Budda Power Blues (Portugal)

Budda Power blues were born in 2004 with the goal of being a laboratory band, where the three musicians could adventure into the improvisation world without any commercial compromises. But soon the band took off and got bigger than any of its members ever imagined. They recorded the first record in 2005, in Ferro, Covilhā, naming it “Wanted”. It includes 3 of Budda’s own creations and several covers. This record sold out pretty soon, and in 2008 they release their 2nd record“Busted”, at Gaia Blues Festival, where they performed alongside Shemekia Copeland and Sherman Robertson. This 2nd album features 3 of Budda’s original songs and 10 other very personal twisted versions of some classics. At this time the band starts to get known for their twisted covers and their power improvisation and long jams, being able to be simultaneously musical and entertaining.

Budda Power Blues

One in a Million

Thanks Magal

Chris Joss - Eletronic Jazz & Funk, Trip Hop, Downtempo (France)

Chris Joss is a French multi-instrumentalist and record producer, who has released seven solo albums; five of them by ESL Music. His music ranges from funk to electronica, and tracks excerpted from his releases are featured in movie trailers such as Accepted (2006), Argo (2012), Hotel for Dogs (2009), Inside Deep Throat (2005), Ocean's Thirteen (2007), and Role Models (2008), and the television shows Six Feet Under  and Better Call Saul.

More upbeat funk from Chris Joss on TERAPHONIC OVERDUBS, who loves his tracks psychedelic and full of life. "Magic Tubes" has a joyous little vocal chorus and a sitar that sneaks in right at the end, while "I Want Freedom" has a disco string section that's as slick as Vaseline. The Indian influence returns on "Count the Daisies" and "Atomic Tape," while "Get With It" has a theme that sounds like it's lifted right out of a Douglas Sirk melodrama set with a sleazy listening beat. "Jungle Dolls" offers a more Gary Glitter-inspired beat, and the melody of "Summer Springs" sounds achingly familiar, though I can't put my finger on it, and "Luna Rides Back" is essentially a reprise. "Surgelator Action" is more straightforward funk again. A quick, jaunty album, pleasing enough without too much of an aftertaste.

Teraphonic Overdubs (2008)

Trovante - Folk Rock (Portugal)

Trovante is the name of a Portuguese band known for hits such as Perdidamente, Balada das Sete Saias or Saudade. The Trovante began in the summer of 1976 in Sagres, when a group of friends (João Nuno Represas, Luís Represas, Manuel Faria, João Gil and Artur Costa) got together to make music. In 1977 they recorded their first album Chão Nosso, with a strong political component allied to traditional Portuguese music. The following year they released the album In Name of the Life, a disc that confirmed them like an important name in the intervention music of the time. In 1980 the group concentrated more on the traditional side. As a result, the album Baile no Bosque, released in the middle of the Portuguese rock boom, was a huge commercial success. At the height of Rock's explosion in Portugal, the Trovantes stood out in parallel. For the story were songs like Balada das Sete Saias e Outra Margem...

Saudades do Futuro

Obrigado Magal

Ready Steady Boogaloo! Amphonic Grooves For Carnaby Chicks And Cool Steppers

Groove with the soundtrack to the funkiest film never made with these beaty, boogaloo sounds from the legendary Amphonic library of themes and incidental, music 1969-75. Groove along with the soundtrack to the funkiest film never made with these boogaloo sounds from the legendary Amphonic library of themes and incidental music (much of it available here for the first time). All the music was recorded between 1969 and 1974 and was originally used by TV and radio companies for themes, jingles and incidental music. Rediscovered in the 1990s by retro club DJs satisfying their appetite for a harder, more aggressive groove dug by these 1960s-styled tracks and the decadent atmosphere evoked by the 1970s pieces. Hard beating acid pop and funky Hammond grooves are littered throughout this collection. The glorious Carry On Camping tootling of "Carnaby Chick", the whacking fuzz stomp of "Running From Danger" and the quirky Hammond funk-out of "The Groupie" demonstrate why these sound are so popular with clubbers. --F.B.Hawkes

Ready Steady Boogaloo

Dakota - Rock (USA)

Originally released on the infamous Tiger Lily label in 1976, the self-titled album by the melodic country-rock outfit Dakota is one of the most charming of '70s West Coast style albums.

Dakota 1976

Thanks Magal

Formula 3 - Pop Rock (Italy)

Formula 3 (also spelled as Formula Tre) is an Italian pop-rock musical group, mainly successful in the early seventies. The group formed in 1969; produced by Lucio Battisti, they were the group that accompanied Battisti in his rare live concerts. Their first hit was the song "Questo folle sentimento", which ranked fifth at the Italian hit parade in 1970, and which was followed by a series of top 20 hits, notably "Io ritorno solo" (third at the Italian hit parade) and "Eppur mi son scordato di te" (second at the Italian hit parade), all composed by the same Battisti. In 1971 they entered the Sanremo Music Festival in couple with Little Tony with the song "La folle corsa". The group disbanded in 1974 to allow the band members to pursue their solo careers, then they reunited in 1990. They entered the Sanremo Music Festival two more times in 1992 and 1994 with the songs "Un frammento rosa" and "La casa dell'imperatore". In 1992 Gabriele Lorenzi left the band and was replaced by Andrea Pistilli, then Maurizio Metals and, since 2013, Ciro Di Bitonto.

