The Amorphous Androgynous have recently released a limited edition double vinyl version of their critically acclaimed A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble (Exploding In Your Mind) – The Wizards of Oz as part of Record Store Day on April 18. The album will also be released on CD and digital on March 13, through Monstrous Bubble Recordings and Festival Records.
The result of two years of extensive crate-digging and foraging by the UK psychedelic DJ duo the Amorphous Androgynous, A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble (Exploding In Your Mind) – The Wizards of Oz was originally conceived by Warner Music Australia MD Tony Harlow, and created especially for Warner’s revived Festival Records imprint. Harlow says, ‘This is the craziest project I have ever worked on and also the most fun. We had to make it happen.”
To celebrate the release of the LP Gary Cobian pick 10 of his favourite tracks off the compilation for a bit of a run down – check it out below.
Cybotron- ‘Raga In Asia Minor’
We spent quite a bit of time searching for electronic pioneers from the 70s that we loved and resonated with…there’d been a global revolution early seventies with the introduction of the synthesizer into rock and we knew there’d be someone in Australasia who’d gone interstellar with the possibilities of it all.
CYBOTRON duly arrived at our door and RAGA and the Gods Of Norse had a timeless vintage both as groundbreaking now as back then …in fact most electronic producers should listen to this and learn ! This band sold more on export than they did domestically which is disappointing but not surprising when you consider how global the language of deep instrumental music is!
Leong Lau – ‘Salem Abdullah’
We found this track right at the end of the two year process. We knew we lacked cosmic funkiness …..we’d found generally in our search that there’d been an abundance of rock n roll, it had taken us an absolute age to sift through all the thousands of tracks which were slightly left of field rock n roll to root out the truly unique ones that we felt could revolutionize now but we had a complete lack of da spacey funk!
We asked around and googled and LEONG LAU popped up and we found SALEM ABDULLAH…..we’d tried to license a track by KIWI funky wig out merchants MANTIS but ongoing issues between them and label prevented it, we were devastated cos it was truly unique but LEONG was the perfect replacement. Equally funky with huge swathes of
atmospheric tenor tax drifting over it played by LEONG himself! Our initial delight at finding him via youtube and his permission turned to dismay when we realized he didnt have any master recordings or even a copy but quite by chance two weeks later someone found a pristine copy in a Melbourne library from which we mastered!
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Ash Grunwald – ‘Walking’
Heard this track in a movie ‘Limitless’ and was delighted to find it was of Australian origin when I searched it out. I love its raunchy total rock out blues..I heard Captain Beefheart the moment I heard it who is a huge inspiration to the Amorphous Androgynous. One of our principle ideas for A MONSTROUS PSYCHEDELIC BUBBLE is that its first and foremost a mix of psychedelic potential for sonic revolution in the present.
It is not an archivist’s traditional psychedelic compilation album..we are only inetersted in creating a new pallette from surprisingly collaged, seemingly contradictory sources placed side by side. People were telling us ASH isnt psychedelic etc but we’ve insisted all along this is a misunderstanding of what MONSTROUS BUBBLE is and ASH absolutely fits perfectly…….love this tune and more people need to hear this !
Russell Morris – ‘The Real Thing’
What a great catchy groovy pop song and yet using the studio as art in its psychedelic production no doubt inspired by George martin and Micky Most ( Donoav ) .Molly Meldrun takes this into a different realm and as soon as we heard it we knew it was the only track we wanted to kick of the mix !
We’ve always ;loved placing the downright obscure against the pop or populist and we’d never heard this song before and yet immediately were struck by it! It was only later after having put the whole mix together when we started researching in order to write liner notes that we realised just how popular this song is/ was in AUSTRALIA ! We love this cos it validates exactly what we try and achieve with the BUBBLE..not being expert in anything which leaves us free to simply vibe on what works right now…this track works right now and we’re glad to fall in line with everyone else who thinks so too over the years !
TAME IMPALA- It’s Not Meant To Be
A Monstrous Bubble‘s aim is always to show how the lineage of cosmic space music burst forth into the present in new sonic revolution but
to get modern music that sits comfortably alongside the vintage greats is always THE challenge.
