EUROSTAR ACID REVIEW by Charlie Potter

Listen, I’m reviewing this not because I got a free copy, or even because I think it’s amazing, but mainly because I think it is so worthy of being written about. Get all of your whole brain together and try and imagine this man playing one of these and one of these into one of these, on one of these. (I saw the show that the picture was taken at and I will never forget it in all my life).

Having missed the first Funbox release, I gotta say I’m really chuffed to own this. Tapes are dead they said, but pah - what could be better than a nice bit of crusty acid being knocked out from the tape deck of your choice?

I can imagine there are a lot of people who just can’t see the excitement in acid. To them I say first go off and find yourself ‘DMX Bass’ from ‘Breakin’ Records Presents… Vol. 1’. Whilst it’s not strictly acid, the important thing is that it makes you appreciate hardware. Secondly, Ceephax is not like all those boring slow knob turners – he at times does exactly what you want before you realised what you wanted, yet at other times he will throw in something that you would have never seen coming, only for you to find that just as rewarding.

I really enjoy the improvisational element to this. Unlike nearly all guitar improvisation, most of the drum patterns and melodies are pre determined which leaves only the tempo, which drums sounds are being played, which melody goes with which drum pattern, and the tone of the melody to be decided.

Anyone who has ever messed around with some classic Roland hardware will know what poise, what dexterity it takes to churn out such wurzled and twizened mega-acid. The drum programming is perfect – it’s amazing that he can maintain such an intensely exciting play of rhythm, playing not what you would expect but still keeping it unavoidably bangin’.

I think the key is that whereas most people will lead you into quite an exciting interplay of rhythm and then drop simple consistent snare or high hat rhythms over the top, Ceephax will do that but make it that little more complex and yet not off beat. Who knows how he does it. Perhaps he’s some sort of acid shaman.

‘Eurostar Acid’ is really really fun, really really silly, and really really fast. And that’s good - people often underestimate how good it is to hear something really silly or particularly really fast. Have you ever noticed how anything that is good sort of makes you laugh deep down inside of yourself? Well this does that and then also makes you laugh out loud well.

Imagine being on the Eurostar whilst listening to this high octane acid whilst the beautiful French countryside passes you by. I mean, the very fact that he wrote this on the way from a set in France to a set he was about to play in England is crazy… “Oh yeah, I know what I’ll do, I’ll record an album”, he must have thought…

I’m not going to say much more about this because the chances are you won’t be able to get hold of a copy, but ‘Ceephax Volume 1’, his third full length (including releases under the name Ceephax Acid Crew) has been out for a couple of months, and although it’s not as crazy and is much more thought out, it’s also amazing.

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