Artist: Mark Jenkins & Others
Tracklist:
1) Don’t be Afraid… (4.59)
2) Melodic Simple Transition 1 (5.34)
3) …You Will Come Back… (5.23)
4) Melodic Simple Transition 2 (5.19)
5) …As a Beautiful Butterfly (5.24)
6) Melodic Simple Transition 3 (4.17)
7) The Ghola of Duncan Idaho (5.31 )
8) Melodic Simple Transition 4 (2.56)
9) Spinoza Prend l’Air (7.28)
10) Melodic Simple Transition 5 (2.29)
Bonus track
11) El Paso De Cortez (from “Mexico Rising”) (6.29)
“The Spirit of Heldon” is inspired by the 50 years in electronic music of French composer RICHARD PINHAS and his synth group HELDON. Anticipating Jean-Michel Jarre’s “Oxygene” by two years, they drew on the heavy analog sequences of Tangerine Dream but added two distinctive elements - the screaming, looping guitar style of Robert Fripp, and the driving jazz/rock fusion rhythms of a band like Weather Report. Mark Jenkins writes… “some of the original Modular Sessions recordings were very reminiscent of solo albums by Richard Pinhas like “Rhizosphere” and “Chronolyse”, with slowly developing analog sequences and abstract sounds. Titled “Melodic Simple Transitions”, these flowing ambient pieces have been alternated with tracks more like full Heldon band pieces, using strong almost jazz/rock fusion rhythms”. The three-part “Don’t Be Afraid…You Will Come Back…As A Beautiful Butterfly” is a highlight with its swirling polyphonic sequencers and authentic sounds, first of the EMS Synthi and later of the Big Moog and E-Mu modulars, Polymoog and Oberheim polyphonic synths all reproduced in glorious detail. Guests are regular collaborator DIETER NIEMAND on drums, HERVE PICART from the legendary Pinhas collaboration “OSE” (who currently has four new solo albums under Ose Music Factory on YouTube and free on Bandcamp), JEAN-PAUL LE FOU who contributes flowing MiniMoog solos, and on an bonus archive track unrelated to the album concept, RICHARD PINHAS himself who contributes a striking guitar part.