The first time we got the sense it was possible for the Wizards Of Oz was upon hearing TAME IMAPALA. We’d been over as the Amorphous Androgynous in both 2005 and 2009 and been introduced to WOLFMOTHER and TAME IMPALA on those occasions. WE love this track…very emotional and melodic among the swirling reverie….resonated immediately ! Great sound they get too…both a nod to the great vintage years but also drums thudding with a modern warmth and width…plus the voice is extraordinary in that it really conveys feeling even in the abstract and never feels gimmicky like a lot of pretender psychedelics do!
Rob Thomsett – Entrance to Warraambool
A quite phenomenal album’ Yaraandoo ‘ by ROB THOMSETT had originally been released as a very limited vinyl edition of only 100 copies in
the mid seventies.
We’re very partial to avante garde space jazz and this album is amazing detailing an ancient Aboriginal myth of the outback using a very exotic soundfield all capped by quite mesmeric playing by Rob on guitar and a great rhythm section. Very warm sounding and a delight which is why we lifted three great tracks from the album for the Monstrous Bubble!
Incidentally no-one could initially trace who owned the record until i managed to find a very successful IT company with a certain ROB THOMSETT as MD…on the off chance it was one and the same I fired off an email asking if the MD had a salubrious past operating in a space jazz outfit in the 70s. To my surprise I got a response to the affirmative and another part of the jigsaw was complete.
GEOFF KROZIER and the RAINBOW GENERATOR – ‘The House Of The Sun’
We were entranced by Goeff the moment we were initiated. Initiated into the magikal ceremony of his music and orations. What’s unique
about Geoff is that he pursues the art of magick in oration to form a kind of invocation backed up by the extraordinary RAINBOW GENERATOR
who hypnotize with their improvised backing.
The result is totally unique…..we’d love to have seen him play…he became quickly celebrated in the States where he did a tour for several years but unfortunately was never as well received in his home country. Hopefully a reassessment of the great man is due!
The Sunset Strip – ‘Mercy Killing’
One of only a few tracks from the 90s on the record…both the 80s and the 90s were a difficult time for psychonauts and few survived it
seems…… but.this is a beauty…..slow and drawling and slightly melancholic on the verse but then exploding with an almighty squall of
guitar into heavy drum and emotive vocals.
This is one heavy piece of music, not entirely sure what its about which only adds to the allure and mystery. We’re happy to see that partially inspired by A MONSTROUS PSYCHEDELIC BUBBLE the Sunset Strip will finally be releasing the album they had recorded around the time of the release of Mercy Killing! Judging by this its about time! Stream here
Kanguru – Waves Of Aquarius
Kanguru-There had been an explosion of interest in the mystics and of cosmic consciousness ideologies of non organized religion originating in the counterculture of the late 60s and then propelled even further into the limelight when the Beatles indulged in Transcendental Meditation with the Maharishi in india and then incorporating classical indian instruments into the mix of WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU using high tech western recording techniques for the first time.
After 18 years of Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble mixes and releases we knew this to have been part of the revolution and so were specifically looking, anticipating someone had been inspired by this . . . Kanguru surfaced, hailing from the CAMBARA region and we loved and recognised its devotional raga sensibility immediately. Plus it has the coolest name on the record!
Doug Jerebine – Midnight Sun (Excerpt)
DOUG JEREBINE/ JESSE HARPER…one and the same and in whatever guise (HUMAN INSTINCT too in earlier days we believe ) this guy is a wizard on the guitar possessing the funk and guile of HENDRIX and FUNKADELIC….
The fact he dropped it all to seek enlightenment in the form of KRISHNA consciousness only adds to his allure since ultimately A MONSTROUS PSYCHEDELIC BUBBLE traces the psychedelic linage to show that the psychedelic is our spiritual birthright and not just a revolution in sound..a revolution in both spirit and sound …they are one and the same just as DOUG and JESSE are! We’ve included both Midnight Sun and It’s Not Hard To Do on the record…both awesome forces of guitar funkadelica !
