Guest Mix...Turn on, Tune In, Turn Up, Trip Out - Vol II by Steve Bignell

Steve Bignell is a Birmingham DJ with 'Our Friends Are Eclectic', alongside fellow DJ Chris Bridge they can often be seen at Birminghams brilliant Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath spinning great Psych Tracks at events for local music promotors 'This is Tmrw'.  OFAE can also been seen around town in a variety of venues playing anything from Psych, Rock, Post Punk, Funk, Indie, Soul and anything else interesting as the evening unfolds.

Steve's no stranger to posting eclectic mixes online and so Im really please to be able to share this 62 minute mix that Steve recently made available on hearthis.at. It features excellent  music by Hendrix, Sabbath, Amen Dunes, Viet Cong, Clinic and more besides.

So Turn on, Tune In, Turn up, Trip Out and Enjoy!

Turn On, Tune In, Turn Up, Trip Out - Vol II by Steve Bignell on hearthis.at

Album review...The Spacelords - Liquid Sun 2016

The Spacelords are a German Trio, they make Stoner Spacerock Jams, and they take their time to finish a track. Just over a year after the wonderful 'Synapse' comes 'Liquid Sun', a three track trip through Time and Space that takes about 45 minutes to get you to its destination.

Title track 'Liquid Sun' is up first  and is a slow paced drum driven groove, bass patterns move their way through a field of sonic synth sounds whilst the sci-fi guitar sounds swirl around, once the track hits the 6 minute mark theres a change of tempo that takes the song to the next plateau and ever close to its 13 minute closing time.  Second track 'Spaceship Breakdown' starts with the clearing of a throat and then a quick burst of acoustic guitar before taking you back into its laid back progressive build up, the pay off comes just 3 minutes in, heavy guitar riffs and the synths once more drawing you in to the cosmic soup.  Finally theres 'Black Hole', 21 minutes of epic stoner majesty, like the tracks before it, the song evolves, starting slowly and becoming more and more heavy, hints of Sabbath and Hawkwind throughout, remarkably for a track of its length it goes by quickly and is fantastic trip.

This a great record, theres a lot to enjoy and fans of trippy guitar sounds and spaced out synths will get a plenty out of it, the band have a great back catalogue and 'Synapse" is worthy of your time too.  The Lp was available briefly here on TONZONEN. but has sold out very quickly, its always worth checking back to see if theres a further issue, for now its available for immediate download from the bands Bandcamp page.





Buy Liquid Sun on Bandcamp

The Spacelords Facebook Page

Social Media Update

As the Blog continues to grow, and with more and more music coming to me to Review or to play on the RadioShow, I've started a Facebook page to post updates on.  Below are the links to my current social media pages, as always i'm grateful to all that look at these pages and share and follow.

Im always looking for more music, so if you are in a band or represent a record label and are willing to send me promotional material, please contact me.  Im largely interested in Psychedelic Rock/Classic sound Psychedelia, Stoner Rock, Spacerock and Krautrock.

Thanks again for reading this, Peace and Love,  Geoff


Atom Heart Mutha on Facebook

Geoff Leppard on Twitter

Geoff Leppard on Mixcloud

HeavyPsych Playback.. April and May 2015

Here's a couple of my radio shows from this time last year. Two great mixes of HeavyPsych, Stoner Rock, SpaceRock and a little Krautrock to get you through the weekend. Enjoy great tracks from the likes of 35007, Föllakzoid, Monkey3, The Atomic Bitchwax, White Hills, Horisont, Carlton melton, The Ganjas and Moon Duo.

Theres a new HeavyPsych show coming in April and i'll be posting more reviews soon.  Until then, turn On, Tune in and Psych out.

Album Review...Prana Crafter - Rupture of Planes

Who doesn't like to be surprised? when it comes to new sounds surely everyone likes to be taken aback from time to time, i wasn't familiar with William Sol or his music until recently but i had Rupture of planes recommended to me and as soon as i heard 'Diamond Cutter of the Jagged Mountain', i knew it was music i'd enjoy.

Prana Crafter is William Sol a musician from Washington with a talent for writing skilfully presented folk music that have a habit of suddenly becoming Psychedelic monsters. 'Forest at First Light' starts of quietly, acoustically in the spirit of all great Troubadours, and then without warning comes crashing drums, and a blistering guitar solo before quieting down again as we're told "One can never really stay".
Gentler and more reflective moments such as on 'Fog Has Lifted' offer acoustic guitar stylings but allow Sol's engaging voice to take over in ways that someone as skilled as Elliott Smith was able to do, or Bill Callaghan still can.
Its certainly true to say that its the vocals on this Lp that often draw you in more than the music.
There are influences from Pink Floyd on 'Treasure in a ruin' and elsewhere there's shades of Neil Young in the fantastic 'Vessel'.  That said there are also plenty of heavier moments of distorted guitars to balance out the 12 songs on offer here.
This is an album comfortable and confident in its own skin, what Prana Crafter/William Sol offer is well crafted music, thoughtful songwriting and some really rather enchanting Psychedelic Folk thats never afraid to evolve or feel like something different, its an album of surprises that rewards you with each listen, and yes, its not what may be described as HeavyPsych, but great music no matter what you enjoy deserves to be shared widely, and this certainly does.

The Cd is available from Sunrise Ocean Bender Here or from Deep Water Acres Here

Prana Crafter on Bandcamp
Prana Crafter Soundcloud

Album Review...Atomic Simao - Nōdo

I like bandcamp, I get sent music a lot and I love that bands trust me enough to listen to something they've poured their heart into and pass on an opinion, this blog has afforded me the opportunity to hear all sorts of stuff I wouldn't normally hear. Bandcamp is different, you have to look, search and discover.  Sometimes though something jumps right out and grabs your attention, and that's exactly what happened here.  It should come as no suprise that I love Hendrix so the Hindu Jimi cover caught my attention immediately closely followed by the  brilliant music of Kiev's Atomic Simao.

Nōdo just starts, it's peculiar as intro's go, but 'Voodoo Chillum' is just suddenly there.  It's a ten minute track of a great groove and a guitar lead that does more than just a cheeky nod to the great Hendrix himself, it confidently rocks itself over its 10 minute span but then about a third of the way through sounds all too brilliantly familiar. 'Beauty Does Not Belong to Anything' is a shorter number but serves well as a slice of Psychedelic Space with some nice bluesy touches.  The mammoth "Asteroid Masterpiece is a whopping 17 minutes long and twists through styles with changing paces and sonic reverbs not unlike Funkadelic in places. Theres more midpaced Psych grooves with 'Do What You Do' but it's 'Stoned and Spontanius' where the doped down sounds really grab you take you to another place. 'Dancing Emptiness' close the album with its SpaceBlues Jams, it's all great stuff.  A listen through this bands back catalogue shows there's plenty to discover and  Nōdo is a promise of even greater things to come.

If you like this album, there is still some vinyl left via the bands bandcamp merch section, including a really nice looking lava Orange 180g version.

Buy Nōdo on Bandcamp

EP Review...Jonathan Morgan - Protégé

Birmingham gave birth to Rock and The Riff, theres very little in regards to Heavy Rock/Psych/Stoner/Doom or whatever your bag is, that exists now that doesn't owe a debt to Black Sabbath. its also a city I'm proud to come from .
Well so is Jonathan Morgan, a songwriter and guitarist that has been working hard to bring his mighty noise to the masses.  His debut EP 'Parapsychology' hit Bandcamp in late 2013 and he's been releasing a constant stream of consistently excellent and interesting music ever since.

In late February Jonathan released his new EP 'Protégé, 5 tracks of HeavyPsych goodness on Bandcamp.  Opener 'Eye of the Beholder is an instrumental track featuring a pounding beat over a sprawling riff which having heard past albums of his feels like a trademark.  Next up is 'Soul Fire Burning', another rocky number with a bouncing bass and an almost distant vocal style that suits the track well.  Then theres 'Temple', my favourite of the EP and a song i played in my show earlier this month great bass,great beats, a great riff...whats not to enjoy!  Tetrahedron is another slow burning psychedelic rock instrumental that follows the theme of the EP and final track  'Alchemy' closes the EP with a fuzzy wall of sound.  Theres a direct link to the EP below so you can find out for yourself.
Interestingly when i spoke with Jonathan earlier this month he told me that he was now looking to take his music out with a full band and is in the process of looking for musicians to join him, so if your looking to be a part of something new with a proven track record for prolific and brilliant songs you can contact Jonathan directly here at tambouradrone@gmx.com



Here are a couple of great tracks from past releases, you can also find these on Jonathan's Bandcamp page

Jonathan Morgan Bandcamp

Protégé EP on Bandcamp.

