AURAL INNOVATIONS
On the back of the CD case Escapade proclaims: "All Escapade music is composed spontaneously and collectively. No overdubs are utilized". An appropriate phrase indeed as the band's improvised music more often than not does seem well thought out, if not actually composed.
Escapade is a five piece and on this 2-CD set consists of Paul Hilzinger and John Ortega on various keyboards and synths, Joey Murphy on bass and percussion, Paul Casanova on guitar, electronics, and percussion, and Hadley Kahn on drums and percussion. Though firmly in the space realm, Escapade sounds more like a fusion band that got turned on to Hawkwind while listening to the likes of Miles, Sun Ra, and King Crimson. The band plays extended improvs that come across not so much as jams than as continuously developing ideas and themes. The music can be abstract at times but is always accessible.
Some highlights include: "Undermine" and " Overmine," together totaling about forty minutes, were both recorded during the Orion Space Rock festival in October '97. "Undermine" features a slow exploratory jazz journey that becomes a bit of a jazz-psych freakout. This may be a stretch but the guitar at one point reminded me of James Blood Ulmer, an interesting effect combined with all the swirling synths. The music eventually calms and the musicians play away seemingly independent of one another, though the result is neither confusing nor chaotic. I guess that's what good improvisation is about!! "Overmine" is another cosmic fusion workout that prominently features the synths and percussion. Both concentrate on steady theme development and the guitar almost works like a synth in parts.
One of my favorite tracks is "It", a dark, somewhat avant-rock, King Crimson/Univers Zero sounding piece. The bass has an extremely low zheul-like sound that gives the music a Magma feel. Of course the electronics help keep the whole thing in orbit placing Escapade in their own little corner of the SpaceRock domain.
"Turtle Chase" is far more ambient than the rest of the tracks. Spacey, but still with jazz and avant touches, this is like the soundtrack to a Sci-Fi movie in which the action is driven by the music. The tune ends with a pounding rock bass and a mini-synth freakout. Similar to this is the thirty minute "The Sunlight Hurts My Eyes". On my first couple cursory listens to this track I felt that the ideas had been played out long before the music ended. But closer listening reveals what really could have been a composed work. Truly a symphony that takes the musical scenic route.
Highly recommended to space fans who like improv, jazz , and creatively adventurous instrumental music.
-JK
AUDION (UK) - Issue #41
For those like me, that love instrumental psychedelic rock, we're being spoiled for choice these days, and much of it (strangely) comes from the USA. Between the contrasting ends of the genre: Mushroom and Melting Euphoria, and taking over the mantle from the once great Djam Karet, are Escapade - intent on living up to their name - exploring further than anyone else. And, to prove their worth, here they treat us with a massive 2CD slab of jamming that sizzles as it trundles off into space! Though they're from the other side of the USA than Djam Karet, it's often remarkable to note the many similarities, that nimble slightly funky bass, guitars that bridge John McLaughlin and Syd Barrett stylisms, flowery yet solid drums, and superb interaction. Though Djam Karet implemented synths into their music in the late 80's, they let it become too smooth in the end, wheras Escapade have learned to let such sounds roar, scream and twitter along with the music, making them kind of a modern hybrid of classic Guru Guru and Hawkwind. As you may have guessed, this is another classic album, full of riffs, drifts, fiery drives and sizzling solos. Do I really need to say more? -Alan Freeman
ATROPOS Magazine (Spain)
To review a record by Escapade is always a difficult task. First, because of the density of their improvised and uncategorizable music. Second, because of their extended tracks, a product of their exemplary philosophy of, and innate talent for, recording improvised jams. Third, because on this occasion, their new, third CD, is a double disc. You may imagine how complicated it is to express in such a limited space such an array of sensory experiences. "Citrus Cloud Cover" would need a book all on its own.
One initial thing stands out among the many elements of this album - that would be the percussion. Percussion plays a fundamental role, and not only because drummer Hadley Kahn plays with unquestionable mastery, but also because of the incorporation of the other instruments under its command, producing an "amazonic" effect in several places ("Turtle Chase" [16:51], for example). Joey Murphy is the perfect complement to this percussive web, with a nervous bass conducting his rhythmic line. The strangest and most impossible sounds are torn from the guitar of Paul Casanova, at the same time that John Ortega and Paul Hilzinger use all of the technology at hand (synths & other) to complete the special sound of the group, starting from a macro-base, mallet like and alien sounding.
A warning: the atmosphere (liquid and gaseous) and ambient situations have dangerous psycho-tropic effects on the listener. This is the most disquieting of disquieting music that you may come to hear. The best way to put it is that Escapade have unearthed the terrorist attitude of the Kraut fighters of the early '70s. You could see Can, Faust, Guru Guru, Agitation Free, or the very first Tangerine Dream reflected here, but also Ligeti, Stockhausen, and the Mothers of Invention. But because this music is improvised, and presented in its original form (no overdubs are used) , we cannot talk of these others as influences as much, but rather as references. Don't forget that Escapade are from New York, and that this is 1998!!
"Undermine" (23:30) and "Overmine" (17:19) were recorded live at the Orion Spacerock festival in 1997, as was the new CD by Quarkspace. The rest of the tracks are studio recordings. If you have been frightened by the tracks already referred to, there is yet "The Sunlight. It Hurts My Eyes." (31:00), "It" (11:30), "Plan A" (7:56), and "Intoxicated by the Swirling Blue" (6:55) left to remark upon. Only two short themes - though equally dense - are represented. This will give you an idea of the incredible complexity of Escapade. Pure Space Kraut, with three pieces including cello (styled as with "Zeit"!) and a million different forms to launch into dimensions hereto unexplored.
Escapade is the most adventurous group of the new cutting edge in the USA. This is an accomplishment, but also a double-edged sword: how many people will understand them? Fortunately, this does not seem to worry them, so that we, the "strange" people of planet Earth will have more food for thought, for an indefinite time.
Escapade: five visionaries at the margin of time, space and dimension. So be it.
-J.J. Iglesias
CROHINGA WELL - Issue #15 (Belgium)
Escapade is a quintet from New York City with an improvisational 70's Krautrock sound. In issue #14 I reviewed their impressive "Searching For The Elusive Rainbow" debut CD ('96) and the even more spaced-out "Inner Translucence" CD ('97). Escapade's music is composed spontaneously by all 5 members and mostly leads to pretty long workouts and tracks. Their label Mother West Records understood the natural pulse of their psyched-out improvisations and compiled a double CD's worth of 7 hitherto unreleased live sessions from the Mother West Studios (dated between December '96 and February '98) and 2 very long pieces canned during the Orion Space-Rock Festival in Baltimore, Maryland on 18th October '97. The longer tracks (up to 31'!) give more improvisational space to individual instruments and ideas while the shorter workouts (5' to 11') dwell in the Krautrock atmospheres of legends like Amon Duul, Can and Gila or more recent favorites like Tribe of Cro and Incredible Expanding Mindfuck. "Citrus Cloud Cover" offers 125' of wonderful experimental space rock and electronic surprises, most of them in the hallowed 70's tradition but with the freshness and energy of a NOW group. This bunch keeps us amazed, therefore: mega-recommended! SPLENDID E-ZINE
Call them a space-age jam band if you must! Escapade's spacey, groove-driven sound takes the Dead's penchant for extended jam sessions and mixes it with an unhealthy dose of cosmic radiation. Each Escapade song is spontaneously composed -- that is to say, improvised. Thus each song on Citrus Cloud Cover (Wow! A double CD!) is marked by that sense of experimentation, of danger, that accompanies free improvisation. The good news for you, gentle martian, is that Escapade is consistently able to pull it off. The almost-two-hours of music contained in these recordings is fresh, forward-looking and manages to maintain momentum despite its freeform nature. Those of you beasties who caught the Orion Space-Rock Festival in Baltimore last year will be familiar with the tracks
"Undermine" and "Ovemine" (they were recorded live there), fine examples of the Escapade aesthetic. First a groove is established, then it waxes and wanes as repetitive rhythmic patterns are added and subtracted from it, while disembodied sounds float from speaker to speaker like so much drifting space dust. Aliens of the universe unite! After that, let's sit back and enjoy a nice glass of Citrus Cloud Cover!
LONG ISLAND VOICE
There's a fine line between a stupor and a trance. The two states can look identical to the causal observer: the closed eyes; the nodding, wobbling action of the head; the dizzy stumbling followed by falling down; etc. These things could go either way. As borne out by the relationship between, say, beer and marijuana usage, some people like to combine these modes, which is what you'd be doing if you played Escapade's new double CD of extravagantly other-minded space rock in the atmosphere of the body - punishing heat and humidity in which I'm writing this review. In a field crowded with Hawkwind wannabes, NYC's Escapade is the full-blown, real- deal Cosmische article, building elaborate and eventful dream narratives entirely out of improvisation. Track after lengthy track shows the band carefully crafting dramatic, highly visual band fantasias riddled with blistering, oft-distorted bass, Hadley Kahn's feral drumming and rainbow electronics. This is the best kind of space rock, satisfying the itch for a story even as it brings you to the edge of nowhere, nodding.
-Matthew Martens
PROGRESSION - Issue #28 Summer/Fall 1998
Wow. Escapade is a five-piece band from New York City. They play 100-percent high-grade American space improv. In fact, they are one of the best improv bands I've ever heard and Citrus Cloud Cover is their best release to date. It features their entire live performance from last year's Orion Space Rock Festival, But that's only a third of this release! The rest of the CD comprises studio excursions -- all live. No overdubs.
Escapade's sound is rooted in Krautrock, but they have a much more modern "sonic assault" at their disposal with a full array of synths, both analog and digital, played by Paul Hilzinger and John Ortega. Paul Casanova provides tastefully freaky guitarwork. Holding the whole thing together is the rhythm section of Joey Murphy and Hadley Kahn.
Kahn's solid but adroit drumming is the instrumental highlight of this band. The other players expertly flow into the essence of a good
improv band; i.e., they stay out of each other's way. Escapade proves that the chemistry of a band is far more important than the chops of its players. Most importantly, the fellas are all expert synthesists and sonic architects!
The highlight of this two-disc set is the 31-minute freakshow called "The Sunlight. It Hurts My Eyes." The way that Soft Machine-like
sound frames it all at the end is classic. This a highly recommended CD to any fan of improvised music. Wow!
- Paul Williams
ACID ATTACK (Online magazine) Soaring swooping spacerock to lift your spirits on a cold and crisp October morning. I've got the flu and can't really walk in a straight line and a minor ear infection so all the high notes make me wince! But it still sounds good to me. Talk about suffering in the name of art. What I have in front of me is a double c.d. set by US band Escapade and very fine it is too. I've sort of promised not to mention a certain Chicago based band (who aren't called Turtle but are very close if you know what I mean), anyway the jazzy drumming is very reminiscent of that particular band in some places. Two of the tracks are recorded live at the Orion Space-Rock Festival in Baltimore and do everything that you would want a space-rock band to do. Guitars riff, bass lines propel, drums power the tunes along and the synths do whatever they damn well like. A wonderfully evocative sound is produced by this band, at times they go all Sun-RA Meets Hawkwind but without the heavy metal failings that sometimes Hawkwind fell into, especially in the early 80's. Yes I like this even though I'm feeling like crap and my ears feel like they've got blue hot darning needles in them. Come to the U.K. and play some dates, please. Thank you. (CB)
ROCKPILE Magazine
The term "experimental" has been overused to the point of abuse. It almost lacks meaning. Escapade goes a long way to bring this term back to life. Acts like Tangerine Dream come to mind while listening to "Citrus Cloud Cover", offering the listener something akin to twisted whale songs over bass and drum beats. As the band wanders into Grateful Dead type space-jams without warning, the two-disc collection takes extremely odd turns. No stone is left unturned, and the music rides a crazy roller coaster of immense proportions.
-Stuart Pitt
MUSIC UNCOVERED - Fall '98
More live-to-tape (no overdubs) improvisations from Escapade. Mixing a healthy dose of technical-prog and space rock, these guys once again show that sometimes improvisations can be just as interesting as the most highly crafted and endlessly rehearsed material. As a band, this group listens to each other, making their improvs interesting and quite detailed. There is very little soloing and their sound is based around lots of ensemble moves. This time out, Escapade is Paul Casanova (guitar), Paul Hilzinger (keys), Hadley Kahn (drums), John Ortega (keys), Joey Murphy (bass) and guest Jane Scarpantoni (cello).
-hvd BABYSUE Online Magazine
When I was a closed minded little snit of a kid, you would've never gotten me to listen to something like this. Now that I'm a big husky man-adult, this kind of stuff fascinates me. The note on the back of the cover says it all. The music was composed spontaneously and collectively and there are no overdubs. How many bands can make that claim? The basic sound is something like a mixture of space rock and jazz music. Two tracks ("Undermine" and "Overmine") were recorded live at the Orion Space-Rock Festival which is held in Baltimore. For a spontaneous recording outfit, this group manages to come up with two disc's worth of material that is anything but directionless. The ideas are inventive, progressive, and at times very much off the wall. As cool as an ice cube insertion... (Rating: 4 of 6)
MOD Magazine
Improvisational escapades reach far beyond our usual synapse interpretations, leading to a subconscious node of audio reception. At this virgin location, the interweaving jazz drums and bass notes with otherworldly sample sources, echoes of guitar distortion, and keys, hits the organic fibers with the care of a seasoned masseuse. Elegant noise, or Kraut-jazz, seeked this vibrant forgiving neural address in the listener to attach its fragmented (yet cohesive) compositional statements. Affixed, these notions of Space-Rock, Dub, and aggro-ambient are hard to translate as merely improvisational movements by a collective known as Escapade. It seems rather that painters have opened your skull and let a palette of color inside the grey domain. A set of oils, acrylics, and watercolors that take a poisonous, yet stimulating, adventure away from concrete forms and into a subdued domain of abstract minimalism that New York no-wave politicized. Art functions as a utility for those that understand its strength as a tool. For the rest, this likely will be criminally unrecognized.
-Keith York
REVIEWS OF OTHER ESCAPADE RELEASES: Searching For The Elusive Rainbow
(translated from Spanish by Rita Alfonso)
Escapade: Citrus Cloud Cover (2CD, 123:31); Mother West MWR010698
1998-2cd-Mother West
Inner Translucence
Obscured Dialogues
Due to a Faulty Premonition
Remembrance of Things Unknown
Rule #3
A Thousand Shades of Grey (split w/ ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE)