Who are these guys?
Fancy something a bit challenging? [screeds Bambi - Ed.] I know the 4 or 5 Guys© are the sort of people who like to be challenged and excited by new music, as well as the music of nostalgia. I’ve been thinking of Kavus Torabi IoF feature for ages, I’ve seen him playing guitar numerous times in three of my favourite bands, Cardiacs, Gong and Knifeworld. He’s also a really nice chap, and now fronts the Canterbury favourites Gong since Daevid Allens death in 2015. Gong continue to release new material and tour, having received Daevid Allens blessing to do so. Kavus joined Gong in 2014.
From Wiki [oh, tsk - Ed.]: Kavus Torabi (born 5 December 1971) is a British Iranian musician and composer, record label owner and broadcaster. A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the psychedelic, avant-garde rock field (primarily as a guitarist). Torabi was one of the founding members of The Monsoon Bassoon (as singer, guitarist and one of the two primary composers) and subsequently joined the cult group Cardiacs as second guitarist. His biggest fan is Bambi [citation needed].
Most recently he’s been in a band called Utopia Strong, as well as performing solo and with Gong. He has toured with numerous bands over the years. I know many musicians in the UK need to have a ‘proper job’ in order to be in bands. I believe Kavus is a professional musician, because he seems to always have 2 or 3 music projects on the go at all times, as well as being a radio and festival DJ.
So two very different links:
Utopia Strong - Electronic/acoustic/mellow instrumental and trippy.
Gong - Radio session tracks (All the recent Gong albums are fantastic, even though there are no original members in the band now.)
Hope you enjoy these contrasting choices!
Utopia Strong:
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/3VGEPJAUZa9
(I think we have to work for the Gong link!)
Upload cunningly contains both Utopia Strong and Gong albums - thanks, Bambi.
DeleteThanks, Bambi! Sounds interesting, I will listen to it on my morning walk.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bambi!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bambi. Don't know much about this Kave man but I'll check out Utopia Strong. Just glad we can stop Monkee'ing around for awhile. Gives me time to get my ducks in a row.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the photo above, I forgot to mention the chap on the left is Steve Davis, he may be familiar to some Brits or snooker fans, believe it or not he is a member of The Utopia Strong, see pro shot YouTube link below of a 34 minute live concert - it starts slowly but worth watching/listening to.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM_zvF87bO8
Kavus Torabi is the hairy chap on the right in the photo.
btw the Gong tracks are much more 'rock' than the trippy mellow Utopia Strong tracks. Enjoy.
Both are very good, but I like the "trippy mellow Utopia Strong tracks" slightly better.
DeleteThanks again!
completely agree every Gong lp is good
ReplyDeleteThis wouldn't be the Bambi of Debbi Does Dallas fame, would it????
ReplyDeleteHow very dare you Scott! And as for Farqs disguised suggestion of me being some sort of Kavus groupie, well I've only met the chap twice.
Deletebtw the Gong radio sessions are not the released ones from 1973/74, these are from 2016 and 2019 recorded off the BBC, ie representative of the current live band.
thanx 4 the easy access ...
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Bambi!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear the Cardiacs getting a mention. What an amazing band they were. I have a screed about ex-Cardiac Jon Poole in the works
Splendid SteveShark, I look forward to that. Yes Cardiacs without doubt one of the best live bands I've ever seen, but also great music to put on if you have guests who have maybe outstayed their welcome, they can clear a room quite quickly. :-)
DeleteAnother up for Gong and (the) Cardiacs. (Cognoscenti don't use the "The".) Once the latter were seen, they were never forgotten. By then, I had seen hundreds of bands including all the biggies and across most genres, and was taken to see (the) Cardiacs and told "you'll enjoy it" with no more guidance. By Christ, I did. One of my top 10 gigs ever. This is a good place to start if you don't know them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVjSycDJatc
DeleteGreat vid thanks Mr Grimsdale.
DeleteI thought the other fella was Steve 'Interesting' Davis....glad to know my eyesight or memory aren't filing me...just yet!!!
ReplyDeleteBuy the book, it's a really entertaining read: https://www.whiterabbitbooks.co.uk/titles/steve-davis/medical-grade-music/9781474619509/
ReplyDeleteBuy the excellent LP: Kavus is a working musician and needs income: https://theutopiastrong.bandcamp.com/album/the-utopia-strong
Cheers, Peanuts Molloy.
I know you mean well, Peanuts, but people will buy the LP if they like the music. They may be hearing it here for the first time and can make a decision on that. That's what it comes down to. It's not an issue of being a working musician who depends on income, like they're owed it just for making music - there are possibly hundreds of thousands worldwide, and making a living from making music has never been easy. If this piece has made him better-known among the few who know about this blog - a smaller number by far than those who already know this artist - and if some of those like his music enough to invest some of their own income, then they will. They don't need telling.
DeleteI agree and I don't agree.
