Top 25 or so records of 2023

 Alphabetical order..... too hard to say a real order but one that I played the most as RRRags!!!  Totally killer record.  Acid King also just blew me away with their best album ever... Lots of great music and bands...  

ACID KING- Beyond Vision (US)

ACID ROOSTER- FLOWERS AND DEAD SOULS LP (AUSTRIA 2023)

AGUSA-PRIMA MATERIA (Sweden 2023)

ALBINO RHINO- RETURN TO THE CORE CD/LP (FINLAND 2023)

BLACK MOON CIRCLE- LEAVE THE GHOST BEHIND (NORWAY 2023)

CAUSA SUI- LIVE AT LOPPEN 2021 2LP (DENMARK 2023)

CHURCH OF MISERY- BORN UNDER A MAD SIGN 

DOCTORS OF SPACE- ASTRAL SESSIONS VOL 5 CD-R (PORTUGAL 2023)

DR SPACE- SUITE FOR ORCHESTRA OF MARINE MAMMALS CD (PORTUGAL 2023)

GIOBIA- ACID DISORDER LP (ITALY 2023)

GONG- UNENDING ASCENDING CD (UK 2023)

GOV´T MULE- PEACE.. LIKE A RIVER 2LP/2CD (US 2023)

GRAVEYARD- 6 LP (SWEDEN 2023)

HAWKWIND- DAYS OF THE UNDERGROUND 1977-79 BOX SET (UK 2023)

HAWKWIND- SPACE RITUAL DELUXE BOX SET (UK 2023)

Kanaan- Diversions Vol 2: Enter the Astral Plane 

KANAAN- DOWNPOUR LP (NORWAY 2023)

KG WEST - ANANDAPRIYA (SWEDEN 2023)

OZRIC TENTACLES- LOTUS UNFOLDING (UK 2023)

RRRAGS- MUNDI 2LP (NL 2023)

SACRI MONTI- LIVE SONIC WHIP LP (US 2023) 

SMOKEMASTER- COSMIC CONNECTOR LP (GERMANY 2023)

STONER- BOOGIE TO BAJA LP (US 2023)

SUNDIAL- MESSAGES FROM THE MOTHERSHIP LP (UK 2023)

ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE- EVERYONE IS EVIL LP/CD (DENMARK 2023)

Kanaan- Diversions Vol 2: Enter the Astral Plane (Janssen Records)

Kanaan are back with Vol 2 and this LP features 4 diverse tracks. The title track is my favorite, a long 18min or so space rock like instrumental journey.  Awesome. Aura is a very short 2min synth piece to close the side. Side B starts off wild and crazy with a like free jazz like spirit called Blitz..  Rough Air, starts slowly but the Ingvald, kicks the pace up and off we go!!  A very Hawkwind like energy on this one with some intense drive and guitar and some added organ as well. It has a nice spacey come down at the end. Great band that are doing a nice job of providing the world with lots of instrumental mind music to just float away to and get lost. Cool people as well.. Enjoy..

https://kanaanband.bandcamp.com/album/diversions-vol-2-enter-the-astral-plane

Lamp of the Universe- Kaleidoscope Mind (Sound Effect Records)

Craig is back with the 13th full length record (there are also 3 split Lps).  It features 7 tracks that sound like LOTU!!! Surprise!  Ritual of Inner Light starts things off with a bit of a sitar drone and then the heavy bass line, chimes and follow. Dark, mysterious vibe but then a long ending with guitar solo, flute, etc.. great opening number. Golden Dawn, keeps the vibe mysterious and dark with a organ dominant track and loud drums! Codex Moon keeps the mood about the same but adds some hand drums, percussion as well but mid way thru, there is a nice new change in the keyboard and vibe as we head into the guitar solo section. Procession has a nice more psychedelic mix with effects and nice panning on the guitars. Nice… Life of the Severing starts with a cool wah guitar line that leads the song until the vocals start and returns between the vocal sections.  Like the vibe on this one!! Immortal Rites brings back the sitar and that otherworldy Eastern feel including the tabla drums.  This track reminded my wife of Marc Bolan. Transfiguration reminds me of another LOTU track, but I can not remember which one.  A more heavy brooding sound for sure. Great guitar solo on this track and good way to end the album. Enjoy..

http://lampoftheuniverse.bandcamp.com

ASTRAL MAGIC- Ad Infinitum (Astral Magic Music ASTRAL034)

