Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Various Artists - This Was Your Future – Space Rock & Other Psychede [Cherry Red - 2022]

Here we have a compilation curated by Hawkwind’s Dave Brock. It’s a three-disc/ forty track CD set. which focuses on space rock and psychedelic music from between the late 70s and late 90s. It’s fair to say a lot of the material here has a rather Hawkwind-like sound, and a few of the tracks feature Brock and others connected with the group- though they are a few surprises along the way.

The three-CD set is presented in a light-yellow flip side box, this features ink stamper like psychedelic shapes/ pictures. Each of the three-disc comes in it's own card slip sleeve- with the set topped off with a twenty-eight-page inlay booklet, which features a write-up about the collection by Ian Abrahams. And small write-ups for all of tracks, and pictures/ cover art. It’s another Cherry Red release- so as you’d expect a classy and pro presentation.

Disc number one features thirteen tracks. We go from bounding blues-rock at points almost metallic guitar riffing meets cascading spacy synth spirals of Omnia Opera’s “Space Bastard”. There is the eerier and rising atmospherics of Dave Brook’s “Green Finned Demon”- with its blend of moody organ climb, tick-tock rhythms, rolling synth horn brood, and baying ‘n’ wailing tone scaping.  We have the eastern bazaar tripped jingling ‘n’ jangling rock of Boris And His Bolshie Balalaika’s “Toadstool Soup”, which later drops into tread mystical desert synth orchestration and building if waving guitar scaping. And towards the end of the disc the gunning almost gone gothic space rock meets ghoulish jaunting keys of Treatments “Damage “.

On disc two we find fifteen more tracks. We go from darker-hued and primal space rock slog of Pressurehed ‘s “Red Delta(Live)”- with snare bashing rhythm, hovering synth & guitar presence, and at points fairly death rock like singing. There’s the skittering electronics, moody guitar tone pick, snapping beats, and wailing male vocals of Kava Kava “Poke”. Or the wonderful odd “The Lizard Sheds It’s Skin” by The Tryp- which starts off with creepy sci-fi liquid-like sounds, before dropping into a blend of blunt churning bass, odd guitar pickings, and weird bubbling ‘n’ growling vocals- this stands to me as one of the collection highlights.

Lastly, on disc number three, we have another twelve tracks. There is the brighter, racing, blues rock tipped gallop of Nukli’s “Inner Days”. We have the simmering -yet- bass bounding 70’s electronica of Tim Blake’s “Passage Sur La Cite (Des Revelations)”. Or the slugging ‘n’ dirty mid 80’s space rock of F/I’s “The Circle Is the Square” with baying overload synth sweeps, crashing drum work, and roughly churning guitar work.

In finishing, I say to get the most out of This Was Your Future- you’ll need to at least enjoy Hawkwind, and their take on space rock. Because yes there are a few departures from that template here, but it largely has a very Hawkwind-like focus, which is fine…but just be ready/ aware of this before purchasing.

Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Various Artists - This Was Your F...
Here we have a compilation curated by Hawkwind’s Dave Brock. It’s a three-disc/ forty track CD set. which focuses on space rock and psychedelic m...
010725   Atomic Rooster - Atomic Roos...
010725   Con Funk Shun - Organized
010725   Various Artists - Heatwave- T...
010725   The Good, The Bad, The Weird ...
270625   Murder Rock - Murder Rock( Bl...
270625   The Black Torment - The Blac...
250625   Girls Without Shame - Girls W...
250625   Xiphos - The Age Of Alexander
250625   Timothy Fairless - Keep Tal...
240625   CORR//PT│0N_UN1T - S7ATU5_...
Latest Articles

Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sharp t...
It’s fair to say the Sharksploitation genre is often tried, tested, and to be honest, tired. Fear Below is a 2025 Australian film that tries to do some...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
110325   Sebastian Tomb - Walls of unb...
040225   Alien Sex Fiend - Possessed B...
231224   Best Of 2024 - Music, Sound &...
191224   Splintered - Somewhere Betwee...
031224   Shane Ryan-Reid - Coerced and...
221024   Whore’s Breath - life’s h...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom