Stratos 1

I wish I knew exactly where these guys came from. I always like it when a record has you looking at the world map for cues (and when it gives you an urge to travel). Anyway, they are from one of “the islands” and what they do is way cool. And loud. Six party tracks by the bands guitarist Rene Pineau with heavy emphasis on the open hi-hat, cowbell and chanting. The loudness of it all might turn some off, with all that sizzling hi-hat, frantically played fender rhodes, shouts, horns and in a couple of tracks meandering moog effects.

The track Fo Swingue that opens side two is the showcase for the band. It’s too long to post completely so I just faded it in at a point where you can catch some of the vocal action but then it gives way to a solo on tenor saxophone (by Naziare Trepy Dit Cocoille) and after that the rhodes (by Jocelyn Delanay) is doing the topping on the cake with resonating weird notes that make your head spin. That lasts for a while and at the point where suddenly the highly reverbed choir comes in again, the track sort of blows my mind.