Photo by: Christian Apolo

‘Caballo Negro’ or Black Horse by Sudakistan is an album I was destined to hear.

In the week leading up to Liverpool Psych Fest 2104, if El Lobo first came to me in the guise of ‘Dale Gas’, then ‘Rabia‘ literally injected me with Sudakistan’s rabid frenzy. My pack allegiance was immediately assured.

Luke Reilly, co-founder of PNKSLM Recordings, at the time described Sudakistan as a group of five South American guys, living in Stockholm and as being, “the best live band around today”.

Liverpool certainly fanned the flames of Sudakistan’s glowing reputation, whetting the appetite with the promise of much more to come…

Who the fuck is Fyrskeppet I hear you cry…

In this instance it is not so much a who, as a what.

In the truly idiosyncratic style to which we have become addicted, Fyrskeppet – or Swedish for Lightship is the latest incarnation of Daniel Westerlund, aka The Goner, aka E Gone.

That he returns in a guise, hauntingly familiar to my sea faring lineage, is a particular delight.

I spent most mid-70’s school holidays aboard my father’s trawler, in and around the Faroes and Iceland. An unwitting observer and participant in the last instalment of the “Cod Wars”, even being rammed on occasion by the Icelandic Gunboat!

‘Psych Fuck’ by Singapore Sling, buy it, love it, the end…

Listen, feel, assimilate, emote, sensate…

As a kid, I would have sat with the dictionary for hours, chasing “meanings”, following roots, finding nothing, repeatedly exposing words as empty vessels, crude, devoid approximations, blunt communicative tools, pregnant inadequacies…

“I want my own stuff, my own rhythm, and vowels and consonants too, matching the rhythm and all my own.” – Dada Manifesto, Hugo Ball 1916.

Thus “Foronicity” was born…

Image Credit – Christopher Flack

Documenta was, “Started as a one one off project but slowly expanded like a bad disorganized universe, Documenta will produce 18 original songs plus a few covers then finish…..
“three chords good, two chords better, one chord best”…”

I had first heard about Joe Greene and his Documenta “Drome Pop”, through the good graces of François Sky. François has a refreshingly, no-nonsense approach to suffering fools gladly, as a rule his barometer is usually right on the money. Joe has proved no exception to this rule.

Around the same time, I encountered the intriguing video for the track ‘Idle Hands‘ – this transformed Documenta from a whisper into a bona fide, must see proposition.

I was then delighted to find that Documenta would be appearing at this year’s Distorted Perspectives Festival in Letterkenny, headlined by San Francisco “repeat-o rockers”, Moon Duo – “placing Donegal in an international context rather than on the periphery”.

Het Droste Effect is, “Two guys rocking out in a studio and blending whatever sounds they like at any given moment in time.”

I first chanced upon Het Droste Effect, with the announcement of their ‘Random X Maybe’ track, commissioned for Eindhoven Psych Lab in 2014. A delightfully idiosyncratic collaboration, with Glen Peeters from Radar Men From The Moon.

I immediately added a copy of the creatively packaged, vinyl compilation of their earlier ‘Het Droste Effect’ / ‘Lingerland’ MP3 releases to my collection, such was my infatuation with their gritty, transportive sound. A sound which was further cemented with last year’s ethereally sublime, ‘We Are All Hallucinating’.

‘Soar’ is the latest release from this Eindhoven dynamic duo. Here their self-referential, fractal geometry paints a slightly sparser picture, yet remains gliding on thermal currents and solar winds…