Everything Disappears - January 3rd 1990 from the forthcoming album Mahakala Overdrive

Post-production digitizing, editing, mastering in Audacity freeware - April 2015.

(Alien.planetscapes - January.3rd.1990 1 - 15mins - Efx Phaser)

©1990-2015 Sonic Boom Sound Art - ASCAP all rights reserved.  Recorded January 3rd 1990, St. Albans Queens, NYC - Doug Walker's Space Station basement studio:  Doug Walker-synths; Lenny Pace-drums; Lloyd G. Mair Jr.-bass; Harold Lehman-guitar&effects; unknown saxophone player audition


These recordings represent my brief work as guitarist for Alien Planetscapes in December 1989 and January 1990. A portion of the December 27th 1989 session was released on cassette by Doug in 1994 as the 'Lost Missle Outtakes' Volume 1. At the time, as a guitarist, I had been looking for an experimental improvisation, free-jazz, rock-space-psychedelic type thing, in the vein of Miles Davis circa 1971-1974. Doug had placed an advertisement in the Village Voice newspaper's musicians section, seeking like-minded improvisers. Though I can't recall the exact wording, it went something along the lines of a quasi-political poetry rant/plea with references to Hawkwind and Sun Ra. I imagine he had a difficult time sorting through all the phone calls from people interested in his ad, but not quite what he had in mind for his rock-based space-jam project. I really enjoyed talking with him on the phone and was eager to make the drive to St. Albans Queens for an 'audition' jam. For my first trip out there Doug had asked me if it was okay if I picked up the bass player at his home on the East Side of Manhattan. Well, since I was already driving sorta near there (not really), I went over and met Lloyd G. Mair Jr. Lloyd was also an experimental electronic musician, but he had been a gigging bass player in the New York club scene for many years prior, and like Doug, was older and had a lot of experience. When we finally arrived at Doug's home in St. Albans, we were warmly welcomed, and went down to the basement studio to set up. Lenny Pace was already there, setting up his drum kit. Doug and I talked about influences, inspirations, and he showed me his incredible collection of music. It was like getting a free tutorial, or mentorship in this genre, by an expert. Though I had heard 'Gong' on the radio, I didn't know Steve Hillage's solo works, and I was hooked. My influences were more Hendrix-MC5-Blue Cheer feedback and Sun Ra, Miles Davis electronic improvisation. Doug made some space-rock compilation cassettes for me to study and groove on in anticipation of moving this incarnation of Alien Planetscapes into a live performing ensemble. He was very enthusiastic about the chances for his space-rock themed project being promoted alongside a resurgent interest in Hawkwind and other legendary jam bands touring again. The unfortunate conclusion to my involvement in Doug's vision was his inability to maintain an interlocutor between his personal, political ideology (Trotsky-Maoist-Marxist) and his mouth. He attacked my personal beliefs. I really enjoyed jamming with Lloyd and Lenny. He called later to apologize, and asked me to reconsider working with him, but I was moving on, and the drive out there was long and exhausting. I was sad to learn of his tragic passing. I hope releasing some of these sessions adds to the Alien Planetscapes audio history.

Everything Disappears - January 3rd 1990

Doug Walker was an American pioneer of analog electronic synthesizer improvisation music spanning thirty years of solo and collaborative work with many musicians from the New York City area. He was also one of the first audio cassette exchange artists distributing his work (audiophile Tapes-aT) internationally on space rock, and analog electronic/synthesizer improvisation audio cassette catalogues in the early 1980's. Doug's influences spanned all expressions of experimental music.  He had a huge collection of original vinyl LP's in every genre of experimental, synthesizer, space-rock, audio-art, academic classical music, avant-garde jazz, psychedelic electronic and rock. His record and cassette collections were vast and deep, with many hard to find or rare releases from around the world. Though formally trained in flute in primary school he was a self-taught electronic artist, having collected a large number of unique, rare, and beautiful analog synthesizers he installed in his basement recording studio. 

This soundcloud page will continue to republish tracks by Alienplanetscapes alumni.  The most recent sets feature jams with lead guitarists John Potenza, Richard Orlando, Kevin Mappleback; and Chris Adams on bass.   Feel free to send a direct message within soundcloud to have your Alienplanetscapes tracks reposted here.

Alien Planetscapes

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