Customer Reviews

Live at Orion

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I wrote the line, "the best undiscovered band in the world" (quoted on the cover sticker) and I still stand by it.

It's a damn shame that Djam Karet still labors in relative obscurity, because they bring more to the party than any ten "name" bands. They are vicious and sweet, terrifying and sane, enormous and meticulous all at the same time. They are a band of dynamics and contrasts, sound painters of a cubist soundscape, a vision of where music ought to be (if it hadn't been co-opted by corporate sponsorship).

Nah, I take it back. Their fierce independence is part of their appeal.

If you don't know the band this is a great place to start -- it features absolutely killer versions of most of their best previous material. If you DO know the band, I don't have to tell you.

Djam Karet is true alternative music, challenging the orthodoxy of various musical mainstreams with their complex, imaginative compositions and improvisations. The guitar playing has the ferocity and aggression of Heavy Metal without the harmonic limitations that often plague that genre. The rhythm section has the complexity and technical polish of most Progressive Rock without the show-offy flourishes of pure technique that often mar that genre. This is one of music's most underappreciated bands.

Djam Karet was one of struggling 1980's Progressive rock bands. Unlike some of the more musically complex bands from that time (and on into the 1990's), Djam Karet has an overall feel that is more akin to Art Rock. The guitars are out front, the band is tight, expressive, musically intelligent beyond any mundane proficiency, yet still accessible to audiences. This record catches the band kind of wrapping up the years from 1986 to 1998, performed live and cleanly, tight and vivacious...
Another reviewer called Djam Karet one of the greatest 'underrated' bands of this time in Progressive Rock. After this record, the band started their journey towards a 'New Age' sound (Steve Roach, Robert Rich, etc.).
'Live at the Orion' closes a ten plus year chapter in a fine way of the purest Art Rock form of this band. The recording is perfect. And the truth be known, the material that the band did during those years just comes short of a band solidifying their sound and identity. While not quite as good as Suspension & Displacement, this comes real Damn close! Excellent spin!

This is another in the series of live progressive rock albums recorded before an audience at Orion Studios in Baltimore. The performance was recorded in one take with no overdubs. The sound is crystal clear and the band is in fine form. Selections are taken from four of the bands previous studio albums and sound as good if not better than the original recordings. Unlike some of their studio efforts that tend to focus on particular ends of the musical spectrum, this live release covers all of their many facets and gives an excellent overview of what the band has been about for the last 10 years. The album also includes a 14 plus minute improvisation called "Jamin At Mike & J's" that is one of the highlights of the disc. Often times improves of this nature just tend to wander and noodle aimlessly, but here Djam Karet shows how to do it right. They create a wonderful musical journey that ebbs and flows at a level that many bands of this nature could not hope to replicate. Every track on this album is a great one. This disc would serve as a great starting point if one were looking to explore the incredible music of Djam Karet.