Electric Moon/Cellar Space Live Overdose

Cellar Space Live Overdose (you can’t, and it isn’t), the new double wax monolith from Electric Moon, documents two shows; the first from Sula Bassana‘s ’12 birthday concert in Darmstadt, the other from the ’11 Sulatron Label Night in Fulda. It’s simple: 4 sides, 4 cuts, all but one clocking in over 22 minutes. And what’s buried and floating in the grooves is simply stellar; a top-shelf addition to Electric Moon’s catalog and a generous, teeming live chronicle.  Darmstadt’s evening bleeds out in a subdued, methodical crawl, naturally and patiently ramping up trippy layer after trippy layer. The Soul Feeder purposefully digs in for traction, and finally release as the corkscrew power surges kick in and thrive until the close. The Idle Glance builds up with some shimmering guitar and melody that’s carried through to the end, giving it an airier edge over the others…cosmically ventilated…There’s a melancholy sort of haze to it, taking its time to think, finding and revealing its quieter size along the way. Generating heat and gravity with more reflection, the Darmstadt night accents another facet of Electric Moon over Fulda, making the division of power clearer, and richer, from one platter to the other. LP2 eases in as well, though it has more spit and grind, with The Verge of Fainting being whipped into a neon lava maelstrom, full of detail and nuclear punch before easing back in for a soft landing. The Spaceman Return coasts aboard on some buoyant bass before the boosters kick in for the slow-burn ascend. An oscillating vibe propels him as much as it wobbles, moving forward by almost consuming itself. The Spaceman, packing some piss and vinegar in his flight-suit, cultivates a slash and burn vibe carrying him to the halfway apogee, starting a metallic chatter to remind you that he’s not returning here, he’s returning there. And he pushes the outer ring further out, getting both heavier and lighter while talking everyone down. It’s 4 sides of heavy, heady and lengthy trips that despite their size and girth, don’t feel bloated or full of useless cargo. The engine is on fully, driving the ship deeper and cruising at high altitude. An across-the-board crisp and thick sound quality captures Electric Moon in full flight, at full wingspan. As with every Moon release, there’s a certain something, a unique smoke ring, that sets it apart from its brothers and sisters and by its presence ties their whole output together. There’s no mistaking who’s in charge of the mission, who’s getting their hands dirty stoking the reactors. Electric Moon show again why they’re one of the few that can repeatedly deliver unexplored space and make it feel like home. Just ask the Spaceman.

Cellar Space Live Overdose is out in a limited 777 copy run on Sulatron Records.

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