This album is freaking amazing!!! Ed Wynne is a co-founder of UK space hippies Ozric Tentacles, and Ed has played guitar and keys on every release by the band. It was a surprise in 2019 that Ed announced he was working on a solo record. Although this does feel like an Ozric’s album, there are a lot more guitar sections and a lot of programmed trippy trance like grooves, which Ed was responsible for bringing into the Ozrics.
There are only five tracks in total, the shortest being 7.44. Opening track, Glass Staircase, is a cracking opening tune an absolute instrumental delight. It has a very fusion vibe but with trance beats and grooves. There is so much going on under the surface of the main groove, that it takes repeated listens to pick up on all the intricacies. Travel Dust is a lot more chill and laid back and features lots of programming ambient sounds – at times it dives into a reggae dub groove. Oddiplonk is the last track on Side 1 and is a total spaced out piece with layered guitar soaked in all sorts of effects wizardry over the top of trance like rhythms.
Shim kicks off Side 2 with a trance club groove and Ed’s echo shimmering guitar licks that lead into some superb guitar playing. Ed is seriously underrated and I’m glad to say he is working on a second solo album as I write this. Wherble closes out the album and is a combination of all the sounds and grooves so far in one 10 minute epic. Ed has all of the tools and is a killer player. He respects the music totally and does not shred for shreds sake, he just plays what is needed. A must have in my opinion.
10/10 from The Grooveman.
