February 02, 1999

Track Notes

• S1

  Little Shimmy In A Conga Line

  This strong type one version has some unsettling atmosphere in the middle before the build-up to the ending.

• S1

  Vassillios

  Excellent atmospheric Vassillios jamming. The jam stays in very mellow territory, even in the final minutes of the build to Helicopters. Barber's riffs are jazzy and playful, and Magner stays on the less electronic synths up until the final five minutes of the jam. The remainder of the jam is mellow full-band trance-fusion, and the transition into Helicopters is a little jarring for it.

• S1

  Helicopters

  Extremely patient, minimalist and at times soulful, the Helicopters jam covers considerable ground. Barber and Magner begin playing very hesitantly, but by the five minute mark are locked into a mournful theme. Barber's playing soon becomes more triumphant, as the band appears to be heading for the ending around the 9-10 minute mark. However, the jam breaks down into a passage of droning bliss shortly after, building back up into a gorgeous Helicopters ending.

• S2

  Mindless Dribble

  A strong early version with some distinctly "pirate funk" ethos from Magner. He locks very early on into a great theme that he lays out on the accordion synth, occasionally complementing it with the flute synth to great effect. The ending is solid but not as powerful as some of the Dribbles from later in the year.