Exmagma

Exmagma - Goldball - 1974 - Urus Records

Exmagma was a jazzy Krautrock trio and Goldball was its second record, released in 1975 in France to the confusion of fans of the French band Magma. Exmagma sounds something like Canterbury groups like Soft Machine, but with a more psychedelic slant, with lots of flanging and other effects on the instruments. Though not quite as avant-garde as the earlier eponymous debut, Goldball can hardly be called commercial or compromising. Though the music is less eccentric and unpredictable, they make up for it with tighter playing, and there are plenty of tweaked guitar and keyboard solos, funky drum and bass grooves, and lots of creative improvisation. "Marylin Kennedy" opens up the proceedings with a propulsive jazz-funk rhythm and swirls of keyboard tones. "Dada" tones down the energy just a little bit, as it locks into a repetitive riff for a couple minutes, before it gets hyper toward the end. "Jam Factory for People Insane" adds some whacked-out vocals, though most of the song is still instrumental. "Greetings to the Moroccan Farmers" is an amorphous free-form piece with piano tinkles, odd bits of drum clatter, and even the sound of a cow at one point, and it comes closest to the avant-gardism of their earlier effort. With most of the tracks being quite short, and only two over six minutes long, the group never gets into any excessively long jams, which may or may not be a good thing. Otherwise, the record is an interesting Krautrock mix of jazz and psychedelic rock. © Rolf Semprebon © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/goldball-r36969/review

Exmagma was a briefly lived hippy oriented Krautrock trio with a jazzy space rock sound. Although the band's discography has yet to be reissued on CD, they are certainly deserving of such treatment. Exmagma was formed in Stuutgart, Germany, by Andy Goldner (guitars, bass, sax, vocals), Thomas Balluff (keyboards, trumpet, flute, vocals), and jazz drummer Fred Braceful, formerly of Et Cetera. The group released an eponymous debut album in 1973 influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Soft Machine, and Miles Davis featuring brief but complex pieces. The equally eccentric Goldball followed in 1974. © Geoff Orens © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/exmagma-p17380

Another one of those very strange, undeservedly obscure, hippy-dippy German space-jazz groups. They recorded one excellent record for the French "Urus" label and disappeared. The group consisted of Andy Goldner (guitars, bass, sax, percussion, voice), Thomas Balluff (keyboards, trumpet, flute, voice) and Fred Braceful (drums, percussion, trumpet, voice), who are depicted on the album cover as having extremely long legs. Detroit native Braceful is a jazz drummer of some significance, and has appeared on recordings by Wolfgang Dauner, Michael Hornstein, and many others. The music on Goldball is very jazzy, but extended improvisations are largely eschewed in favor of brief (2 to 5 minutes long) multi-sectioned pieces with unexpected and abrupt changes in tempo, feel, time signature. A few cuts have a very trippy space-rock feel. The vocals (one track) are strictly tongue-in-cheek, and are delivered in accented English, so they have an almost Bonzo-ish air of silliness. Totally original and still refreshing two decades after its release. © Dave Wayne © http://www.gepr.net/em.html#EXMAGMA

A good trippy space/psychedelic/jazz Krautrock album sounding like a cross between Can and the whimsical Robert Wyatt. Try and listen to the band's s/t album

TRACKS

1. Marilyn F. Kennedy - Goldner, Balluff, Braceful (2:27)
2. Dada - Goldner (3:35)
3. Adventures With Long S.tea 25 Two Seconds Before Sunrise - Goldner (2:50)
4. Groove - Goldner, Balluff, Braceful (4:50)
5. Tango Wolperaiso - Goldner, Balluff, Braceful (2:33)
6. Jam Factory For People Insane - Goldner (4:02)
7. Habits - Goldner (5:55)
8. Dance Of The Crabs - Goldner (0:50)
9. Greetings To The Maroccan Farmers - Goldner, Balluff, Braceful (6:35)
10. Last But One Train To Amsterdam - Goldner (0:55)

N.B: On the 2003 CD issue the tracks are slightly rearranged; Track 3 is "Adventures With Long S.tea", Track 4 is "25 Two Seconds Before Sunrise", and Track 5 is "Groove - Tango Wolperaiso"

BAND

Andy Goldner - fretless electric bass, electric guitar, alto sax, tape recorder
Thomas Balluff - organ, electric piano, clavinett-c effects
Fred Braceful - sonor drums, percussion extraordinaire