Exo Oceans is the new album from Kalman Filter a new project from Tangent keyboards player and PROG Magazine's 2017 Readers Poll Keyboards Player of the Year Andy Tillison Diskdrive. Three pieces make up the album, each one named after an exo-planetary ocean somewhere in Andy's universe.
Each was originally inspired by real places altogether closer to home. Two of the oceans are serene and unspoiled, but at threat from the civilisation that dominates the third.
"The Music itself is science fiction" says Andy "it's not BASED on Sci-Fi - It IS Sci Fi" And the extensive cover notes and artwork explain this!
An incredible mixture of musical styles fuse together on this remarkable album which although rooted in atmospheric electronica can hardly be called "ambient". Infuences of Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, John Hassell, Bo Hansson, Ash Ra, Stomu Yamashta wind themselves around Miles Davis-like jazz motifs, delicate melodies, 20th century classical music from Stawinsky to Ligeti, Stockhausen , modern techno in the realms of Floating Points, Funk and even a snatch of Disco.....
The album features a guest appearance from Matt Stevens (The Fierce & The Dead) a frequent live collaboration exists between these two musicians and this is the first recording they have released together. It also features Andy's new synthesiser - the Arturia Matrixbrute - he acquired the first unit to arrive in the UK in early 2017. Possibly the most powerful production synthesiser of the current era, the album really lets its possibilities shine. But more traditional instruments such as the omnipresent Hammond, Acoustic Pianos & Guitars, Rhodes electric pianos, Mellotrons and Electric Guitar play a massive part along with Andy's groundbreaking drumming technique.
"Exo - Oceans" is an instrumental musical feast of the type and scale rarely seen since the days of Tubular Bells and Phaedra. An album for late night contemplation, for real world substitution using noise cancellation phones, a hi fi lover's dream and a smorgasbord for the lover of music for its own sake.
Buy the album here
And when we say "Disco" we don't mean "A Bit Funky". We mean Diana Ross in a feather Boa walking down a white staircase with a 70 piece orchestra on moving platforms coming in from the sides. For 40 seconds, that's where we are.