Escapade is a NYC space rock/post-rock band formed in 1996 by ex-Drunken Boat drummer Hadley Kahn. Their music is similar in spirit to Krautrock, while variously taking in influences of psychedelia, avant garde, minimalism, ambient and even jazz.
They're frequently noted for their strong improvisational abilities. Even the last minute substitution at a live show of a bassist who'd never before played with Escapade is said not to have affected the band's performance. [1]
Early albums have more of a jam based character than later works. But instead of the jam band staple of individual members soloing over musical riffs, Escapade's approach is more akin to the King Crimson or Can style of improvising collectively from the ground up. [2] 1998's Citrus Cloud Cover was the last album to strictly employ this method.
Following this album, the prominence of synths and electronics slowly gave way to a more guitar-oriented sound. Subtle editing and overdubbing also began to be used, though the music was still fundamentally improvised. [3]
In 2003, a CD was released which was split between them and Japanese psych collective Acid Mothers Temple, entitled A Thousand Shades of Grey. Their contribution to the split CD and its 2006 follow-up But Distractions Abound both find Escapade increasingly focusing on hypnotic repetition ala Neu! or Finland's Circle.
The band is seemingly disbanded or on hiatus.
The Cooper Temple Clause was an English alternative rock band, formed in Wokingham, Berkshire in 1998. The band released three albums before announcing their split on 24 April 2007, following the departure of Daniel Fisher.
Final is a project of English musician Justin Broadrick, creator of the band Godflesh, which he started when he was just 13 years old. Unlike Godflesh, Final is primarily electronic in nature, taking on a space-like, dark ambient sound.
Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London-based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger, Clint Takeda and Jason Kourkounis (drums). Bardo Pond's music is often classified as space rock, acid rock, post-rock, shoegazing, noise or psychedelic rock. Some Bardo Pond album titles have been derived from the names of esoteric psychedelic substances. Their sound has been likened to Pink Floyd, Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine amongst others.
Afrirampo is a band from Osaka, Japan. The band was active from 2002 to 2010 and announced a reform in 2016. The members are Oni and Pikachu. Afrirampo has toured with Sonic Youth and Lightning Bolt, played with Yoko Ono collaborated with Acid Mothers Temple and released several CDs on various labels.
Alice Donut is a punk rock band from New York City formed in 1986. The band released six albums before splitting up in 1996. They reformed in 2001.
Richard Youngs is an English musician with a prolific and diverse output, including many collaborations. Based in Glasgow since the early 1990s, his extensive back catalogue of solo and collaborative work formally begins with Advent, first issued in 1990. He plays many instruments, most commonly choosing the guitar, but he has been known to use a wide variety of other instruments including the shakuhachi, accordion, theremin, dulcimer, a home-made synthesizer and even a motorway bridge. He also released an album which was entirely a cappella.
Danse Manatee is the first collaborative studio album between Avey Tare, Panda Bear, and Geologist, released in July 2001 on the label Catsup Plate. It was later retroactively classified as the second studio album by their band Animal Collective.
Julie's Haircut is an Italian neo-psychedelic rock group formed in Emilia between Modena and Reggio Emilia in 1994. They sing in English.
Grey Daturas were a noise rock band from Melbourne, Australia known to have formed on stage at their debut live performance at The North Melbourne Town Hall Hotel, in August 2001. The band's final live performance coincided with the closure of the original Tote Hotel in Melbourne on Friday 15 January 2010. Their split was cited as mutual.
Djam Karet is an instrumental progressive rock band based in Topanga, California. The band was founded in 1984 by guitarists Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson, bassist Henry J. Osborne, and drummer Chuck Oken, Jr. The band's name is an old spelling of an Indonesian word that translates loosely as "elastic time".
Geoff Leigh is an English jazz and progressive rock musician, playing primarily soprano saxophone and flute. He was a member of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow and founded several bands himself, including Red Balune, Random Bob, Black Sheep, Mirage, and Ex-Wise Heads.
Neptune is a noise music band from Boston, noted for having built their custom-made guitars and basses out of scrap metal. The band also plays custom-made percussion instruments and electric lamellophones.
Fursaxa is a United States-based psychedelic folk or freak folk project led by Tara Burke of Pennsylvania.. Her home-recordings feature acoustic guitar, simple Casio electronic keyboards, accordion, dulcimer and her heavily overdubbed vocals on a 4-track recorder.
Acid Mothers Gong Live Tokyo is a live album by Acid Mothers Gong, a band featuring members of Gong and Acid Mothers Temple, recorded during April 2004 at the Doors Club in Tokyo, but not released until 2006 by Voiceprint, catalogue number VP382CD. No producer was credited, but mixing was carried out by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and drummer Yoshida Tatsuya and editing was by Daevid Allen.
We Are Acid Mothers Afrirampo! is an album by members of Afrirampo and Acid Mothers Temple, under the band name Acid Mothers Afrirampo.
Year of No Light is a French post-metal band formed in Bordeaux in 2001. On their 2006 debut album Nord, the band combined a dark and aggressive sludge metal sound with psychedelic atmospheres inspired by post-rock and shoegazing. In 2008, they underwent a significant line-up change, replacing their vocalist by a third guitarist and a second drummer to become an instrumental sextet. Thereafter, Year of No Light integrated black metal, doom metal, drone and dark ambient influences on the albums Ausserwelt (2010) and Tocsin (2013).
Helena Espvall is a Swedish-American musician noted for her participation in the post-millennial psychedelic folk and free improv scenes. Her primary instruments are cello, guitar and voice.
Son of a Bitches Brew is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2012. The album is available on CD or as a limited edition double-LP on blue and salmon vinyl. This album also marks the return of former vocalist, Cotton Casino.
IAO Chant From The Cosmic Inferno is an album by the Japanese group The Acid Mothers Temple and the Cosmic Inferno released in 2005 by Ace Fu Records. The album contains one piece, nearly an hour long, based on the Gong song Master Builder. Acid Mothers Temple covered Master Builder again in 2012 on IAO Chant From The Melting Paraiso Underground Freak Out.