CD - Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere (Martin Archer)

Theta Six - OUA’s sixth album - is an ever morphing tapestry of new sounds arriving via wormhole direct from the left field progressive sound universe. It evolved from a studio session of bass driven rhythms followed next day by a marathon free-improvisation session. These sessions were amalgamated through a high impact collision which made extensive use of chance procedures, and then carefully sculpted and arranged for horns and voices by Martin and Jan.

The music is heard as a single continuous suite with certain motifs repeating across the arc of the album. OUA often approaches the ‘laminal’ AMM style of improvisation when improvising freely, which contrasts with the melodic solos which fly over the rhythm landscapes, where only Terry’s creative basslines were the starting point. The results are fluid, a seamless merging, where surprising soundscapes raise their heads above the lava flow of musical ideas.

Echoes of Zeuhl music, progressive jazzrock, Sun Ra style jams and textural free improv are heard throughout.