Follow Jonathan Morgan on Twitter

Album Review...Interkosmos - Hypnotizer

Its time to get excited again, here we have another reissue courtesy of Sulatron Records.  This time around we have 'Hypnotizer' by Interkosmos. Originally released eight years ago as a very limited release cd, this awesome sprawling slice of swirling acid madness was downloaded more than 30,000 times on its first outing!

Interkosmos were founded in 2008 by Sula Bassana alongside Pablo Carneval and Sergio Ceballos and Hypnotizer are described as playing psychedelic music without being bound to stylistic directions.

Almost all of the tracks here with the exception of one last around or over ten minutes giving them time to evolve and grow at a bonged out pace. 'lift Off' starts with a countdown and commences the journey to blissed out SpaceRock creating an aura of mellow yet urgent beauty.  Title track Hypnotiser follows and whilst true to the SpaceRock feel, it has more Krautrock touches whilst it keeps building to a repetative drum patterns through gentle guitar licks. 'Edentrip' is the shortest track here and is a more sonic affair driven largely by rhythmic cymbals but still managing to maintain a mellow vibe. The gentle paces are followed through on 'Kosmos Amigos' with its beautiful guitar and the familiar theme of a gentle build that can also be found within the return to Spacey/Krautrock 'Rockit', this is a more intense Spacejam  moving effortlessly over its 12 minutes and its fantastic blistering guitars as it reaches its climax.  This reissue comes complete with the brilliant live track 'Samphonic Trip' a noisy blast of SpacePsych featuring an awesome baseline groove and guitars that bound magnificently towards the albums conclusion.


Once more Sulatron records have put out an album packed full ideas, great sounds and thoughtful compositions that aren't afraid to take the time to get to where they need to be," What matters is the flow, a wonderful soundtrack for a journey to the far out vastness of the inner cosmos."
As with this years Shipwrecked by Sula Bassana, this a record that whilst providing an immediate hit also rewards with multiple listens.

Hypnotizer is still  available to download via bandcamp on the link below and you can also get one of a limited run of the album mastered on to CD by Krautrock Legend Eroc.
There will also be a limited run of 300 on double marbled vinyl and 300 on regular black from Norwegian label Pancromatic sometime in April.

Interkosmos on Bandcamp
Sulatron Records

Album Review...Dreamtime - Sun

Hot on the heels of the self titled debut, Brisbane's Dreamtime released their second lp 'Sun' in 2013. This release is described as building on the debut by adding Eastern Rajas and Tibetan style mantras to their 70's Turkish Psych, Kraut and 60'sGarage Sounds.
Sun opens with 'Centre of Mind', an almost supernatural sounding mantra delivered over a terrifically creepy baseline before moving into 'Baphomet', building from its spiritual  intro into a sonic explosion of brain melting fuzz and beats, this is heavy psychedelic rock at its finest and an early highlight.  The mantras continue with 'The Road', beautiful chanting vocals interwoven with a pulsing tribal beat, captivating and easy to lose yourself in ( if headphone favorites are a thing, this is now one of mine ) and the vibe continues perfectly with 'Equivalence'.

Title track 'Sun' is something special, 10 minutes of Psychedelic evolution, beginning as a reminder of the bands Self Titled debut before growing into something more urgent, pulsating and noisy, awesome stuff. 'Brujeria' serves as a nice interlude calming the waters before the epic closer 'Art of Invisibility unfolds over its mammoth 13 minutes.  Theres plenty of variation and the organic development of the songs her make 'Sun' an intriguing and enjoyable listen.

The band have gained a great live reputation as well, touring with the likes of Psych Giants Moon Duo, Boris and Bardo Pond and it's easy to see over the course of this Lp how the songs on Sun would thrive as part of a live experience.
The Heavy weight vinyl with beautiful purple/yellow swirl is available from this week by Cardinal Fuzz and Captcha records as well as  stocking the self titled debut.
Highly Recommended.

Dreamtime on Bandcamp

Buy Sun at Captcha Records/Bandcamp

Sun at Cardinal Fuzz

Listen to HeavyPsych March 2016 on Mixcloud...Now !

HeavyPsych  (March 2016)  is now available to hear anytime on Mixcloud. This show was originally broadcast as part of BigJaf.net's RockShow on March 12th and Grip of Delusion Radio on March 13th.


Click play on the link below to hear a great selection of PsychRock, Stoner, Space and Krautrock including brand new tracks from Psychic Lemon, Filthy Lucre and Jonathan Morgan.  If you enjoy this show theres an archive of past shows HERE at my Mixcloud page

Enjoy !

Listen Live Online to HeavyPsych March this Saturday

Tune in this Saturday from 9pm and listen to this months HeavyPsych on BigJaf.net's RockShow.  This month we have brand new tracks from brand new albums by the brilliant Psychic Lemon and Australia's Filthy Lucre.  There's also new cuts from fantastic new EP's by Jonathan Morgan and Day of the Jackalope as well as the usual blend of HeavyPsych riffs, Spacerock Jams and Krautrock beats.  You can also catch a repeat play on Sunday on American station Grip of Delusion Radio 3pm UK/ 4pm CET/ 10am EST.  You can access the show live as it happens on the player below, the player will go live at 8pm on Saturday when BigJaf's RockShow kicks off with Dylan the Wolf's AltRock Anthems show, and be sure to stick around for Heavy.As.Fuck with Zachsta at 10pm.
Do it !!

www.bigjaf.net is on Mixlr

Album Review...Evening Fires - Where I've Been is Places and What I've Seen is Things 2015

Evening Fires are described as "peddlers of old-time rural acid rock" that record their music in a "secret Appalachian den", it seems peculiar when you read the words and yet makes perfect sense when you listen to the music.
First up 'Roll away the Stones' burns slowly and builds over a wonderful guitar sound and beat that feels very much like it has taken its influences from Post Rock.
Second track 'We Cast Our Lots With the Waves' is an ethereal and beautiful instrumental led by synths and sax, soundtracking a movie that doesn't exist. The following track 'Staring Down the Gullet of the Great Beyond Part One changes things completely, an urgent driving piece of psychedelia relentlessly moving over five minutes of fantastic drum work and proving itself to be one of the albums many highlights. 'Space Mountain' is a weird trip, synth sounds and pulsating noises sound like an odd interlude while Tago Mago beats hide themselves in the background. 'Too Many Ravens, Not Enough Corpses' draws out eerie violin soundscapes over its magnificent 9 minutes and album closer 'Staring Down the Gullet of the Great Beyond follows on from 'Part One' and draws itself and the album to a satisfying conclusion.

Sometimes the best music reveals itself over time, growing and developing with every listen, 'Where i've been...' does exactly that and the journey there is an intriguing and beguiling experience.  Theres still more to discover for me with this album and its accompanying sister album 'Incredible Adventures', music as mysterious as the people that make it.


Evening Fires Bandcamp
Sunrise ocean Bender Website

Transmissions from the Psychedelic Basement February 2016

Transmissions from the Psychedelic Basement February 2016 is now available to hear on Mixcloud anytime.  This months show features a new track from Ulver as well as a classic from Traffic. Also featured are Tame Impala and dungen as well as one of my favourite songs by the late David Bowie.

Enjoy !

Album Review...Filthy Lucre - Mara 2016

"Dark, dirty. fuzz fuelled riff-rock with just enough of the blues to get you moving' and grooving"

Australia produces some really great and interesting music, I still love The Sleepy Jackson, I don't believe there's a person on this planet that will hear Ash Grunwalds 'walking' and not want to shake the cobwebs off their ass, and if you really need further proof, well, there's Mara by Filthy Lucre.

Filthy Lucre are a two piece from Adelaide and they've just released an album they travelled to Oregon to record, and for a duo they make quite the noise, groove driven stoner riffs an' all. Opener 'Dover Street' sets up perfectly whats in store over the 14 tracks, a solid riff with a hint of the blues reminiscent of a slowed down QOTSA, and follow on track 'World Corp' reminds you of a time way back when The Black Keys made more interesting records. Its a template for the album as a whole, Ed Noble's drum work and beats are solid and reliably heavy and intertwine perfectly on tracks like "Boundless Plains' and 'Feelin' Down', this is all wrapped together nicely by great vocals by guitarist Luke Marsh.

Theres plenty to enjoy, and whats laid down here has got to sound electric live, theres a sense of enjoyment by the band in these grooves and i think touring time outside of Australia can only be a good thing.  You can hear Mara on the bandcamp page, you can also buy a digital download or CD, i recommend you do.


Buy from Bandcamp
Filthy Lucre Website