DeleteI know you mean well, Peanuts . . . I agree, and I know you mean well too. It's all peace and harmony around here.
People will buy the LP if they like the music . . . sadly, I'm not sure that's true these days if they've already downloaded it for free.
They may be HEARING it here for the first time and can make a decision on that . . . or they may be READING about it here for the first time and can make a decision on that. Alerting and giving are both commendable but have different motives.
It's not an issue of being a working musician who depends on income . . . I think it is.
Like they're owed it just for making music ... just making music is free and pleasurable (I do it in the privacy of my own home) but they are owed it if they sell music to make a living.
Making a living from making music has never been easy . . . I agree and someone - anyone - giving it away doesn't make it any easier.
If this piece has made him better-known among the few who know about this blog . . . then I agree it's a bloomin' good thing and all credit to you. The Kavus / Davis book did get a fair amount of mainstream publicity tho' which led me to buying it, and then the LP.
If some of those like his music enough to invest some of their own income, then they will . . . I'm not convinced but of course I might be wrong.
They don't need telling . . . maybe they do.
I like your blog a lot, I like what it does and I like the way it does it, and you've turned me on to some great stuff that would otherwise have completely passed me by. But I only download if I can't buy. That seems only fair to me.
So, I have bought LPs by the following purely and simply because of you:
- The Explorers Club x 2
- Green Seagull x 2
- The Holy Mackerel
- The Ruby Suns (I think that was you?)
- Uniting of Opposites
- The Wizards from Kansas.
I don't know who amongst them has made money from me but I do hope it's the right people.
On the other hand, I did download the Penny Arkade stuff because I couldn't find it to buy, but at the same time I bought Mike Stax's excellent book because of you and I hope he benefited from my purchase. (Ditto Baddha by the way - a tremendous book which should be handed out free on street corners!).
Also I downloaded the Chris Rainbow stuff because I didn't have a kidney to spare to raise the funds for purchase.
And on and on . . . I could go on and on but I'm tired now and we agree to disagree I suspect - so you keep writing and I'll keep reading but maybe will stop posting.
Cheers, Peanuts Molloy.
Why on earth would you stop commenting? Because we might disagree on some vague point of ethics? This makes no sense to me. Your comments are always thoughtful and knowledgeable and add greatly to th' IoF© Experience©, so do keep making them!
DeleteAw, go on then, you've won me over you smooth talker, so I will definitely probably post again next time you are rong agin as you almost certainly will be soon.
DeleteCheers, Peanuts Molloy.
Attaboy! Bear in mind that the visitors here are pitifully small in quantity, but off the scale in quality. Bear in mind that you bought music you first heard (about) here, and credit others with the same discernment. Bear in mind that this is NOTHING LIKE yer standard music blog, neither in intent nor practice. The links I provide are generally low (to you) quality, not intended to take the place of the CD or official download. And I'm not making a cent out of this - the links aren't monetised, like many music blogs where the blog or site owner makes a pretty decent living from other peoples' work (hiya, exy!). And the content here is entirely original (why I gave Bambi a wrist-slap for copy-pasting a disproportionate wiki chunk), and I don't consider I'm owed a cent for providing it, even though words is my business. Also I give away my books wherever I can. Bear all that in mind and we'll get on just swell!
DeleteI thought Exy had been disappeared. Haven't been able to see it for about a year or so.
DeleteHi Peanuts, I do agree with you about purchasing working musicians stuff, buying tickets etc. So was a bit conflicted about putting the Utopia Strong disc up, but my intention was to bring to the attention of the 4 or 5 guys the work of Kavus Torabi, who is probably not well known outside of the uk. That's why I put the Gong 2019 bbc sessions tracks up and not one of their excellent recent albums. The live session tracks are really well played and different from those on the CDs. I was also trying to find the Knifeworld radio sessions, but couldn't find them. I can assure you I've purchased both vinyl and cds of many of Kavus's projects.
DeleteI've not read the book yet, thanks for reminding me about it.
I saw Gong and The Utopia Strong this year at Kozfest. Kavus is playing their Xmas party - link below:
https://www.electricsalad.co.uk/kozfest.html
I've purchased a few things, that came to my attention here. Either as a CD, or in a lossless format (I'm a stickler for audio).
DeleteAn interesting discussion where everybody is right.
DeleteGong sounds great in all their incarnations. Even Pierre Moerlen's (frequently left aside by hardcore Gongists) has great stuff.
I'm sure we all miss Daevid allen though... One of those guys that make the world a more colourful place.
i blunked & mussed it...alas...
ReplyDeleteZinhof has 7 Gong albums up this week..
ReplyDeleteThanks Bambi! Entirely new to me and something my progdar would have steered me away from ever sampling. But I'm always willing to give a listen to something one of the 4/5 guys recommends. Thanks for the time to shine a light and bring this to our attention!
ReplyDelete