The Time & Space Machine – Set Phazer To Stun review

Richard Norris’ solo excursion into outer galactic cosmiche psyche soul on the Time & Space Machine album Set Phazer to Stun seems to have been forgotten slightly amidst a wave of excellent albums released to date in 2010. Tirk offer a timely reminder of the album’s qualities with the release of the title track backed with some typically staunch remix support. An extended version of “Set Phazer To Stun” from Richard Norris is first up, with the pulsating organ lead groove descending into superlative space rock meltdown as the track creeps towards it’s eight minute finale. Briefed with Morodering up the krautish psychedelia of the original, Bottin excels on a remix that builds continually, with a kaleidoscopic sonic vision of bubbling analogue synths, crazed pads and thumping Italo drums wrapped around the cheap organ riffs. Rising East London duo Sioux City Boys Club step up with two differing versions of the track, with their main remix adding a little bump to the groove and adding some cavernous delay to the rhythm for maximum psychedelic effect. The Lips on Leather Vocal re-edit is even more impressive as they enlist the ethereal vocal talents of Russian singer Sasha Rakhman to add her own lyrics.

Tony Poland