This is the last release of the year for Astral Magic and quite a special one that features Bridget Wishart on vocals, lyrics and EWI (Like a wind synth flute like thing). It also features the great Vince Cory (Sonic Trip Project) on lead guitars on tracks 1-4. Lauri Kajander is on lead guitar on track 5. Anyway, Shine, which opens the CD is a nice uptempo space rock number with smooth vocals. Liquid Light starts with a lot of spacey synths and a bit of Vince before the very fast buried drums take off with a vocal mixed quite high in the mix.  Trippy…. Future Doors is another mid paced synth driven number, a bit more melodic and happy!  Planetary Intelligence is really spacey and a bit slower with some cool sounding synths and EWI from Bridget.   The title track is an 18:41 track with a lot of different parts. Cool song…. There are 2 bonus tracks as well from the rare lathe 7” that was released earlier this year.. A great release and limited to 100 copies.

http://astralmagic.bandcamp.com 

Hawkwind Space Ritual Deluxe Box Set

This is a box that has taken a while to absorb and critic.. 11 discs, basically, three full 110 min or so shows from late 1972.  They are more or less the same in many ways, just some of the transitions from the jams in a lot of the songs can be a little different but damn, the band was very tight and super powerful. This was really drug fuelled acid blues space rock madness at it´s best…. no one had a sound anything like this in 1972.  NO ONE!!!  Some of the interlude pieces are a bit different and the way they space in with Earth Calling into Born to Go each night. Wow.. wish we had some film to go along with that!!!  The booklet has all the lyrics and basically everything that was in the original LP as far as art goes. No new pictures that I have not seen before. Anyway, here is a detailed description of the shows. 

Note: For some reason I started with Locano and wrote about Liverpool last.  

Liverpool

Seems the band are quite good at timing Earth Calling to just around 2mins. A bit longer on this night that the other 2 nights.  Born to Go is a bit shorter compared to Locano.  Down thru the Night, a perfect transition song.  Lord of Light is Nik's longest sax solo of the show normally during this song and this version keeps up with that. The Black Corridor has a different start and then the spoken word kicks in.  Trippy… Space is Deep..  Cool version and nice vocal ending and then Nik draws it out even more before they space out with Electronic No1. This one is more guitar oriented. Dave is more into it.  Time to get punished with the Orgone Accumulator!  The first guitar solo is slow to build but then he really plays some cool stuff but not as intense as Locano or London. Dave plays a totally different guitar riff for a minute but no one catches on to take it somewhere new so they go into the main riff again. In the next space out there are some really different sounds (dik Mik, vocal??). This is totally different than on the other nights and 2mins shorter as well! Upside Down, a strange track but only 3 mins. 10 Seconds of Forever has some intense electronic sounds. This leads into BRAINSTORM! 

Intense.. Makes you wonder how Nik does it?? He plays sax solos for half of every song, nearly (except when he plays flute!). Quite the sax stamina!  This is the longest version of the 3 at nearly 14mins.  Always love 7 by 7..  Time we left this world Today has a different start, a different guitar pedal effect or riff before the real one comes in. The balance of the lead vocal and play back from the backing vocals is so cool and makes the track really different.  Killer guitar solo on this track and a long space out that takes the track to over 13mins!  Master of the Universe is a powerful and much faster than the original studio version! Very powerful drumming!! This version is about 30 seconds longer than the others.  After Welcome to the Future, at this show the encore is You Shouldn´t do That, which in the old day could stretch out to 30mins!  But now they keep it more under control and only but they still totally freak out and it is so powerful. Dave is a master on the wah pedal. So intense at times.  Lemmy really cuts thru the mix more on this track. 

Locano Sunderland

This is a really spaced out show. Earth Calling is really cool and then Born to Go is a mindblower.  They get totally spaced out in the 5-7mins and what an ending. Phew… Nik has a really long sax solo in Lord of Light compared to normal. The Awakening, as with most of the poetry stuff, the background stuff is so far out and trippy.. Space is Deep is such a spacey track.  Electronic one is wild with the voices, awesome mix.  Then you get pummelled with Orgone Accumulator!  The timing of the Space Ritual is just so perfect. One intense track, a more mellow or spoken word space out and then another high energy track..  After Dave's awesome spaced out wah solo, they try to go back into the main riff but decide to let Nik take a long solo before heading back into the vocals at 5mins..  Brainstorm is super intense and the guitar is heavy and in battle with the sax at times but they get super spaced out but Simon just keeps pounding on and keeps the energy level insane. Did anyone have a more dirty fuzzed out sound as Dave on Masters of the Universe.  Wow… Super intense version and guitar. The rhythm section is relentless..

