Any album that has the words Space Soundtrax in the title is always going to catch my (mind’s) eye, but the fact that this is Sun Dial and released by the fabulous Sulatron Records; well, I knew I couldn’t go wrong. Multi-instrumentalist Gary Ramon always manages to put out some interesting music, so let the space portals open as I delve into a cornucopia of music for interplanetary travel.
Swirling synths and pounding drums introduce “Hangar 13”, big bass notes ride roughshod over the piece and the wonderful flanged keyboards give it an almost Eastern feel. This very much late sixties sci-fi, the kind that wouldn’t be out of place in Gerry Anderson’s UFO series. “White Stone” has jaunty organ and some freak-out electric guitar that keeps the astral vision firmly Earthbound, gazing into the cosmos.
“Mind Machine” is a piece of almost seventies space disco, with its funky rhythm and beat, and its high-pitched synth lead flowing over the top of its bass-heavy vibe. Sonic ray synths build over “Saturn Return”, and here again we are hitting a 70s comic feel: it’s very similar to a lot of kosmische musik and space rock of the era. Here is the soundtrack to large craft making their way through the darkness of space, and it sort of reminds me of Battlestar Galactica for some reason. “Space Travel” has a kind of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd sound to it, as the rhythm moves around the kit under some phased organ chords and a bright psychedelic melody. Echoed guitar means you slide into “Alien X”, which again has a slight sixties feel and could have been a perfect track for inclusion in the Moon Zero Two film. You can almost imagine the kind of psychedelic interior to some moon lander module with its curved shape scuttling across the lunar surface. Burbling synths add the sense of our android friends in “Rise Of The Robots”. The track is haunting and has more in common with some of the new synthwave artists than it does with sounds of the mighty kosmische of the seventies.“Airlock” has a big Hammond organ sound that transports back to a multi-coloured corridor of space that will lead us to a different dimension. Its sitar lead is rather groovy as well, I have to say. “Aftershock” has a kind of eighties-style shimmering synth sound, and with big chorus chords ends up being one of the catchiest numbers on the album — retro-futurist as it was known back then, and this sums it up perfectly. “Ghost Ship” starts with the kind of keyboard sound that reminds me of the old Ulysses 31 cartoon, also its rolling drum pattern has a little touch of progressive rock about it as well. The piece hangs in deep space somewhere, with something ominous surrounding it.
Jazz drums herald in “Infra Red” while a haunting organ looms over proceedings; the track twists and turns and has a kind of nervous energy about it. “Starwatchers” is the final track on the album, and here the synths take us on a big cosmic voyage as we make our way out into the unknown of the universe. A sweeping guitar sound helps us on our travels as we make our way out into the beautiful beyond. The CD edition also includes a bonus track of an extended version of “Hangar 13”.This being Sulatron Records, not only are the versions beautifully produced, but both the CD and the vinyl are limited editions, so worth snapping up quickly before they disappear as most stuff on the label does. The album takes you through change of mood and tempo as it traverses the mighty cosmic landscape it is set in. The instrumentation is wonderful throughout the album, but if you were a Sun Dial fan already, you would know that; and if not, this is a good entry point in to some of the different styles of sounds Gary Ramon produces under this moniker.
-Gary Parsons-
