Djam Karet
Encyclopedia
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 Indonesian word that translates loosely as "elastic time".
in 1984 by guitarists Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson, bassist Henry J. Osborne, and drummer Chuck Oken, Jr. They chose as the band's name an Indonesia
n word that translates loosely as "elastic time". Early Djam Karet was a proto-"jam band
" whose live, totally improvised performances on the southern California/LA area college circuit featured a free-form mixture of guitar-dominated instrumental rock and textural Eastern drone music, as on their 1985 release No Commercial Potential. Djam Karet's mode of working and repertoire gradually expanded beyond improvisation to include compositional elements, field recordings, and studio work. In 1987 the band released The Ritual Continues, which was chosen "Number 2 Album Of The Year" by ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN
magazine. Two years later, they released Reflections From The Firepool (now available from Cuneiform Records), which received ROLLING STONE
's accolade of " Number 2 Independent Album Of The Year".
In 1991, the band released two separate CDs at the same time: Burning The Hard City and Suspension & Displacement which "show-cased the band's two extreme split personalities...The former was a bone-crushing excursion into heavy power rock with anarchistic guitar solos, and the latter was a brilliant diary of dark, eerie ambient soundscapes." (EXPOSE'). Three years later in 1994, Djam Karet released the CD Collaborator, with guests musicians: Jeff Greinke
, Kit Watkins
, Marc Anderson
, Steve Roach
, Carl Weingarten
, and many others.
As the 20th Century drew to a close, Djam Karet signed with Cuneiform Records
, working on new releases for Cuneiform and initiated a program to repackage and reissue their back catalog. Djam Karet also began playing live on the festival circuit: live shows were performed at Day Zero for 1999's ProgDay (San Francisco); at NEARfest
2001, progressive rock's premier US showcase; ProgWest 2001 (Claremont) and at 2002's ProgDay (North Carolina
). Throughout the years they have also contributed music to 10 compilation releases, both here and in Europe. Many of those tunes are available nowhere else.
When Cuneiform released its first Djam Karet CD in 1997 titled The Devouring, INNERVIEWS noted that Djam Karet is "back with a vengeance, one hell of an album". SPACE.com applauded their expanded sound featuring more keyboards: "As if the band's earlier music hadn't already scorched the ceilings of heaven, this new sonic incarnation burned like a stellar nova." In 1998, Djam Karet performed on the West and East Coasts, recording a live album for Cuneiform titled Live At Orion, released in 1999, that was applauded as "one of the best live recordings that I've heard" and was chosen as "Top 10 Album of 1999" by EXPOSE' Magazine. The band began to do more work in the studio, resulting in the 2001 release of New Dark Age (Cuneiform) and also the Limited Edition CD release Ascension. Numerous critics called New Dark Age Djam Karet's best to date. In the words of PROGRESSION: "This may be the best Djam Karet recording yet, which is a mouthful, considering that the band's now-voluminous output is amply studded with gems. Their brilliant synthesis of abstract mind-trip and concrete butt-kick is at an all-time high here. Sonically, ...it is simply masterful. This is one of the major releases of the year."
Around the same time as New Dark Ages release, and complementary to its work with Cuneiform, Djam Karet launched a series of self-released CD-R
s, reissues and limited edition CDs for its fans. Within two years, the band had self-released numerous CD projects, including recordings made at New York City
's The Knitting Factory, an on-air performance recorded at KCRW-FM, and other archival performances. Out of this creative renaissance arose A Night For Baku which featured the addition of new band member Aaron Kenyon on bass. The title derives from Japan
ese folklore: the Baku
are mythical inhabitants of the dream world, valiant warriors who devour nightmares as the spoils of battle. The CD features Djam Karet using more keyboards and electronics, and collaborating on one track with electronic musician Steve Roach
, who worked previously with the band on Collaborator.
It is this new line up as a quintet that created Recollection Harvest, their most melodic album yet. Actually two albums on one CD, Recollection Harvest is divided into two chapters. The first-half is filled with their most melodic and jazzy music released so far, with a strong focus on composition and tight arrangements, Mellotron
s and soulful guitar melodies. The second-half, titled Indian Summer, features a collection of compositions colored with beautiful acoustic guitars and analog synths, and showcases their more atmospheric side. Together, this release demonstrates the broad and varied world that is Djam Karet. The internal drama and sense of purpose of earlier releases (through New Dark Age and Ascension) is diffused in these later works.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band based in Topanga, California
Topanga, California
Topanga is a census-designated place in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. It is located in the Santa Monica Mountains. Occupying Topanga Canyon, it is often referred to by that name. Topanga is bounded on three sides by State Park or conservancy lands, and on the south by the Pacific...
