Member:
Ulrik
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by Ulrik)
Date:
2/2/2005
Format:
CD (Album)
Robin Taylor is a Danish/English multi-instrumentalist & solo-artist who during the last ten years has released several albums/projects with various musicians. Most releases is studio productions. In this millennium he has formed a more collective minded working band called Taylor’s Free Universe. This is their 1st release recorded on a cold day in January 2002 in Soundscape studio in Copenhagen. I have seen the band a few times & I can testify that the word “free” should be understood very serious. In fact I believe most music is created on location without much preparation. The ultimate expression of “now!” by musicians who masters the “language”. How much of this approach that survives on this album is difficult to tell, but most likely it is a mixture between more structured prepared pieces and freeform. A clever & long editing process has contributed to make this album seem like a very organic whole.
The five musicians are Robin Taylor on distorted/disturbed guitar, Pierre Tassone on processed violin, Johan Segerberg on double bass, Kalle Mathiesen on drums & sampler and the famous member the father of Danish avant-garde rock the Secret Oyster himself Karsten Vogel on alto & soprano sax. I am not sure what makes the violin “processed” but the strength of this ensemble lies in the tension created between Tassone processed violin, Vogel natural-sounding alto sax and Taylor heavy manipulated guitar. Through nine very different tracks (lasting from five seconds to almost 12 minuttes) the different soloists paints a picture that have the subtle merits of at the same time being experimental avant-garde and the same time very listenable music (at least to the experienced ear). A cup of tea you have tasted before, but a good one!
It is difficult to express what the music sounds likes. References like “Canterbury”, “Soft Machine”, “prog bla bla “ or whatever probably adds more confusion than clearance. Robin Taylor is often labeled as Canterbury-influenced. Maybe he is, but it is not something that shines obviously through the music. Most of all he is his very own & in the surroundings of a band with collective leadership his music really seems more relaxed & “successful” (understood as the experiment succeeds) than ever. I have always thought of Robin Taylor as an uncompromising artist with the focus on the process rather than final result and on this release the result happens to be close to perfect. This could be the ultimate album from the world’s most underrated experimental-rock artist. When I write “rock” I should perhaps be careful as this album in 2002 was voted as Denmark's 5th best jazz release of the year.....
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