UBX Records - Michael Urbaniak

[barnaba.siegel]

Since few years he is re-releasing some of his great albums from the 70s on own label UBX. Here is the list of things available:

- Fusion III [CBS 1975] (CD 2011 without booklet, double LP on Asfalt Records, CD 2014 with booklet)

- Body English [CBS 1976] (CD 2011, CD 2014 with some minor liner notes)

- Smiles Ahead [MPS 1977] (CD 2012 with booklet)

- Inactin* [spiegelei 1971] (CD 2013 with booklet, LP on Asfalt Records)

- Atma [CBS 1974] (CD 2014 with booklet)

I've got a great pleasure to co-work with Michael and I wrote liner notes to every CD release .

Some words on the music, beginning from the earliest:

Inactin* was the first album for German Spiegelei label, known for many freak-out things. Indeed the music is a bit freaky, a very nice early jazz-rock with some free-jazz and krautrock influences.

Atma is my favorite one - and first for American Columbia. Hypnotising fusion with many Latin elements and dozens of violin and keys solos. You should check out also the vocalist Urszula Dudziak, who made some out-of-this-world things with here voice.

Fusion III features American musicians Larry Coryell, Anthony Jackson, Steve Gadd and John Abercrombie. As for 1975 this is a mature, "thick" and raw fusion (and lasts for 52 minutes, quite unusuall for that time). The unison parts in "Roksana" always makes me shiver.

Body English is the most electrified one with plenty of effects, electric violin, lyricon(!) and synthesizers.

Smiles Ahead was recorded for German MPS and 1976-7 and contains also some freaky conceptions (many thanks to drummer Woody "Sonship" Theus and keyboardist Harold "Ivory" Williams), but I have to warn that CD sound had many issues, like vinyl pops and hum... what a pity.

I think all of those releases are available online, on Bandcamp or Spotify: http://ubxmusic.bandcamp.com/

[felser]

Thanks for the notice - some of these sound fascinating!