London

Now the band has had a week off are back in London and Earth Calling is far out but last about 2mins like all the other versions. Born to Go blasts you out into space for 10 mins!! 90 seconds longer than at Sunderland.  Very cool how they melt from Down thru the Night into the Awakening.  Trippy as always and then blast into Lord of Light.. Simon.. wow.. the guy is incredible.  Nik¨s solo is a lot shorter on this version that at Locano. The band seems to be aware they are recording this show, perhaps.  The Black Corridor, you can hear Del and Dik Mik very well and what they contribute. Space is Deep (7), indeed! I just love that guitar sound at the end section before the go into the Electronic No 1 (3)!!  It is so spacey… True Space rock…. This is really far out and the clarity of the mix, amazing. Who is making that like roaring sound?? Crazy… Again, Dave is just amazing on Orgone. That first solo, the tone of his guitar and how spacey and intense it is. Wow..  The 2nd half is as lose and wandering as in the other versions and ends dead on 10mins. 

Brainstorm starts CD 2 and it is super intense and the way the electronics are mixed at times is really killer..  What a super intense song and freakout!! I can hardly imagine there was anything as heavy as this in 1972………  This version is really crazy though.. They seem to be going into the end part and then go into another total jam out section as it seems Nik did not want to stop his solo and then they go in and out of the main guitar riff as NIk just keeps going.  Nik starts singing again at 8:50.  The riff that Dave plays around 10:10, is the classic Acid King riff.. tone and all!!!   The ending on this version is totally different than in Locano.  Nearly 12mins long…   7 by 7 (7) is such an awesome floating space journey.  What a great mix by Stephen! Sonic Attack… this one is different every night.  The electronics are in your face at times.  I can not even imagine what people thought if they had never heard Hawkwind before and someone puts this on the turntable in 1973 and cranks it up. What the fuck is this stuff about Sonic Attack??? These guys are really far out.   Time we left this world today has such a heavy riff and Dave's first solo is epic!!! They get totally spaced out and no one is sure where to go???? At 5.50 Lemmy has a short solo as they decide to see when to kick into Master of the Universe and it takes them awhile, in what is some of the most improvised stuff on the entire 3 show set! At 8:30 they decide to come back to the main riff. Spaced out until 11.30… Master of the Universe is super fast on this night!!  Simon is on speed!!!!  He is playing so fast the band is really having a hard time playing the song at this speed!!  This version is 7 mins!   We get You Shouldn't do That and off we go. A very short version! Dave's solo is totally killer from 3-4 mins. Wow…. 

So which show is the best of the three?? How knows??? I think I like Locano the best. I had really hoped that at least one of the shows would have had a long epic version of Brainstorm or You Shouldn't do that for 20mins or something… I think by this time, their super extended freakout jams were over actually…   I really wish they had put the song times on the back of the box for each show so you could have chosen to listen to the longest ones or shortest ones… My guess is most are pretty close to the same times.   Dave's first guitar solo is so intense and what a sound on Brainstorm from the Liverpool Stadium show is really awesome but this version is only 13 mins.  Interesting ending.  

Anyway, you can not go wrong if you have the money as the mixes are great and the shows powerful, even though it is more or less the same show 5 times and in 5.1!!!!   A bit overkill except for the absolute die hard fan!

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/hawkwind-space-ritual-50th-anniversary-box-set/

Floating Bodies- Raaishedada (Dadaistapes)

Floating Bodies is Freek Cruysberghs, who used to put on the amazing Yellowstock Festival. This is some really trippy and cool stuff and what is even cooler is the way this music is made. Read his description below:

“I used homegrown reishi mushrooms, connected to my synthesizers to make this tape. The current these mushrooms generate is transformed into signals the synthezisers understand. The melodies generated by this method are then run through effects and manipulated in real time.  All these jam sessions are captured in one take, no overdubs. Side A focusses on rhythmic explorations and arpeggiated melodies, where side B is a more meditative and atmospheric journey through the land of drones. I invite you to connect to this mycelium network!”

There are two tracks, each about 20mins and most of is really droney ambient space stuff but then sometimes more rhythmic arppegiations begin and run for a while and then fade away again.. Really cool stuff… Check it out!!

https://floating-bodies.bandcamp.com/album/raaishedada

https://dadaisttapes.com/  (This was released on a tape but it is long sold out)

Tidsgæest Fundraiser for LP

A message from Sigurd::

Hi! I've started this campaign to fund the production and pressing of the third and last Tidsgæst doublealbum. A psych/prog/horror project that i started 10+ years ago.

