Customer Reviews

Space Groove

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was all set to dislike the various ProjeKcts (there are four) King Crimson head master Robert Fripp cooked up and sprung on an unsuspecting/unwilling/uninterested world. KC has never been more prolific, never released more musical "product." And I was starting to resent it. How could all of it be good?

I don't know if "all" of it IS good, but ProjeKct Two's Space Groove blew me away. It's VERY good.

For those who don't know, ProjeKct Two consists of Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp and Trey Gunn (3/4 of King Crimson -- the world's most consistently fascinating band.) Belew, normally a guitarist/vocalist, does an excellent job on drums. Gunn, normally a Stick and bass player, takes over on "Touch Guitar, Guitar Synth." And Fripp, normally one of the most enigmatic, eccentric, easily recognizable guitarists in the world, plays, uh, enigmatic, eccentric and easily recognizable guitar parts.

This ProjeKct works. Especially Disc One, which consists of Space Groove II, Space Groove III and Space Groove I (in that order). There's definitely a groove going on. And it's reminiscent of latter day Jeff Beck exploration/funk/space sounds music (although, truth be told, what it sounds most like is King Crimson, circa The ConstruKction of Light).

The three Grooves make for perfect listening at the office. The all-instrumental music motivates, invigorates and focuses me. There's something especially captivating about Disc One. I feel drawn in and totally immersed in something, well, groovy.

Disc Two (named "Vector Patrol") takes the space theme and pushes it a bit too far, with song titles that range from the goofy ("Happy Hour On Planet Zarg") to the outright Sci-Fi ("Deserts of Arcadia" and "Escape From Sagittarius A"). I don't feel as engrossed in the instrumental arrangements on Disc Two as I am those of Disc One. The music doesn't seem to GO anywhere. It just casually meanders, never really reaching the "wow" level that Disc One reaches. Even all the rhythm tracks sound the same.

That said, however, I must say the music is still fascinating, if a notch or two more tedious than that found on Disc One. There are sound effects, drum tracks, sitar-like sounds, tinkling noises, echoing guitar parts and -- did I say? -- sound effects.

ProjeKct Two is not for everyone. It may be for those who enjoy music played well -- and weirdly. In other words, if you're already a fan of King Crimson, Robert Fripp (especially his instrumental Soundscapes discs) and Trey Gunn, you'll love ProjeKct Two. If you're not sure what these guys are all about, ProjeKct Two is likely to severely disappoint you.

Just keep in mind, it's experimental music. It's not safe, Top 40 pablum. It'll push the boundaries of music as you know it.

This ain't King Crimson. Adrian Belew puts away his guitar, steps away from the microphone, and sits down at the electronic drum kit, from whence he generates his own thick stew of funkesque grooves for Trey Gunn and Robert Fripp to jam over.

And that's what this is - a spontaneous jam session between musicians who happen to be in King Crimson. What works about it is that we hear Robert Fripp apparently having a lot of fun just being himself at the guitar chair. He is one of the true original masters, and it's good to hear him get excited about his work in a group setting.

This was essentially an early rehearsal, so the live ProjeKCt 2 (toured extensively in the first half of 1998) was much better than this, but this is the best we have from them on CD so far.

It is not difficult to describe Projekct Two in simple terms. It is an earful of fun. Turn it up and it will blow you away with the rich textures of all music immaginable. If you dare listen with all of your mind - it is a body moving psalm. The line up of Fripp, Belew and Gunn are at their performing best. Don't be confused, Projekct Two is not King Crimson. It is an off shoot of that band, for lack of a better term. You still feel the guitar work of Robert Fripp and Trey Gunn. The V Drum work of the master Adrien Belew is on balance with his own guitar works. I think a "electronic spacey jazz" sound well describes this volume. It is the first release of more works by these smaller groups within the group of artists who work regularly with one another as King Crimson. Each of the artists here have their own works available - Trey Gunn - One Thousand Years to name one of his CDs. - Adrien Belew - has several CDs available. - Robert Fripp - just enter his name on a musical web surf and you will find him working with bands from Blondie to Peter Gabriel. I regularly listen to King Crimson, the ORB, Miles Davis, Gustav Mahler and Widespread Panic. I like a wide variety of music; however, if you want something special and unique, give yourself a present and enjoy the voyage on the Frippertronic beat of the Space Groove!

