Multi-instrumentalists Dave Lazonby and Graham Baily from Leeds in the UK make up the free-flowing music group called Frozen Geese. Their album Starseed was released only as a cassette in 2010, hence begging the question, “A CASSETTE?! ARE YOU NUTS!?”

Cassette or whatever, this is weird but amazing music. It is hard to say how much is structured or improvised. I tend to think it is mostly improvised. The first track titled “Self Fascination Sundae” has a tribal aboriginal pulse but slowly evolves into a post-modern sound orgy. Most of the tracks are psychedelica or space rock in feel. “The Coleopterous Charm” is an energetic jazz fusion jam with spacey quirks in the background. Each tune has its own unique feel and keeps the listener guessing. It is over an hour of creativity that should please those who like their music on the slightly eccentric side.

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You can find DIY synth music all over the internet but you won’t find it as enjoyable as the tracks for Mobius’ two free and legal albums from the Bumpfoot netlabel. Persona Non Grata is catchy and upbeat throughout while Advotus Diaboli is slightly darker. I am always delighted with what a true artist can do with a laptop and a few homemade synthesizers. Mobius is no exception.

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Advotus Diaboli
Persona Non Grata

The space jam band Interkosmos is an European affair with musicians from Germany, Austria, and Spain. Their brand of space rock goes back to the psychedelic 60s but is also influenced by the experimental electronic artistry of the 21st century. Interkosmos can weave an interesting tapestry of sounds for a trio. Their self-titled album is a good collection of this type of jam rock and is recommended to space jam fans, jaded Deadheads, and sci-fi buffs of all ages.

The album is available from The Clinical Archive netlabel in 320kbps MP3.

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Inspired by images from the Cassini-Huygens and Voyager space exploration missions, Sub Luna is a rapturous collection of soundscapes guaranteed to send your mind off in the vast frontiers of space. I am tempted to say “where no ears have gone before”, but I’ll pass. Each of the seven tracks are named after stars and TheForgotton gives us his aural description by way of luscious tones and spacey backgrounds. Very meditative and calming, this is a good album for evening relaxation.

The album is available from Jamendo in VBR MP3 at around 224kbps MP3.

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Dockta Valkus’ Sci-Fi hip-hop Skybase is what I call a mood setter. It is the perfect album to play if you’re want background music to read science fiction by. I just happened to be reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin and the combination of spacey drones and exotic beats created just the right environment. Even on its own this is a fascinating mixture of sampling and hip-hop rhythms. I especially like the gospel / industrial hybrid titled “Hop Hop”. “Chill Out” and the opening “Ramazan” are nice examples of Dokta Valkus’ creative mix of space sounds and global samples. This is another nice album of music that you will not discover through from the commercial outlets and another answer to the tired assumption that free music isn’t good music.

Skybase is available in 320kbps MP3 from the Neferiu netlabel.

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F.D. Project’s Mare Tranquillitatis is two hours of space sounds, soaring guitars, and synthesizer arrangements harking back to the 70s sounds of Vangelis and Tangerine Dream. Beautifully conceived and expertly played, this equivalence of a double CD will impressed those who like epic sounding electronic music. This is good atmospheric music for either active or passive listening.

The albums is available in 320kbps MP3.

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Umma Project is the work of Esteban Mejía Mesa who plays all of the instruments and does all the sampling and programming. His albums are freely available through a creative commons license and will send the listener on a psychedelic sound journey complete with old fi-sci movie dialogue and spacey synth riffs.

Ethereal is a fitting title for this full album of almost an hour duration. The mood rarely go beyond calm and serene with just a hint of disquiet. Much of the music has a progressive rock feel similar to early Pink Floyd. There are no flashy solos or “wow” moments but if you are looking for a calming. meditative session in the line of space music or mystic moods, then this will fit the bill.

The album is available through a full album zip in 192kbps MP3.

Update: The download page now asks for registration to download the album but it is not required.