I'm doing all instruments, vocals (in danish BTW), recording, mixing and mastering myself but the final steps must be done by people who have the equipment and skills. That's the big cost. Also, the funding will cover the shipment of the album so i hopefully end up with a break-even bottonline. 

If you find this album interesting you can help me finance the release. You will then get hold of a copy of a LP that will not be easily found outside of Scandinavia. I plan to press about 300 albums, depending of interest. All money goes directly to the release of this vinyl!

About Tidsgæst (Time's Guest or Guest in Time)

This whole project developed from some talks with a former bandmate. We where both interested in old danish folklore about gnomes, elfs, ghosts and haunted places, and we found it remarkable that the storys told by people way back resembled the way people of today describes psychedelic experiences. So we got the idea that we should re-tell these storys using psych as the musical language. I have been a psych/prog musician and fan since way back, and had started to play in this style again after a long time.

I then moved to Sweden which made the project a one-man-band effort. The songs developed more and more and found inspiration in other writings, like weird tales by the 1900's ghost story authors and the 50's-60's Sci-Fi books. First double album came out in 2013 and the sequel in 2017.

Moving around from place to place, jobs and kids slowed down the work on this album a lot, but now i can see the end of it all (no no, not that end). I'm in the mastering process right now, so the tracks are not ready for release for a couple of weeks, but you can listen to some tracks from the first two records in the Soundcloud widget, which are very much in style of the new album.

Hope you find interest in this limited work of a weird explorer, who would make an excellent mad scientist if i didn't had discovered the holy blessings of music first.

Cheers from Sigurd, Afd. O Records

The first records were cool and I will support this one for sure..   The link is below..

Here's link to the Kickstarter page: https://boomerang.dk/projekt/25793/det-tredje-og-sidste-angstskrig-paa-dobbelt-vinyl

Dr Space’s Musical Adventure in Sound 2023

I have to say this has been an extremely rewarding year in music for me. The first recordings from my new studio starting to appear, old projects (Albino Rhino, Black Moon Circle), that has been worked on for some years, finally released to the public.  My best solo work, and lots of Doctors of Space and interesting Øresund Space Collective recordings! I am so grateful to all the awesome musicians who have helped to make this happen and all the record labels, especially Sabine and Space Rock Productions. 

I also have to give a huge thanks to the graphic artist, David Graham, who created most of the artwork and all the layouts for these releases (except BMC).  Also, Hasse Horrigmoe, who I work very closely with on most of these releases. I can not believe I had 16 releases this year, 14 in physical form (cassette, CD, and LP).. Wow.. 

Doctors of Space- The Astral Sessions Vol 3 CD (DOASCD003)

The 3rd in our series of archive recordings. These jams were from February and March 2022. Vol 6 will be more older material.  Sold out pretty fast this one. Only made in 50 copies. 

https://doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com/album/the-astral-sessions-vol-3-on-a-comatose-high

ØSC- Høstsabbat 2021 CD (OSC2022-LS014)

In Oct 2021, we played an amazing concert in this giant church in Oslo, Norway. A very powerful gig.  First time we ever played with Esk (bass in Kanaan) and Solvig Wang. We were lucky to get a multitrack recording and I was able to make a great mix.  4 long awesome jams.  The CD was made in 200 copies and is sold out.  The festival had said something about releasing it on vinyl but nothing ever came of that. Pity..

https://oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com/album/h-stsabbat-2021

Albinö Rhino- Return to the Core  CD/LP(Space Rock Productions SRP076)

This is a really awesome release and the 2nd I have contributed to from this cool Finnish psychedelic DOOM band. My parts were recorded way back in 2017, so I was really happy to be able to release this on Space Rock Productions..  One long 35min track and what an amazing journey in sound it is. Great album..

https://albinorhinodoom.bandcamp.com/album/return-to-the-core-2023-vinyl-cd-digital-album

Black Moon Circle- Leave the Ghost Behind 2LP/CD (Crispin Glover VODU2CGR034)

This was our 5th studio album and my 10th year playing with these awesome guys. No doubt this is our best album and the playing is out of this world. A lot of hard work went into making this album.  We are all very proud of this one and we had a great tour in March. It was a lot of fun, most of the time…  Lets see what the future holds but I hope more spaced out jams..

https://blackmooncircle.bandcamp.com/album/leave-the-ghost-behind

Doctors of Space- The Astral Sessions Vol 4 CD (DOASCD004)