The title of this album is right on the money, since it is at once both spacey and groovy, both driving and mellow. Let me reemphasize the mellow aspect; one could almost say it's exceptionally attention-grabbing ambient, except that that would be a contradiction.

Basic facts. This is a two-CD set. Disc One (called Space Groove) consists of three songs of the same title, inexplicably arranged as II, III and I (unless this is a faint reference to the fact that ProjeKct 2 managed to record before ProjeKct 1). Disc Two (called Vector Patrol) consists of "The Planet Zarg Quartet" and "Lost in Space", both of which are seven song suites. What relation any of this musical organizing has to the music itself is either not apparent, or I have not been sufficiently engaged by it to figure it out yet. Lastly, this set is actually the very first of Fripp's fractalizations of the double trio, and as such is probably something of a typical King Crimson exploration of possibilities more than a definitive album statement. The lineup is the same as found on ProjeKct 2, namely: Fripp on guitar, Gunn on Warr and Touch guitar, and Belew on V-drums.

The most important thing about anyone considering buying this disk, I think, is to be aware that it doesn't sound anything like any of the other ProjeKcts. It sounds even less like "The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior", which featured a similar kind of lineup. This is "laid-back" music, at least by comparison to typical King Crimson improvisations in the late 90s. There are an abundance of sounds by Fripp and Gunn, even that familiar organ solo sound from Fripp, but everything is cast into a more relaxed groove than usual.

For this reason, it may often seem that there are places where the album just seems to meander about in improvisational noodling. For this reason, it may often seem that the album is boring. There's no getting around this. There are details enough to appreciate if you really want to spend the time (tone changes, solo flourishes), but in the final analysis there's just too much work-a-day in Belew's drums to entirely hold down the fort.

Of all of the ProjeKct products (1 and 4, and "The Roar of P4" are my favorites) this is the one I listen least to, mostly because I want the kind of maniacal musical thrakking that harder King Crimson improvisations attain to. I can definitely appreciate the musicianship and the groove Fipp, Gunn and Belew have laid down here, it's just not my cup of prog.

Trying to pigeonhole music like this is ultimately pointless: it's too forceful to be ambient, too loose to be called rock, too coherent to be new age. The closest I can come is "funky jazzy space lounge music," but that doesn't quite describe it. Actually, the best description is the title itself - Space Groove. No pounding or shredding here, but a steady stew of beats and grooves you can just sit back and get lost in. Belew is remarkably adept at drumming given his relative inexperience. Fripp and Gunn produce sounds you'd never expect to hear from a guitar, but keep it all in tune so everything flows together.

Keep in mind this is the sound of a group in the process of finding its direction; all the music is improvised. Disc 1 contains three straight jams as they appeared, and the tracks on disc 2 were trimmed somewhat and arranged so their order made more of a complete album. There are some silly moments and a couple ideas that fall apart. However: I'll take sheer improvising from Crimson and its members over writing by almost anyone else. And for anyone interested, the ProjeKcts box set has an album of live P2 material which really kicks.

I was initially quite taken aback by these discs. The 22nd century aggro-jazz-trio musical gymnastics on the first disc yield to more space and less musical direction on the second. Belew plays drums! The trio apparently honed their sound at a series of free playing gigs in England, pursuing a signature sound that falls somewhere between Joe Pass and Sonic Youth. Their live sound, as heard at a recent show in LA, focuses more on the hard rock/jazz trio side of the projekct. Recommended for those interested in the ever changing world of Frippery, not necessarily for Schizoid fans.

I was enamored of this ProjeKct when it first came out. I've always been partial to the instrumental Crimson pieces, and so enjoyed these sessions immensely. But after actively listening to all of the Projekcts releases, I would not recommend this be your first purchase. For Crim familiars, the spaces here are like a wordless "Dig Me." A number of jams go for the sound made using the bridge, which sounds to me like a tinny Jan Hammer sound. I prefer Fripp letting loose more, ala Sartori in Tangier or Larks Tongues part 3, with a more roaring guitar. For that, Heaven and Earth is the choice. Fripp lets loose with a solid, heavy funky structure. Thus for my tastes, I'd buy Heaven and Earth before Space Groove, but if you want to relax into the space more, then Projekct Two may be the best one for you.

When I bought this CD I had no idea what to expect. I've been a big King Crimson fan for the past few years, and want to accumulate everything having to do with them. My first thought on this CD was how good Adrian was at drums. I read somewhere that Adrian was actually a drummer before he started playing guitar and it definately shows here. He comes up with incredible rhythms and Robert and Trey follow them flawlessly. There was a time when I was a true Tony Levin enthusiast, but after listening to this CD, I've realized that Trey actually fits better with KC's style and is much better at creating Jazz grooves and improvising. The first disk on this CD is flawless. Pure heaven. The second disk meanders a bit at spots, but has some incredible jaw-dropping highlights. On one song (I don't even remember which one because they all seem to blend together) the three are really cranking, then all of a sudden they stop..., then about ten seconds latter, they come back in on an off beat. Every time I hear it, I get goosebumps. The whole CD is so electrifying, yet really relaxing at the same time. If you are into King Crimson, or any music that is... what's the word... GOOD, then buy this CD.

Sooner or later every art-rock band decides to make a space-rock/sci-fi-themed album: Pink Floyd explored "The dark side of the moon", Rush travelled to "2112", Camel claimed "I can see your house from here", Gong told us something about a "Flying teapot", and King Crimson have "Mr.Fribble's adventures beyond the Ultraworld", ah sorry, "Space groove". I remember that I fell asleep during the first listening session - in a positive way. The music on this double-disc set expertly walks the line between hypnotic and exciting; it's too lively to be ambient and too spacious to be pop music. As one might expect, this is quite typical for King Crimson, since you can't quite guess what will happen from minute to minute. Basically, "Space groove" is all about demonstrating KC's skill at combining a strong central rhythm with unpredictable improvisation, at times abstract, at times very listenable. Belew's drum patterns aren't epic or complex, but very effective and precise due to the "V drums", which clearly give a colder, more 'digital' sound. And the '90s really were a decade where minimalistic drum rhythms proved to be of major importance for avant-garde projects. The 19-minute "SG II" on disc 1 gives one a taste of what's to follow stylistically; a sublime 'electronic listening' track which draws the listener in with its intricate arrangement: Alienated guitar riffs drill into the listener's ears and fade into nothingness, groovy bass lines bubble up from under and so forth, spacious sound effects fly around - and after 9 minutes in or so, the track suddenly shifts to more atmospheric soundscapes with mimicked pianos/vibraphones/organs and subharmonic touches. The other two pieces on this disc, the short "SG III" and the 17-minute "SG I" are not as cohesive and meander in circles for a bit too long. There's also a multimedia section on this disc, featuring a DGM catalog with cover-artwork and audio bits. The second disc is similar in structure and approach, so casual listeners can be forgiven if they think each piece sounds the same. The 14 tracks form a continuous album length, held together by the drum rhythm or soaring atmospherics, but the individual pieces have no particular high points and are not quite memorable. The key to this disc are the individual performances of the band members, and there's really a lot to discover here. In general, the straightforward, longer numbers like "Happy hour.." and "Vector patrol" (which are quite heavy on the drums, by the way) are really accessible and listenable, while the shorter pieces often consist of Fripp's sonic trickery only. "In space..", the most varied track here, wouldn't sound amiss on Jean-Michel Jarre's experimental "Zoolook" album. After the rapid-fire assault of "Escape..", things calm down with "Return.." and cast a clever eye back on this adventurous journey. Sure, this double-disc set lacks fully developed melodies, which is what usually puts me off. But there's something strangely engrossing about "Space groove" - you keep coming back to this album because there's so much in the mix that you can always hear new things which had passed by on a previous listen. Music with such a high degree of improvisation shouldn't be as interesting and gripping as ProjeKCt Two's is, and the fact that Belew/Fripp/Gunn can pull it off is a credit to their musicianship and their relentless experimentation. And who else can argue with such results? (Also available now: My review of ProjeKCt X's "Heaven and earth")

As a big fan of Robert Fripp and King Crimson, I approached this set with totally open ears. I have discovered over the years that I am well-served by just trusting Fripp, Buford, Belew, Levin and company to do for me (and to me) what they will. ProjeKct Two is no different. A two-disc set (very pleasingly priced), Space Groove is exactly that--a most Spacey Groove. But not mindless noodling. That would never do for Fripp. With Belew handling the V Drum chores, Trey Gunn on Warr guitar, and Commander Fripp at the guitar--they BURN across the sonic landscape. My son calls it "trance-techno-jazz-rock" and that is about as good of a description as I can come up with. Great stuff--makes me want to see them in person--just to watch it all unfold.