Expo '70
Mother Universe Has Birthed Her Last Cosmos

THE REVIEW

Zoharum continues to re-release archival material from the Expo 70 project by guitarist Justin Wright, who over time has created a sonic universe dedicated to ethereal and cosmic electronic sounds, much in line with what Manuel Gottsching did with Ash Ra Tempel in the ‘70s. The album in question, titled “Mother Universe Has Birthed Her Last Cosmos,” collects recordings made between 2008-2010 that had previously seen the light only on CDRs and cassettes. This is thus a much-appreciated reissue as it makes available once again some absolutely high-quality music that is by no means secondary in the career of Expo '70. In particular, the long title track – over 22 minutes – is an amazing piece that revives dinosaurs like Amon Duul II and Ash Ra Tempel! The pulsing bass, the fluid sounds of the guitar, and the spacey keyboards took me back in memory to the drugged improvisations present in that timeless masterpiece that is “Yeti,” a true landmark of European rock of the '70s. The subsequent “Ostara” is also significant as it documents, alongside “Mother Universe Has Birthed Her Last Cosmos,” what was the initial lineup composed of 3 members known as Expo Seventy, as opposed to Expo 70, which refers to Justin Wright alone. The second CD instead contains 4 tracks of about 15 minutes each that are based on Justin Wright's solo compositions and see the combination of treated guitar sounds – reminiscent of Manuel Gottsching's solo albums – with those of the Moog synthesizer. It serves as an ideal complement to the listening experience of the first disc. The CD comes in a beautiful gatefold cover in the same style as Japanese vinyl-replica editions. Available on Bandcamp: https://zoharum.bandcamp.com/album/mother-universe-has-birthed-her-last-cosmos.