This is the 4th Volume in our Astral Sessions series and features Jam sessions from June and July 2020!! These CD-Rs in 50 copies have been quite successful with all the earlier editions selling out. I love the artwork layout theme that ties them all together that David Graham as made. There are just a few copies left. 

https://doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com/album/astral-sessions-vol-4-wheres-your-soul

ØSC- Everyone is Evil 2LP/2CD(Space Rock Productions SRP080)

Hard to believe but this is the bands 40th release!!  It is hard to get the exact number but close!!! Still quite a milestone. This is the first material from the studio session in Portugal in Sept 2022 at my studio. Mattias Olsson, on drums and Luis Simões (Saturnia) on guitar, sitar guitar), were also great additions to the group.  The title track, was a very unique 63min piece of music unlike anything we ever had on our other records. 

https://oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com/album/everyone-is-evil

Doctors of Space- Studio Session April 2023 (Digital Release) 

This was the first all electronic material we released besides a few isolated you tube videos, since Martin, laid down his guitar for the synths and drum machines.. A new direction..

https://doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com/album/april-2023-studio-session

Dr Space- Suite for Orchestra of Marine Mammals LP/CD (OSC2023-LS015)

This was my 5th solo album and most mainstream or normal one. Very inspired by Klaus Schulze and fun to do. All live to 2 tracks..  I was super happy with the way it sounds and the amazing artwork, sadly it has sold poorly but it is hard to sell music at all these days, much less strange stuff like this….

https://drspace1.bandcamp.com/album/suite-for-orchestra-of-marine-mammals

Doctors of Space- The Astral Sessions Vol 5— Roadburn Redux CD (DOASCD005)

This was a super fun show we did in Martin´s studio for the virtual Roadburn festival in 2021.  It was finally time to get this out on a CD. The video is on you tube but not the complete show, which you get here on the CD.. Intense and heavy spaced out music..

https://doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com/album/roadburn-redux-2021

ØSC- Helsingør DVD (OSC2023-LS017)

A local TV station came and filmed this show for us and we were allowed to release it digitally and also on a DVD.  I was surprised but very happy that is sold out.  We have had a really good response from the fans.   I think we will release a few more of these as we have a few more multicamera shows but they need to be mixed (the camera video, not the audio). 

https://oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com/album/helsing-r-2021

Doctors of Space- Live in Porto tape (LVT006)

In Feb 2023, Martin and I played our first all electronic show at a very special venue for a very special audience. It was intense and the people were into it.  The recording I made was pretty rough but not bad. The organizer is part of a small cassette label and they wanted to release it so it came out in 30 copies.. Sold out very fast..

https://doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-porto

Dr Space’s Alien Planet Trip Vol 7- Space with Bass III (OSC2023-LS018)

I had hoped to have another Alien Planet Trip volume with guitars before another with bass but the guitar players I had approached never returned with anything and it was time to put out another one.  This is a very cool evolution from the first Space with Bass and these tracks were recorded live. Dave really made an incredible cover for this one. Pity we can not afford to do this on vinyl.  Hasse and I are happy with the result and we have also completed Space with Bass IV!! 

https://drspace1.bandcamp.com/album/dr-space-s-alien-planet-trip-vol-7-space-with-bass-iii

Doctors of Space- Studio Session May 2023 (bandcamp subscribers)

Doctors of Space- A Change of Lab Coat (DOS-006)

This is our first full length studio album since last years Mind Surgery, which seems to have been forgotten in time!  We chose 5 of our fave jams from Dec 2022 to Aug 2023. It is a diverse and interesting CD, made in only 100 copies. 

https://doctorsofspace.bandcamp.com/album/a-change-of-lab-coat

Grace and Space- Floatospheriofonica CD (SRP082)

I am super happy with release. Six really cool mostly pure synth soundscapes to take the listener to a place far away! An awesome collaboration with Amritakripa and her husband, Robbi Robb (both in 3rd Ear Experience). The music and the artwork are just super cool. 

https://drspace1.bandcamp.com/album/grace-and-space-floatospherofonica

ØSC- Carnival in Portugal 2LP/CD (SRP083)

What can I say…. Another awesome and diverse release with just killer drums by Tim Wallander (ex-Ozrics) as well amazing playing by the other 9 people on this album as well.  The music and the artwork and the sound are all great. Very diverse and great songs.  

I mixed 2 tracks and Jonathan Segel, 4 tracks..

https://oresundspacecollective.bandcamp.com/album/carnival-in-portugal

http://Spacerockproductions.de

So what is coming next year?? Do you want to know or let it be a surprise????