Oresund Space Collective
Dead Man In Space

Øresund Space Collective - Dead Man In Space - 2010. This band is named after the megabridge, inaugurated a few years ago, that connects Denmark with Sweden. Similarly, the collective that took its name from it offers itself as a multiethnic ensemble, capable of overcoming musical concepts and preconceptions and opening up to broad-range collaborations and solutions. The working method of the ØSC is absolutely personal: they set up in the recording studio and improvise for hours and hours, producing jam sessions without any predetermined track, simply with vague tonal outlines and allowing themselves to embark on endless journeys, varied only by glances of understanding that indicate the changes, in a certainly rare harmony. Thanks to this style, their production, in quantitative terms, is enormous and, in addition to five official albums, the band offers a dozen extra CDs, available for purchase on their website, which represent material related to various sessions that have not been officially released.

The album I am going to propose has just come out and is called "Dead Man In Space". Perhaps not the best of their production, but certainly representative of what their musical concept is. It is printed, for now, only on limited edition vinyl and consists of only three tracks: a long hard psychedelic space suite on the first side and two tracks (one long and one short). The music is strongly psychedelic, space rock, with generally hard, stronger moments and a predominance of guitars. The references, classic and predictable, for the proposal lead to Pink Floyd, but also Hawkwind, Steve Hillage, and Nektar are well represented. Above all, a personalization dictated by the type of collective with three guitars and three synthesizers which, alternating at times, at others in ensemble, create a richness and particular variety, often bringing the overall effect to a true wall of sound.

The tracks explode with raids of a strong space rock character (Hawkwind and Ozric Tentacles especially), with a return to the late '60s psychedelia even of American mold (Grateful Dead, Doors). Some more typically jazz insertions in the long "High Pilots" and "Space Jazz Jam 2.2" give the sense of novelty required from a band that is in continuous and positive evolution. Elements very close to the Floydian style emerge, alongside others where the jazz predominance leads to a style not far from certain early '70s Traffic, in a very engaging form from which emerge long, psychedelic, and effect-laden guitar solos. The album closes with a short spoken track on strong experimental and electronic sounds resulting in a vaguely kraut-space-cosmic couriers manner.

The album, for now, is available only through the band's website, and based on sales they might have a better CD release, but that remains to be seen. For those who want to approach the band and dive into these long dreamy trips, it could be a start; personally, I believe their best work is "Black Tomato" from 2007, the choice is up to the readers.

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