heaven 8

There must be any number of reasons why an album like Brain Machine's eponymous debut on This Is Not An Exit slips through the cracks, or goes largely unnoticed. None of them to do with the records beauty and brilliance. Granted it's not a commercial record and really, there are no tracks that could be 'singled' out for easy consumption (apparently these days single tracks have far greater power than albums do). 'Brain Machine' is, however, the concept synth album you're searching for in all those crates and while it's no antique, it satisfies all the key markers in the hunt for album's from say Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra, Eno, Droids, Peru, or even Moroder's own 'Einzelganger' etc with some beats (on the last two tracks) via The Orb maybe. Shimmering analogue keyboards, found sounds and well crafted spacial compositions all contribute to the records meticulous atmospherics, but this isn't a chill out album; 'Brain Machine' is weighty (think Kraftwerk, Psychic TV), it has dark edges and it's also deeply moving. It sounds as if it could have been made in the mid to late 70's, at a time when keyboard wizards pioneered deep space travel via electronic tunnels of sound. Only the beats toward the end of the record betray this illusion, while at the same time highlighting the formidable talents of Brain Machine's members; sides c & d on the second vinyl will fit very nicely into any left of leftfield Disco set. 

I happen to know for sure that there are a few copies of this future classic (read as 'why is everyone talking about this album suddenly?' and 'damn I should have bought it back when it cost so little') from 2008 over at This Is Not An Exit's online store. I recommend picking up the double 12" vinyl pack; the sound is beautiful, the artwork is superb and the music contained within is timeless... After '7th Heaven' comes 'Heaven 8'...

Brain Machine - Heaven 8 (limited download)