb melodies and sublime playing are enhanced even further with Theo Travis' contributions which come on the final three tracks of the disc. "Elevation" is the first track to benefit from Theo's deeply moving kaleidoscope of colors as he rips off a sizzling, extended sax solo over the course of the first half of the song before the backwards piano splashes and what appears to be the sound of a bubbling brook conclude the piece. The second extended composition "The Past Is Still Present" once again reveals Motzer's propensity for utilizing various different guitar textures and electronic treatments to create a wealth of dreamlike atmospherics. Sick's initial tribal beats give way to a distinctly more jazz based foundation before Theo finally enters the picture to close the track out with another one of his trademark ripping tenor solos. The smoke has barely cleared before the listener is quickly engaged in the final composition "Persistence Of A Memory". This is a truly sublime and subdued track, only this time it's highlighted not by a sax solo but by Travis' delicate flute work. The rich, thought provoking, dreamy atmospherics employed throughout, along with the absolutely superlative performances turned in by each individual musician definitely makes The Seven Dreams a one of a kind listening experience from beginning to end, and one that I'm sure will remain etched in your brain long after the music has ended." Ryan Sparks - Sea of Tranquility ***** ***** "Ok, time for my album of the year pick. Yea, yea..I know it’s
only the end of August but I highly doubt there’s going to be another
album released this year that impresses me as much as this one does.
There is so much going on in this disc to dig and I hear something new
each time I play it. Lots of variety and very impressive musicianship
make this a work that I’ll be coming back to again and again. In a
word, this disc is stunning." Progressive Ears
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