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Nik Turner & the Trance Dimensionals — Synchronicity
(Black Widow BWR 247, 2022, CD / LP / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2023-01-28

Synchronicity Cover art

English musician, flautist, saxophonist, and vocalist Nik Turner was one of the early members of Hawkwind, and a major influence on their sound with his passion for free jazz and overall weirdness. He had both a long career with Hawkwind and as a solo artist, as well as a guest musician on numerous releases from 1974 until he sadly passed away on November 10, 2022 at the age of 82. His final project was Synchronicity with his backup band The Trance Dimensionals, which was released by Black Widow Records shortly before his passing. Nik still had it all together at 82 and was active right up to his end, though you can hear some of his world-weariness in the lack of energy on his vocals. What does come across on Synchronicity is Nik’s continued fascination with the Egyptian pantheon and the cosmos. The twelve tracks straddle the music of Hawkwind and Nik’s solo work over the decades. In fact, the closing track, “Children of the Sun,” is a laid back cover of his Hawkwind song from 1971’s In Search of Space. This new version has a tribal element with tons of reverbed flute, what sounds like throat singing chants, and a vocal round with Nik and Eleanor Rees. Personal favorites include “The Enchantress” with cosmic female vocals reminding me of Ash Ra’s Starring Rosi, the sci fi space rock of “Taken to the Limit,” the dreamy instrumental “Cloudlands,” Nik’s “Thunder Rider Invocation,” another invocation for the lion-headed daughter of Ra “Sekhmet,” and the mysterious “Night of the Jeweled Eye.” Synchronicity is quite a solid album and a wonderful cap to Nik’s decades-long musical career.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Nik Turner

More info
http://stevehillman.bandcamp.com/album/synchronicity

 

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