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| Gong release the stunning new studio album "2032" Gong, The Legendary Psychedelic Rockers Release The Stunning New Studio Album "2032". The album continues the mythology of the "Radio Gnome Trilogy". "2032"is released on Monday 21st September 2009 on the band's own label G-Wave, in special association with A-Wave, the label of Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy's successful dance music project System 7. The highly anticipated new album will be supported by a UK Nationwide Tour that starts at the Bristol O2 Academy on 19th November (Ticket Hotline: 08700 603 777, www.seetickets.com). Produced and engineered by Hillage at A-Wave Studios, London, additional production was conceived by Daevid Allen at Bananamoon Observatory in NSW, Australia. Described as exhilarating, compelling and other worldly, "2032" represents the first time Hillage has recorded with original Gong founder, Daevid Allen, since 1974's "You" album. "2032" is a new instalment that continues the Gong's famous ‘Radio Gnome' album trilogy which includes the milestone psychedelic progressive rock albums - "Flying Teapot" (1973), "Angel's Egg" (1973), and "You" (1974). The band line-up on the album includes Daevid Allen (guitar, lead vocal): Steve Hillage (lead guitar), Gilli Smyth (Space Whisper and poetry), Miquette Giraudy (synthesiser), Mike Howlett (bass), Chris Taylor (drums), and Theo Travis (sax and flute). Special guest performances on some tracks include former Gong member Didier Malherbe (soprano sax, duduk, and flute) and Yuji Katsui (electric violin) of the Japanese progressive/psychedelic jam band Rovo. Original Gong members Steve Hillage, Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth and Miquette Giraudy, wrote the songs for "2032" when they were in Australia. The new album also grew out of the enthusiasm and fun the band experienced playing live together again. Together with the rest of the band, Daevid and Steve have crafted a rich and fresh sounding powerhouse of an album that is a more than worthy successor to the legendary Radio Gnome trilogy that Gong released at their creative peak in the 70s. 2032 is the year that the Planet Gong makes full contact with the Planet Earth - and a major new chapter in the continually evolving Gong mythology, " says Daevid Allen. The premise of the new album is that Gong exists in our solar system as an evolved and peaceful planet operating as a unified field of high frequency matter which renders it virtually invisible to Earth. Its representatives, the Octave Doctors, first visited Earth during the late sixties when hopes were high for a shift towards world peace. Upon their return, they have opted to survey our progress and have made an offer of assistance at this decisive time in our planetary history. The year 2032 is thought to be the time when the existence of Planet Gong will be officially recognised by astronomers on Earth and will signal the first public arrival of these space visitors. A Japanese animation video will also be released "How To Stay Alive", one of the tracks featured on the forthcoming album. 1. City Of Self Fascination- One of the heaviest and freshest tracks Gong has ever made - a passionate message from space visitors on Earth with a completely modern sound. 2. Digital Girl - A modern sounding track about a new generation of 21st Century super fast thinking females, at a time when creating the truth becomes the political willand news becomes today's novel. 3. How To Stay Alive - Gong do a great sounding rap track - a message from the octave doctors liberally translated by Daevid Allen. An edit of this track will be Gong's new Japanese animated video, based around Daevid's celebrated Gong drawings and characters. The track ends in musical bliss with a trademark Gong "glissando" instrumental, including the sound of the duduk played by former Gong member Didier Malherbe. 4. Escape Control Delete- The surprise track of the album mixing a super-melodic riff with a classic beat from 70s German "krautrock" and a rich melodic song extolling the beauties and wonders of the Planet Gong. The track ends with a perfect Gong spacey guitar based instrumental section. 5. Yoni Poem / 6. Dance With The Pixies - Yoni is the eternal spirit of nature, the voice of animals, the smell of plants materialised into witches who move between that world and the world of. This 2-song suite starts with an edgy, abstract poem by Gilli Smyth and Miquette Giraudy that mutates into a bouncy groove about dancing pixies. 7. Wacky Baccy Banker - Crazy and punky, this song features a famous Gong mythology character code-named ‘The Switch Doctor', a prankster who adopts many human roles. Here he sings about his recent stint as a merchant banker. The direness of the credit crunch is transmuted by a searing guitar solo into a final dreamy glissando as the banker gets infected by Planet Gong telepathy (otherwise known as Radio Gnome). 8. The Year 2032 - A wistful and romantic song about the year 2032, when planet Gong makes official contact with planet Earth, putting our suffering and disastrous conflicts in deep perspective. This is a piece of pure Gong music, with soprano sax performed by special guest and original Gong member Didier Malherbe. 9. Robo-Warriors- Robo-Warriors are peace machines which can resolve the conflict of opposites by absorbing and transforming conflict into a single unified field. This is another piece of active poetry performed by Gilli backed with electronic beats by Miquette (showing her System 7 dance music hand). 10. Guitar Zero- A totally infectious guitar and drums groove, mixed with a chant looking towards a new peaceful future and a wild sax solo by Theo Travis. 11. The Gris Gris Girl- This is possibly the most sophisticated song on the album, with many changes and sections. The song itself is almost folky with driving acoustic guitar and flur by Didier Malherber.The story of the mystic female other half of the Switch Doctor, steeped in the magical traditions of New Orleans. 12. Wave And A Particle- Nothing is solid. Everything is composed of dancing atoms, even human beings and especially solid things like tables. The 3rd of Gilli's poetry/electronics collaborations with Miquette sets up the album for the final phase. 13. Pinkle Ponkle- A completely mystical 5-4 tribal trance dance celebrating the unique Gong sound, encouraging people to be their own leader and preparing the opening of the direct portal to the planet Gong. 14. Portal- Things develop into a progressive Hillage instrumental composition that roars to a complex electric storm of a climax before gradually settling into a blissful and gentle floating end, The Portal is open. Originally formed in Paris during 1968 student riots, Gong weave their unique magic of psychedelic jazz fusion, eastern/world music, synthesizers and loops, and deep space funk and punk - all laced with self-deprecating humour. Forty years on their underground influence is massive - and moving onward to 2032! 2009 is the 40th anniversary of the band Gong, which was conceived by founding members Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth in France in the chaotic times of post-May 68 creative turmoil. Gong quickly rose to become one of France's biggest bands and as a social phenomenon being France's equivalent to the Grateful Dead. By 1971, Gong made their UK debut at the legendary Glastonbury Festival. After releasing their second album "Camembert Electrique" on the BYG label in France in 1972, Gong developed a relationship with the new start-up Virgin Records. This was the point when Steve Hillage and Mike Howlett joined the band. The "classic" period of 1973-75 was a roller-coaster ride of gigs festivals and album releases with the first Virgin Records album releases "Flying Teapot", "Angel's Egg" and "You". One master-stroke was Richard Branson's idea to re-release "Camembert Electrique" at the budget price of 50p. This became a top ten smash album and sold over 70,000 copies in the UK, bringing the band to an ever wider audience. By the autumn of 1974, the "You" album hit the UK Top Ten album charts during the first week of release. These three albums between them have sold well in excess of 1 million copies. Since being re-mastered and reissued by Virgin in 2003 they continue to sell. Gong is cited as a primary influence by many new generation "psychedelic" artists and also by many major figures in the dance music scene. The full surviving line up first played together again in November 2006 at a special sold-out Gong event in Amsterdam. In 2008 this line up played two sold-out shows at the London Kentish Town Forum and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. At the latter, Gong were invited to play by Massive Attack as part of the 2008 Meltdown Festival. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |