Electrophon - Zygoat 1974

Electrophon’s album  "Zygoat" is a much better and more interesting piece of work than "In a Covent Garden". There were no cheesy interpretations of classical music around this time (although some passages undoubtedly are inspired by classical music), and the record consisted instead of entirely original material composed by Burt Alcantara. His compositional style is dynamic, energetic and downright weird on some passages, but fresh and interesting through the whole album. All the music was played on RSE and ARP synthesizers, and the virtuosity of the playing is quite impressive. "Leaves of Sand" opens the record with a theme that surely must have inspired Tangerine Dream a bit when they wrote the introduction theme to "Tangram" six years later. The track quickly evolves into one of the main themes of the album, which obviously is a conceptual work about the goat creature on the cover. The title-track is something as unlikely as electronic progressive rock'n'roll, and this unusual approach is repeated in the even more energetic and faster "Zy-Clone" that has to be one of the wildest electronic progressive pieces of music recorded. This and the far more classical-influenced "Pillar of Salt" features some of most insanely fast playing on an ARP. The weirdest tracks are "Ybur Knom" and "Ybur Doon" which both are based around the same theme and reminding a bit of Vangelis' most experimental works from the 70's. "Movement to the Earth" is based in a slowly gliding pace with lots of quirky synth solos that are anything else than slow. This track transcends smoothly into "Seeds Cast to the Wind" that is one of the highlights of the album together with the mighty "The Ladder of Zeugma". "Zygomania" is a pure cacophony of tortured synth solos. "Preserverance Furthers" closes the album by going through several of the main themes. "Zygoat" is a quite unique and unusual listening experience. 

Line-up / Musicians

Burt Alcantara/All Instruments

Discography

Zygoat 1974

1.Leaves of Sand
2.Zygoat
3.Ybur Knom
4.Pillar of Salt
5.Movement to the Earth
6.Seeds Cast to the Wind
7.Zy-Clone
8.Ybur Doon
9.Zygomania
10.The Ladder of Zeugma
11.The Libran Sea
12.Perseverance Furthers 


Listen or download Electrophon side 1 for free on Pleer