 1970 - Dies Irae

1971 - Formula 3

 1973 - La Grande Casa

Grazie Magal

BEYOND TWILIGHT - Progressive Metal • Denmark

Beyond Twilight biography (http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2226)

Hailing from Hosens, Denmark, BEYOND TWILIGHT was the mind child of Finn ZIERLER (keyboards), who wished to resurrect its previous incarnation, TWILIGHT as a Progressive metal band. TWILIGHT, a melodic/power metal quintet had originally been conceived in 1990 gaining some attention when its debut release "Eye for an Eye" sold 25.000 copies. After it's follow up "The Edge", they disbanded, however in 1999, ZIERLER, having pursued his own musical side projects, returned to the theme, founding BEYOND TWILIGHT. Although for continuity and marketing purposes, the new band carried an almost identical logo and the symbol found on ZIERLER's earlier releases, musically the style changed to a form of dark, sensationalist, theatrical progressive metal with symphonic elements and harmonic vocals, for which the term 'Cinematic metal' was coined by some critics. 

ZIERLER returned to the studios in 2000, to commence work on the band's debut, "The Devil's Hall of Fame" (2001), having gathered around him an experienced group of musicians who were to form the bedrock of all three albums. Classically trained Swede, Anders Ericson KRAGH (guitars) is a product of the Stockholm Royal College of Music where he studied the baroque lute & theorbo, while guitarist Anders Devillian LINDGREN (bass), a friend and admirer of KRAGH's, switched to the instrument to join the band. Thomas FREDEN (drums), a session drummer and former TWILIGHT member, having studied drums at the 'Percussion Institute of Technology' in California, was added to the line-up which was completed by accomplished vocalist Jorn LANDE whose inimitable style and range provided arguably the most distinctive hallmark on the album. Already a veteran of three previous outfits (VAGABOND, MUNDANUS IMPERIUM, THE SNAKES), LANDE joined BEYOND TWILIGHT straight after recording ARK's seminal 2nd album "Burn The Sun", and during the writing stage for his own 2nd album, "Worldchanger", released the same year.

"The Devil's Hall of Fame" received early critical acclaim and as a consequence, the band was able to sign to German label Massacre Records, with whom they stayed for the duration of their three albums. An emotionally dark and disturbing Sci-Fi/ horror concept album, the central premise being what happens when an IT operator hacks into his own brain, unleashing the album's keyboard driven chaos of irregular beats, disharmonies and shifts in time signatures.

During the four intervening years between albums, a couple of line-up changes took place. Firstly, Jacob HANSEN (rhythm guitar), driving force behind INVOCATOR, was added to flush out the guitar sound, for the band's second album, "Section X" (2005). Afterwards, LANDE, who eventually left the band, having already formed MASTERMIND with Roland GRAPOW and Uli KUSCH (ex-HELLOWEEN), was replaced by the extrovert OUTWORLD frontman, American, Kelly Sundown CARPENTER, with much of the new material having already been written. "Section X", another dark, sinister Sci-Fi concept album, seemed a logical continuation from where "The Devil's Hall of Fame" left off; the premise here being about a scientist who discovers mind-mapping, and attempts to clone himself by transferring his thoughts and emotions to the 90% of the brain which is unused.

When CARPENTER decided to leave the band in 2005, Finn ZIERLER was put in touch with multi-instrumentalist Bjorn JANSSON through M-Productions, their mutual production company, to take over vocals for their third release, "For the Love of Art and the Making" (2006), which continued to expand the musical barriers, both in terms of originality and technical complexity. Their 38 minute work, divided into 43 mini-segments, mixes elements of classical composition with crunching metal rhythms which may be played either straight through, or on shuffle, yielding a different arrangement with each listen. Soon after its release however, JANSSON left, leaving Finn ZIERLER with the unenviable prospect of looking for a fourth vocalist in four albums. Having previously written on their own website quite adamantly that other bands might split up, but BEYOND TWILIGHT would stay intact, the band slipped quietly into a long hiatus. Indeed, Wikipedia still lists the other five as 'Current Members' and one hopes for a future resurrection.

Pinpointing exact stylistic comparisons with other progressive metal bands isn't straight forward, and the band has said of themselves: "Some call our music Cinematic Metal, some call it Progressive Metal; you can't really compare BEYOND TWILIGHT to any other band. You can't put the music in a box no matter how much you would like to, so just forget about it. BEYOND TWILIGHT have always had their own style and sound; we'll always stay true to our music". Ultimately however, they should be seen as an important band within the context of the Scandinavian Progressive Metal resurgence from the turn of the millennium, and should therefore be wholeheartedly recommended to fans of CONCEPTION, PAIN OF SALVATION, ARK, MASTERPLAN, ANUBIS GATE and PAGAN'S MIND among many others.

Studio Albums: "The Devil's Hall of Fame" (2001), "Section X" (2005), "For the Love of Art & the Making" (2006)

Final Line-up Members:

Finn ZIERLER: Keyboards

Bjorn JANSSON: Vocals

Anders Ericson KRAGH: Lead guitar

Jacob HANSEN: Rhythm guitar

Anders LINDGREN: Bass guitar

Thomas FREDEN: Drums & percussion

Biography by Jared

(2001) The Devil's Hall of Fame

Thanks Magal