The Waiting Room (Djam Karet / HC Productions, 2010)
Ukab Maerd is the electronic music project of Chuck Oken, Jr and Gayle Ellett, founding members of essential American progressive rock group Djam Karet. This is what real progressive music is about, musicians exploring different musical paths and tonalities. In this case, the two musicians and their guest treat the listener to four lengthy pieces featuring analog and modular (patch-cord type) synthesizers, signal processors & effects, altered electric guitar, and surreal soundscapes.
The Waiting Room takes you to the realm of dreams and nightmares, but don’t let that scare you. Most of the pieces have a hauntingly beautiful melodic side to them. There are moments of ambient tranquility and other times where the sounds become eerie. The album includes features guest musician Richard Pinhas on reconstructed guitar loops. Pinhas is one of the pioneers of French Electronic music and was a founding member of legendary band Heldon.
The Waiting Room begins peaceful and accessible and gets increasingly dark and ominous as you get closer to the end of the album. Most of the music was recorded live in Southern California, at two different performances by Oken and Ellett. Later, Richard Pinhas’ reassembled guitar loops were added into the mix, with Oken adding in a few additional new tones as well, creating the final version on The Waiting Room.
If you read the band name Ukab Maerd backwards, you’ll find Baku Dream. This is a reference to Djam Karet’s 2003 album A Night for Baku. Ukab Maerd’s musicians describe the Baku as spirits of the dream world who are devourers of evil dreams and nightmares. The music of Ukab Maerd represents what the Baku dream after spending elastic time in the twilight zone. The Baku are found in Japanese folk tradition and are described as supernatural beings.
The lineup includes Chuck Oken, Jr on analog, digital & modular keyboards, electronic percussion, effects, loops processing & reconstruction; Gayle Ellett on analog & digital keyboards, electric guitar, effects; and Richard Pinhas on guitar loops on tracks 1, 2, 3.
The Waiting Room is exploratory electronic music at its best, bringing together classic 1970s electronic music and 21st century sensibility and technology.