Zone Six have appeared, disappeared and reappeared several
times over the last two decades with some classic live shows thrown in the mix
producing several recorded moments of psychedelic magic. After last year’s
split record with Arc of Ascent I didn’t imagine that a full record would be
following so soon after, but here it is.
I will mention the title of the record and how the meaning
of the title’s second word has been lost in translation. Here in England, the
word spelt differently is a derogatory term that I absolutely hate but hand on
heart, these dudes/hippies/cosmonauts only spread love around the world. The
title Kozmik Koon was inspired by friend of the band Kozmik Ken from England, founder
of Kozfest, and that they live in an area full of racoons.
The first two times I listened to the album where in totally
different settings. The first time being played very loudly on the way from a
gig, driving in the raining through the very small hours and you can really
feel the atmosphere of what Zone Six deliver and the emotive power of their
space rock journey. The second time I was sat in the dark with headphones on
and this is when you experience the depth and feeling of the recording as the
more psychedelic and ambient parts really take you on a trip to a place beyond
space and time.
Maschinenseele starts off with an ambient feeling of
loneliness, almost something quite dark that could sit on the soundtrack to one
of the Alien films with the repetitive sounds of deep space and the space between
those sounds, which in turn ties in well with the black and grey mechanical
artwork to the record. As the sound starts to evolve, a light drumbeat and
acoustic guitar starts to strum a more upturned and positive sound of movement
as though your journey has begun. A journey of repetition that is taking you
way out in to the outer realms of the solar system. The electric guitars create
walls of sound that you can feel approaching before they make impact again and
again as Maschinenseele turns into an epic space rock jam. The mellotron adds
to the adventure and you can feel the distant voice of Lulu hauntingly appear
on a few occasions deep in the mix. Definitely a jam that could last for many
hours when played live.
Kozmik Koon brings you straight back to planet earth with an
upbeat feeling of a rocking out Hawkwind live experience coming from a tent in
a field in the English countryside. You can see and feel it with bassline that
drives the whole song. Several hippies on stage all tuned in to the rhythm and
pushing their instruments to levels beyond what they should and lots of hippies
losing their minds whilst trippin’ out. Later on in the song everything
quietens down and the mix of percussion, keyboard and the more psychedelic
guitar brings everything to a mellow conclusion. With the fact that the song is
dedicated to Kozmik Ken and his Kozfest, they really have captured the live
festival vibe and think they have achieved the outcome they set out to find.
You need to lie back, close your eyes and open your mind to
experience Raum. For three minutes and twenty eight seconds a guitar rides upon
a wave and does exactly what it wants to do. Mix it with synths and mellotron
and that classic 50’s alien invasion noise and you have something between psych
and ambience.
Still follows on as a second short track and creates the
feeling of 1960’s England that Pink Floyd were oh so good at. Very slight
sounds of psychedelia that could come from the bottom of the garden compliment
the simple and effective keyboard work that has you meandering along the
smallest of streams. The guitars do a little bit, the mellotron does a little
bit, the bass does a little bit and all the little bits create something that
feels small delicate and very precious.
Song for Richie is the longest track on the album at nearly
fourteen minutes and is dedicated to their friend Richard Van Ess who had sadly
passed away. The whole shape of the track builds quite quickly over a sample of
Timothy Leary’s “Turn on, tune in, drop out” words, and you can feel everything
magnetically pull towards the light. There is definitely a lot of emotion in
the song which can be felt in how the band have written it. For some reason I
keep getting a sense of The Doors in the first few minutes with the way
everything meanders. All instruments feel as though they are working overtime
again as the song feels big and deep and full of raw power that is waiting to
really let go and take off towards the stars, which of course it does. The
tempo builds and builds before everyone freaks out for a few minutes in a burst
of raw emotion as you take to the sky and spend the remaining time drifting
from star to star to moon and beyond. A song full of deep emotions that I hope
was a fitting tribute.
If you haven’t already become a follower of what Zone Six
do, this is another trip in to the minds of three very creative individuals who
will have you hooked on their unique mix of psychedelic and ambient space rock.
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