Zone Six - "Live Wired 2004"
(Nasoni Records 2005, 043, CD/2-LP)
Zone Six - "Live Wired 2004"
(Nasoni Records 2005, 043, CD/2-LP)
From Aural Innovations #32 (November 2005)
On the main page of the Zone Six web site is a banner that proclaims: IMPROVISATION - SPACEROCK - PSYCHEDELIC - TRANCE - FREAK OUT
And there you have it folks. That is Zone Six in a nutshell. Live Wired 2004 is the fourth Zone Six album, though there have been several live CDR releases too. (NOTE: There are seven FULL live albums available for free download from the Zone Six web site!!)
I was a little disappointed with the last album, Psychedelic Scripture. I liked it but the lengthy improvs just didn't manage to hold my attention. Not so with Live Wired 2004. This is improvisational Space and Kraut Rock of the highest order. Nearly all the tracks are in the 10-23 minute range, though that's of little matter because the whole album plays pretty much continuously. And on this particular night the members of Zone Six were in telepathic communication with one another. Take the best jam moments of Guru Guru, Hawkwind, Agitation Free and Cream, and you'll get something like the sonic psychedelic freakouts that comprise this 80 minute set. Molten guitars, shooting star synths and a pounding rhythm section make for a cosmic rocking good time. There are some more sedate floating journey moments on the album and they work great as relief from the relentless intensity, but for me these guys are at their best when they're full blown rocking out. I was riveted to my seat throughout the entire set and this is easily near the top of my best of 2005 list. Vinyl junkies note that the 2-LP version has about 9 minutes of music not on the CD.
For more information you can visit the Zone Six web site at: http://www.zonesix.de.
Visit the Nasoni Records web site at: http://www.nasoni-records.com.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz