Fans of the Kosmische sound rejoice as sonic pioneers Dom Keen and Jonathan Parkes return with another instalment of their essential record series. I found my way to Studio Kosmische via Parkes’ Korb project. Whilst I am admittedly tardy to the party, I’m nonetheless smitten by the sounds your about to enjoy in the grooves of this here record.
The album is split into two musical journeys across its two sides. ‘The Rites of Saturn’ starts as a tribal dance before the song enters a black hole and the sounds of the cosmos permeate the speakers. We drift along for a spell enveloped in the calm of the never-ending expanse before emerging back where we started. The drums welcoming us back to the dance. I get lost in this track every time and it sends me running to the turntable to flip the record to continue the journey. Side B finds us ‘Beyond the Circle of The Fixed Stars’. This is what I’d deem a groovy little number. The minimal bass trades licks with the guitar before a synth line kicks in. Check out the drums by the way. Gloriously busy but never intrusive. They absolutely steal the show for me. Another journey of a track, it transforms before your ears into this mellow, pastoral acoustic jam. It really does feel welcoming and almost like a homecoming. If you’ve been following Studio Kosmische then you’ll know the quality these guys produce. If, like me, this is your first foray then my dear listener you’re in for a treat. Drop the needle in the groove and let Messrs Keen & Parkes take you on a sonic voyage Beyond the Circle of The Fixed Stars. – Mark Anderson, Static Sounds Club