... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A legendary bit of funky fusion from the French scene of the 70s – the standout set from Cortex, a combo who's very heavy on the keyboards! The tunes have a feel that's quite different than American electric work of the time – funky, but also a bit breezy too – with a strong Brazilian influence in some of the rhythms, and hip use of female vocals alongside the Fender Rhodes – which makes for a double layer of sound that's totally great! There's a bit of alto sax in the instrumentation, but most of the sound comes from the interplay between keyboards, voice, bass, and drums – rolling along in a sound that's stunningly soulful, and which makes the record one of the hippest European dates from the decade. Tremendous all the way through – with tracks that include "Automne", "L'Enfant Samba", "La Rue", "Go Round", "Madbass", "Sabbat", "Mary Et Jeff", and "Chanson D'Un Jour D'Hiver". LP, Vinyl record album

Cortex is only a quartet, but the group plays here with a sense of majesty and presence that makes them feel like a much larger lineup – in part because the record is filled with really bold original compositions by trumpeter Thomas Johansson – who then executes his music with a strong sense of power next to the saxes of Kristoffer Berre Alberts! The group also features Ola Hoyer on bass and Gard Nilssen on drums and percussion – and they play with a sense of mission and cohesion that comes through right from the very first note – this mixing of structure and freedom that's right on the money, and which will certainly have us paying more attention to Johansson's music in the future. Titles include "GTM", "Anthem For The Uneasy", "Loose Blues", "Blue Gromka", "I 95", and "Standby". CD

Two later gems from Cortex – that excellent funky French band of the 70s! Side one features a medley of "Mary & Jeff" and "Devil's Dance" – two fast jazz funk tunes done with loads of wicked electric piano lines, and rhythms that pulsate at a dancefloor pace, but in a much hipper way! A new take on "Mary & Jeff" (Mary Et Jeff) is on the flip, a faster and funkier number, with killer drums, a great bass groove and guitars, and funky Fender Rhodes in place of the acoustic piano of the more famous version! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A fantastic little collection – one that gets at a special side of the 70s European scene that wasn't quite prog, wasn't quite art rock, and wasn't quite experimental – but which definitely lay to the left of the mainstream during the decade and really helped set the tone for years to come! The music here is heavy on influences from the German scene, but also features some British tracks too – often in a way that makes a leaner approach to some of the bigger ideas of prog – with a more stripped-down approach, and often a less top-heavy sound – so that these cuts slide right in and sneak up on you with a really subtle sense of power. You'll recognize some of the names here, but the choice of tracks is key – put together by Bob Stanley, who gave us some other excellent "imaginary soundtrack" compilations from Ace. Titles include "Way Star" by Rubba, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Toni Esposito, "Tommy" by Focus, "Octave Doctors" by Steve Hillage, "Troupeau Bleau" by Cortex, "Canoe" by Piero Umiliani, "Penny Hitch" by Soft Machine, "Eileen" by Streetmark, "Jennifer" by Faust, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Pony" by Annette Peacock, and "Don't You Know" by Jan Hammer. CD

A fantastic little collection – one that gets at a special side of the 70s European scene that wasn't quite prog, wasn't quite art rock, and wasn't quite experimental – but which definitely lay to the left of the mainstream during the decade and really helped set the tone for years to come! The music here is heavy on influences from the German scene, but also features some British tracks too – often in a way that makes a leaner approach to some of the bigger ideas of prog – with a more stripped-down approach, and often a less top-heavy sound – so that these cuts slide right in and sneak up on you with a really subtle sense of power. You'll recognize some of the names here, but the choice of tracks is key – put together by Bob Stanley, who gave us some other excellent "imaginary soundtrack" compilations from Ace. Titles include "Way Star" by Rubba, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Toni Esposito, "Tommy" by Focus, "Octave Doctors" by Steve Hillage, "Troupeau Bleau" by Cortex, "Canoe" by Piero Umiliani, "Penny Hitch" by Soft Machine, "Eileen" by Streetmark, "Jennifer" by Faust, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Pony" by Annette Peacock, and "Don't You Know" by Jan Hammer. LP, Vinyl record album