Available now at the 1k store—GOLDBUG-The Seven Dreams featuring drummer ERIC SLICK (Adrian Belew Power Trio, Dr. Dog, Project Object), UK sax/flute phenom THEO TRAVIS (Robert Fripp, Soft Machine, Gong), bassist BARRY MEEHAN (Base3, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Nucultures), and guitarist TIM MOTZER (Burnt Friedman + Jaki Liebzeit, 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! .

 

Get it here! 1k RECORDINGS ONLINE STORE                             (pictured topdown:Tim Motzer, Theo Travis,
                                                                                                                      Barry Meehan, Eric Slick)

 

 

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.
Stash Dauber

*****

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.”
Top pick  Baby Sue

*****

 

 

“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

*****

“Starting out as a project between Base3_ colleagues Tim Motzer (guitar) and Barry Meehan (bass), Goldbug came into being after a fortuitous jam session with the gifted drummer Eric Slick, then in-between sessions with the Adrian Belew Power Trio.The results are as energetic as they eclectic. After an impressionistic, FX-laden introduction, the album album gets underway appropriately enough with The Departure. Slick’s hyper-active drumming creates a beguiling rhythmic static intermittently pierced by Barry Meehan’s combative quicksilver bass runs. Motzer doesn’t so much play a solo as smear luminescent echo-drenched notes against the fields of colour and rhythm created by his colleagues.There’s a real sense of tension throughout the record that comes from never being quite sure of what might lie around the corner.Thus we have a constantly percolating space-jazz, flecked with the radiant arcs of gleaming solos, notes colliding via irregular orbits, intriguing clusters of intense interplay, interspersed mysterious dissonant events of glitch-infused electronica.The strategic addition of UK sax and flute player, Theo Travis, shifts the gears and expertly stokes up The Seven Dreams’ fiery clamour exactly when needed.The Past Is Still Present, tethered to Mehan’s recurrent motif – not a million miles away from Coltrane’s A Love Supreme – is a courtly dance conjured by spiralling tom-toms and Motzer’s sustained minimalist picking. Suddenly Travis’s tenor enters raking over the coals, adding his own spark and raucous bite. Stirring stuff for sure.”
Sid Smith notes from the yellow room (uk)

*****

“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

*****

“A studied revival mixing influences like early ‘70s U.K. jazzers such as Soft Machine and Henry Cow, the 2010 release of The Seven Dreams by Goldbug takes the avant jazz fusion genre to another level. Guitarist Tim Motzer gets solid support from his band mates Eric Slick (drums), Barry Meehan (bas) and Soft Machine flute/sax man Theo Travis. Mix in the spirit of Syd era Pink Floyd and the strategies of King Crimson founder Bob Fripp and you come close to a description. Being all instrumental, this superbly recorded album blends New Age, jazz, fusion and the rage of futuristic beats on a CD that just sounds more intriguing with each spin. In addition to The Seven Dreams, Motzer has also released Descending, credited to Tim Motzer & Markus Reuter. The duo’s ambient excursion includes guest spots once again from Theo Travis as well as pedal steel ace B.J. Coleand Pat Mastelotto adding electronics.” MWE.COM  0ctober 2010