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A Beautiful Machine is usually classified as post-rock or space rock. Nonetheless, whenever I hear this other worldly music I think of Buddhist chants. There’s something almost spiritual about these soundscapes; music for a monastery on the edge of the universe.

There are four free and legal albums from A Beautiful Machine. Each is a journey into the cosmos. s/t is their first album. It is a meditative dream until the last two tracks when “Glow” erupts into a sonic explosion and “Coming Up Again” end in mid-tempo optimism. Solar Wind, White Noise, Antigravity is truer to the post-rock vision with more beats, clearer vocals, and reverberating guitars. Solar Variants is a collection of remixes. Their 2007 release is Home. By both titles and sound, this is the most conceptual of the albums. The music is harder and more rock oriented. It is also the most realized of the four and the one I would recommend the most. There’s a fine balance between the rock aspect and the almost spiritual sensation I mentioned earlier. The title track is a good example of this; 8 minutes of dark but beautiful tension between instruments and vocals. The other tracks are of the same good quality.

The albums are available from the Internet Archives in either MP3 or Ogg Vorbis format.

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Home
Solar Winds, White Noise, Antigravity
s/t
Solar Variants

Tesla Ghost comes out of Spain and is a project by Composer Luis Roig who provides bass lines and synth programming. He is aptly supported by guitarist Jose Manuel Arrufat. With its heavy percussion and strong bass and guitar backing, this is more of a rock album than techno. Some of the tracks have a space rock concept. One thing for sure, this EP yells for you to turn up the volume!

The opening track starts off with a pychedelic intro then moves into tasty guitar and synthesizer framing Apollo landing transmissions. I have written in the past that these transmissions are overused in electronic music but it makes sense here. “Eye Pattern” offers nice keyboard work on an interesting melodic line. Again the strong percussive pulse keeps this in the realm of rock. Later there is a remix of the same song that isn’t nearly as good. “Song for Sophia” is a haunting melodic track while “Super Spartan” rocks as a showcase for Arrufat’s guitar work. If I have any complaint it would be that I wished there were more guitar solos. Overall, this is a very nice outing.

It is available as separate tracks and full album zip in 192kbps MP3.

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Drunken Gunmen comes to us heavy in reverb and ready to rock us to the farther reaches of the universe. Their sound is best described as Bauhaus meets Space Invaders. Deep Space, Distant Future is sort of an audio science fiction epic. Instrumental tracks such as “The Thousand Light Year Stare” and “Infused” are the most effective but Graeme Kirk’s vocals are alluringly full of enough menace and angst to please even the most jaded rocker. There is sampled dialoque in some tracks but they tend to just get in the way of the spaced out electronic and guitars. As for the vocal tracks, “Mr. Moon” is the strongest lyrically while “Journey” displays a fine affinity between voice and bandmate Chris McDowell’s apocalyptic electronics and guitars.

The album is available in 128kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music support the artists by buying their CD.

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Brian Jonestown Massacre (named after the Rolling Stones guitarist) are a psychedelic band featuring Anton Newcombe and a rotation of more than 40 artists through the 90s.

Methodrone, Spacegirl, and Their Satanic Majesties Second Request are sloppily recorded but reminisce over a broad range of shoegaze and psychedelia . Take It From the Man! is a more accessible retreading of the Stones, BB King, Bo Diddley, The Animals, Them, Jimi Hendrix, and others. The appropriately titled Give It Back further relives 60s rock, while Strung Out in Heaven is perhaps their most mature work, sounding more like The Byrds than the Stones.

Bravery Repetition & Noise is a darker, dreamier, more atmospheric album as much dependent on post-punk as the 60s, and And This Is Our Music is even prettier and more ghostly. Bringing It All Back Home Again is only 30 minutes long and country-tinged.

Brian Jonestown Massacre is definitely the “biggest” name I know of to post so much of their work on the Internet; here’s hopin’ others follow suit!

The albums (and other tracks) are available for download in zipped packages of 96kbps OGG files from the download page.

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