Djam Karet - Live at Orion
1. Technology and
Industry
2. Familiar Winds
3. Forbidden by Rule
4. Reflections from the Fire pool
5. Province 19: The Visage of War
6. Shaman's Descent
7. Jammin' At Mike & J's
8. Run Cerberus Run
Home Page http://www.djamkaret.com/
Cuneiform Records Page : http://cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/djam.html
Now this is very special. American band Djam Karet have been
kicking around the progressive scene for over 10 years now and
remain one of the genre's more enigmatic and unsung outfits,
despite the challenge and sheer quality of their music.
Describing their sound is not easy as a love of differing musical
styles is evident in much of their work. However a parallel can
be drawn with King Crimson (somewhere in between the aggression
of 'Red' and the rhythmic drive of 'Beat') and also with some of
the synth/guitar led hypnotics of mid-late 70s Tangerine Dream. A
healthy smattering of Jazz and fusion is also evident throughout.
This live addition to the Djam Karet catalogue captures the band
at their brilliant best and performing some of their most
memorable recent work.
The album opens in impressive fashion with the sledgehammer
attack of 'Technology and Industry' from the excellent 'The
Ritual Continues' album. Based on an unrelenting assault of
angular guitar and shifting bass and drum work this is five
minutes of sheer Crimson-stained anger, performed with razor-sharp
accuracy.
'Familiar Winds' sees the band displaying a complete
juxtaposition to their opening offensive, building from a subtle
and delicately intricate intro, into a richly layered guitar-led
world of pleasure, backed by a flowing and overtly funky bass-line.
The development of the song is superb, gaining pace and intensity
through some excellent drum work and infectious soloing. The
finale returns to the laid-back feel of the mid-section, before
building to a choppy and forbidding conclusion. The strained
distorted guitar work is exceptional.
'Forbidden by Rules' (from 'The Devouring') opens with a barrage
of clipped stop-start segments before blooming into a smoky blues
guitar break that takes the pace right down. The guts of the song
provide more angular Crimson-like patterns where the band's
improvisational abilities shine through with oodles of colour.
Some extraordinary guitar technique creates an almost space-like
sonic normally associated with the oscular twist of a moog or
such like. The return to the blues break dovetails the mayhem
neatly, and strangely with minimal impact on the general cohesion
of the piece. A fine bass line leads the song to its end.
'Reflections From the Fire pool' (from the stunning album of the
same name) is perhaps my favourite of a truly great bunch here.
Building from a hypnotic keyboard-led introduction, the piece is
developed by subtle twin guitar work and an understated rhythm
section that creates an atmosphere not a million miles away from
Tangerine Dream's magnificent 'Ricochet' live opus circa 1975.
The piece functions purely as a colour-rich sound montage having
little or no recognisable song structure, but the sheer quality
of its feel and the use of clever and changing instrumental
improvisation raises it to a very special level indeed.
Magnificent.
'Province 19…' finds DK opening with a courteous nod of the
head to 'Red'-era Crimson with a gritty and full opening riff
that bludgeons with stealth. The main body of the track is
another dark trip into all manner of rhythmic and textured
complexity again pushed forward by, in this case, some fabulous
improvised bass work. A return to the opening theme is then
steered towards the song's end by a manic and atonal flourish.
The opening of 'Shamans Descent' (from 'The Devouring') sees the
band reverting to the quieter side of life with a synth- and
choir-led passage soothing the brow after the bludgeoning of 'Province
19…' The low guttural analogue work is splendid and acts as
a recurring pulse throughout the track. The overlaying of guitars
above a consistent and jazzy bass and drum duality gives the
listener an almost 'smoke filled jazz club' feel, but with a
space-like genre twist one would not normally associate. At times
the bass-line veers towards the more pastoral work of the 'Ozric
Tentacles' but is delivered with much greater panache.
The 14 minutes of 'Jammin at Mike and J's ' is another
exquisitely laid-back affair and as the title suggests fully
jammed. Dreamy, hazy atmospheres blending with tasteful and
moving melody lines via guitar, bass and keys transport the
listener into a hypnotic and relaxed musical world. The
development of the themes is magical with improvisation keeping
things interesting but without jarring the piece out of its
spliff-laden context. The achievement of evoking such musical
variation within what is a fairly well defined chord constraint
is great indeed.
The final track, 'Run Cerberus Run', opens with some flashing and
catchy guitar / organ work, strangely reminiscent of, but much
more organic than, some of the better prog metal around. Such
comparisons, however slim, are dispelled by more angular Crimson/Jazz
flavoured fusion and bass-work that wouldn't have sat
uncomfortably with Faith No More. Some truly rasping guitar
soloing is then presented against complex and dominant drum work.
More great bass meanders in the background like an insolent
metronome, keeping the whole thing cooking with multifarious
intent.
This live performance by Djam Karet comes highly recommended. If
you like your music to bruise, sooth and challenge look no
further…
Exceptional.
Gareth
Long
Copyright Bathtub of Adventures 2001
If you don't
have the BoA navigation to the
left of your screen click below to reload