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Brainticket: Past Present & Future
Brainticket Past Present & Future CD Album Review

Brainticket: Past Present & Future

Psychedelic/Space/Kraut Rock
3.0/5.0

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Cleopatra Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 13.03.2015

Have you ever wondered how a certain music genre got it's name? Who got to decide that a certain style of music should be called such? I've wondered that about Krautrock. It's basically Sixties psychedelic, space, jazz, rock fusion music. The same thing was being done in America and the UK at the same time. But if your band is from Germany, you get the special designation of "Krautrock." The funny thing is that Brainticket founder and principal player Joel Vandroogenbroeck (say that last name three times real fast) is from Belgium.

Brainticket Past Present & Future Band Photo

Joel Vandroogenbroeck

So Vandroogenbroeck, who appears to be as old as Methuselah, has been doing this Brainticket gig for better than 40 years. The Brainticket spin on the whole Krautrock thing is to take the whole psychedelic and space rock motif and twist it with world music (Vandroogenbroeck plays sitar among other instruments), and then put all this in these prog jazz fusion arrangements. In other words, it's more experimental psychedelic space rock weirdness like Amon Duul II, Can and Tangerine Dream or Hawkwind on the English side.

The music turns, essentially, on whatever instrument, organ, piano, synthesizer, flute, sitar, that Vandroogenbroeck chooses. (I keep using his last name over and over to make your brain force you pronounce it over and over. You can thank me later.) But mostly the songs amount to ethereal synths and quirky guitars over bass and drums that weave between a rock and jazz groove. The songs are also largely instrumental, but Dancing On A Volcano, Part 1, Egyptian Gods of the Night Sky, and Riding The Comet, by example, have some chick doing spoken word vocals. Basically, it's one long strange trip into Vandroogenbroeck experimental and psychedelic musical mind. Oh yeah, the last song on the album is called Brainticket Blues, but has nothing to do with blues music. Well, maybe a little in the rhythm section. As I said, general Krautrock weirdness. If you like this type of music, I say buy it, light up a doobie, and space out.

Brainticket - Hear Me, Help Me - Live (Space Rock Invasion DVD 2011)


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In Short

Past Present & Future is another long strange trip into Vandroogenbroeck's experimental and psychedelic Krautrock musical mind. If you like this type of music, I say buy it, light up a doobie, and space out. Dude.

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