Goran Kajfes Tropiques: Enso

In the 1970s, along with the rise in FM radio and stereo sound, a phenomena called "headphones-only album rock" was devised. A DJ might play all 26 minutes of Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" or John Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things," at 42 minutes. In the same spirit we find Swedish trumpeter Goran Kajfes Tropiques' song "Enso" from the album of the same name, which clocks in at just over 50 minutes.

It is not just the length of the track. Kajfes' creation is truly in the spirit of a total headphone-immersion, blending the psychedelia of Krautrock's cosmic music with Miles Davis' fusion.

Kajfes is a very busy musician, producer, and label chief. He is a member of Angles, Fire! Orchestra, Nacka Forum, Pan-Scan Ensemble, Oddjob, and his own Subtropic Arkestra. Tropiques draws from these various projects with drummer Johan Holmegard, bassist Johan Berthling, and pianist Alexander Zethson.

Listening to Enso is meant to be a significant experience, a throwback to the time when we actually sat down and paid attention to music -all the way through. Kajfes builds this piece much like the Australian trio The Necks slowly construct their performances. From a crawl, the faux minimalism builds momentum slowly. References to Miles Davis are filtered through the same lens Jon Hassell employs in his Fourth Worlds music. Tropiques' unending groove creates a trance-state where you'd swear you hear The Who's "Teenage Wasteland (Baba O`Riley)" or was it "Magic Bus"? Yeah, the music is that mesmerizing. Like a prescription mediciation warning, your listening experience might be totally different.

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