. 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 Indonesian word that translates loosely as "elastic time".
Personnel
- Gayle Ellett: guitar, keyboards, effects, percussion
- Mike Henderson: guitar, keyboards, effects, percussion
- Henry J. Osborne: bass, keyboards, percussion
- Aaron Kenyon: bass
- Chuck Oken, Jr.: drums, synths
- M.G. Murray: guitar, effects
Guests
- Judy Garp — Violin in "Lights Over Roswell" on The DevouringThe DevouringThe Devouring is a teen horror novel by author Simon Holt. This book was published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 1, 2008...
. - Loren NerellLoren NerellLoren Nerell is a composer and performer of ambient American music and Balinese gamelan.As a composer, Loren has written music for film, theater, dance, and interactive multi-media...
— Oberheim Synth in "Demon Train" and "Eulogy" on New Dark Age. - Michael Ostrich — Melodic Lead Synth Lines in "Requiem" on Recollection Harvest.
- Steve Roach — Ending guitar atmospheres in "Ukab Maerd" on A Night for BakuA Night for Baku-Track listing:# "Dream Portal" – 5:27# "Hungry Ghost" – 9:17# "Chimera Moon" – 7:08# "Heads on Ni-Oh" – 8:03# "Scary Circus" – 3:41# "Falafel King" – 3:23# "Sexy Beast" – 4:25# "Ukab Maerd" – 7:56...
. - Dion Sorrell — Cello in "Raising Orpheus" on New Dark Age.
History
Djam Karet was founded at Harvey Mudd CollegeHarvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College is a private residential liberal arts college of science, engineering, and mathematics, located in Claremont, California. It is one of the institutions of the contiguous Claremont Colleges, which share adjoining campus grounds....
in 1984 by guitarists Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson, bassist Henry J. Osborne, and drummer Chuck Oken, Jr. They chose as the band's name an Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n word that translates loosely as "elastic time". Early Djam Karet was a proto-"jam band
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
" whose live, totally improvised performances on the southern California/LA area college circuit featured a free-form mixture of guitar-dominated instrumental rock and textural Eastern drone music, as on their 1985 release No Commercial Potential. Djam Karet's mode of working and repertoire gradually expanded beyond improvisation to include compositional elements, field recordings, and studio work. In 1987 the band released The Ritual Continues, which was chosen "Number 2 Album Of The Year" by ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN
Electronic musician
An electronic musician is a musician who composes or plays music from synthetic sounds generated with synthesizers, samplers, drum machines or music sequencers....
magazine. Two years later, they released Reflections From The Firepool (now available from Cuneiform Records), which received ROLLING STONE
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's accolade of " Number 2 Independent Album Of The Year".
In 1991, the band released two separate CDs at the same time: Burning The Hard City and Suspension & Displacement which "show-cased the band's two extreme split personalities...The former was a bone-crushing excursion into heavy power rock with anarchistic guitar solos, and the latter was a brilliant diary of dark, eerie ambient soundscapes." (EXPOSE'). Three years later in 1994, Djam Karet released the CD Collaborator, with guests musicians: Jeff Greinke
Jeff Greinke
Jeff Greinke is an American ambient music and jazz artist and composer currently based in Tucson, Arizona. He is known as one of the pioneers of dark ambient music, with his earlier solo albums often compared to works by Robert Rich, Brian Eno, and Vidna Obmana...
, Kit Watkins
Kit Watkins
Kit Watkins is an American progressive-ambient-jazz recording artist based in Brattleboro, Vermont. He was previously a member of the band Happy the Man.-Beginnings:...
, Marc Anderson
Marc Anderson
Marc Anderson is an American percussionist who has toured and recorded with Steve Tibbetts since 1977. He hasalso toured and/or recorded with artists such as Lorie Line, Bradley Joseph, Butch Morris, Tony Moreno, Don Cherry, Peter Ostroushko, Claudia Schmidt, Dave Moore, Greg Brown, Max Roach, Taj...
, Steve Roach
Steve Roach
-Collaboration albums:-Compilation albums:* The Lost Pieces – rarities collection* Truth & Beauty: The Lost Pieces Volume Two – rarities collection* Dreaming.....
, Carl Weingarten
Carl Weingarten
Carl Weingarten is an American guitarist, photographer, and founder of the independent music label Multiphase Records. Regarded as "one of the truly great indie musicians working today" by the San Francisco Chronicle, he is best known for his atmospheric sound and use of the slide guitar and Dobro...
, and many others.
As the 20th Century drew to a close, Djam Karet signed with Cuneiform Records
Cuneiform Records
Cuneiform Records is an independent record label based in Silver Spring, Maryland.The label releases a mixture of musical styles, including progressive jazz, modern fusion music, progressive rock, the Canterbury Scene and electronic music...
, working on new releases for Cuneiform and initiated a program to repackage and reissue their back catalog. Djam Karet also began playing live on the festival circuit: live shows were performed at Day Zero for 1999's ProgDay (San Francisco); at NEARfest
NEARfest
The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, is a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event is held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, approximately one hour north of Philadelphia...
2001, progressive rock's premier US showcase; ProgWest 2001 (Claremont) and at 2002's ProgDay (North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
). Throughout the years they have also contributed music to 10 compilation releases, both here and in Europe. Many of those tunes are available nowhere else.
When Cuneiform released its first Djam Karet CD in 1997 titled The Devouring, INNERVIEWS noted that Djam Karet is "back with a vengeance, one hell of an album". SPACE.com applauded their expanded sound featuring more keyboards: "As if the band's earlier music hadn't already scorched the ceilings of heaven, this new sonic incarnation burned like a stellar nova." In 1998, Djam Karet performed on the West and East Coasts, recording a live album for Cuneiform titled Live At Orion, released in 1999, that was applauded as "one of the best live recordings that I've heard" and was chosen as "Top 10 Album of 1999" by EXPOSE' Magazine. The band began to do more work in the studio, resulting in the 2001 release of New Dark Age (Cuneiform) and also the Limited Edition CD release Ascension. Numerous critics called New Dark Age Djam Karet's best to date. In the words of PROGRESSION: "This may be the best Djam Karet recording yet, which is a mouthful, considering that the band's now-voluminous output is amply studded with gems. Their brilliant synthesis of abstract mind-trip and concrete butt-kick is at an all-time high here. Sonically, ...it is simply masterful. This is one of the major releases of the year."
Around the same time as New Dark Ages release, and complementary to its work with Cuneiform, Djam Karet launched a series of self-released CD-R
CD-R
A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
s, reissues and limited edition CDs for its fans. Within two years, the band had self-released numerous CD projects, including recordings made at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's The Knitting Factory, an on-air performance recorded at KCRW-FM, and other archival performances. Out of this creative renaissance arose A Night For Baku which featured the addition of new band member Aaron Kenyon on bass. The title derives from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese folklore: the Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
are mythical inhabitants of the dream world, valiant warriors who devour nightmares as the spoils of battle. The CD features Djam Karet using more keyboards and electronics, and collaborating on one track with electronic musician Steve Roach
Steve Roach
-Collaboration albums:-Compilation albums:* The Lost Pieces – rarities collection* Truth & Beauty: The Lost Pieces Volume Two – rarities collection* Dreaming.....
, who worked previously with the band on Collaborator.
It is this new line up as a quintet that created Recollection Harvest, their most melodic album yet. Actually two albums on one CD, Recollection Harvest is divided into two chapters. The first-half is filled with their most melodic and jazzy music released so far, with a strong focus on composition and tight arrangements, Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
s and soulful guitar melodies. The second-half, titled Indian Summer, features a collection of compositions colored with beautiful acoustic guitars and analog synths, and showcases their more atmospheric side. Together, this release demonstrates the broad and varied world that is Djam Karet. The internal drama and sense of purpose of earlier releases (through New Dark Age and Ascension) is diffused in these later works.
Discography
- No Commercial Potential - 1985
- The Ritual Continues - 1987
- Kafka's Breakfast - 1988
- Reflections From The Firepool - 1989
- Suspension & Displacement - 1991
- Burning The Hard City - 1991
- Collaborator - 1994
- The Devouring - 1997
- Still No Commercial Potential - 1998
- Live At Orion - 1999
- Ascension - 2001
- New Dark Age - 2001
- A Night for BakuA Night for Baku-Track listing:# "Dream Portal" – 5:27# "Hungry Ghost" – 9:17# "Chimera Moon" – 7:08# "Heads on Ni-Oh" – 8:03# "Scary Circus" – 3:41# "Falafel King" – 3:23# "Sexy Beast" – 4:25# "Ukab Maerd" – 7:56...
- 2003 - Live At NEARfest 2001 - 2004
- Recollection Harvest - 2005
- The Heavy Soul Sessions - 2010