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Following his dazzling single ‘Pill Party In India’, The Time And Space Machine rides straight out the gate to deliver his second studio album for Tirk, titled ‘Taste The Lazer’. For those new to the fray, The Time And Space Machine is the solo output of Richard Norris, founding member of 90s cult dance outfit The Grid, and one part of DJ / production duo Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve with Erol Alkan.

The album kicks off with ‘Hiding In The Light’, an incandescent organ-fuelled intro littered with splashes and live drums that drive forthright into ‘Black Rainbow’, a track of equal vivacity, but with loads more vigour and breathy vocal lines above another tasteful organ riff. Up next is the single ‘Pill Party In India’, a twanging, bubbling excursion into the realms of exotica that's simply sublime. ‘Studio 23’ follows, with a stomping bass heavy groove and smoldering string moods underneath clack-clack percussion. ‘Outta My Head’ starts off clean before diving deep into smoky vocal passages, crunching rhythm guitar effects, dirty basslines and trippy polyrhythmic hi-hats.

Stepping off the gas for ‘Threshold’, Norris allows for a bit of Eastern-kissed downtime with his selection of worldly stringed instruments taking turns to solo around contemplative pad washes. Up next, ‘Explosions In The Sky’ and its joyous vocal hook add a playful touch to some of the devilishly melancholic moods on the album. ‘Magic Mountain’ irons out the creases further for a pleasant air-filled journey in to the seemingly chilled (for now) mind of The Time And Space Machine. Before the final curtain, we're dealt ‘Flow River Flow’, a spaced out vocal powerhouse with swathes of tremolo guitar and a funked up lounge bassline that’s just right. To finish the album we're met with a glorious awakening in the form of ‘Good Morning’. Its sunny tones and easy-going swing are lovely touches at the end of a dynamic album.

STAFF COMMENTS

Philippa says: More cosmic-disco, Balearic-rock and psychedelic grooves from Richard Norris in his Time And Space Machine guise.