- Mandragora (band)
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Mandragora 
Mandragora 2009Background information Origin Brighton, England Genres Psychedelic rock
Space rock
Progressive rock
Jazz fusion
Instrumental rock
World MusicYears active 1983 - present Labels Babbleon Records, Delerium Records, Mystic Stones Associated acts Tribe of Cro, Ozric Tentacles, Phil Thornton, Hawkwind, Gong Website http://www.mandragora.biz/ Members Phil Thornton, Simon Williams Mandragora are a space-rock/world dance-music band from Brighton, England, whose formative output can be described as psychedelic rock with ethnic sounds and tribal rhythms. Formed in 1983, the band have released 5 albums of their own, and a collaborative album with Phil Thornton. They built up a loyal following on the free festival circuit of the 1980s and '90s, and were signed to Delerium Records. In recent years Mandragora have evolved into a world music/electronic dance act featuring singers and musicians from all corners of the globe.
Contents
Band Members (past and present)
Simon Williams - guitar, synths, vocals
Phil Thornton - keyboards, samples, e-bow, guitar
Dalinda - vocals
Simon Cowburn - percussion
Alan Jenkins - bass
Steve Elliott - bass
Angus Ross - keyboards, vocals
Andy Stokes - drums, percussion
David C. Hëwitt - keyboards
Niall Hone - bass, feedback, samples
Pete Newman - drums, percussion
Mick Reed - drums
Geoff Holroyde - drums, percussion
Nikelby Hunt - drums
Nick Colegrave - synthesizer
Tim Burton - Vocals and synth
Guy Pearson - Drums
Stuart Ranger - BassHistory
Early years
Mandragora began life as a Hawkwind influenced psychedelic rock band formed by Simon Williams in 1983.[1] They played gigs and festivals around the UK including the Stonehenge Free Festival of 1984.[2] Their first album was a self-financed cassette only release called Something Missing. In 1983 Simon Williams saw a performance by innovative New Age synthesizer pioneer, Phil Thornton at a festival in Sussex and after the show the two met. So in 1988 when Mandragora had were asked to open for Hawkwind on their UK tour, Phil Thornton was invited to play synths with the band. With improvisation a key component of Mandragora's live concerts, Phil, with his Moog synthesizer and samplers, gave them a much more sophisticated sound.
While the bands early material, due to its guitar and synth driven nature, was always compared favourably to other similar acts such as Ozric Tentacles, the band always experimented with different musical styles. It is this interest and experimentation that led to the bands' style and integration of many different musical genres, with Simon Williams stating that the impact Phil Thornton's studio experience and production skills had on the second album, 1991's Head First (Resonance Records), was immense,[3] the band started to receive airplay on BBC radio with John Peel and Mark Radcliffe playing their track "Zarg". Two studio albums (Head First and Earthdance), a live album (Temple Ball) and a collaboration with Phil Thornton on his solo album While The Green Man Sleeps followed to critical acclaim.
Mandragora have toured extensively throughout their career and played in many European countries, including Israel, Germany, Russia, Italy, Denmark, France, Éire, Hungary, Belgium, Holland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary and the UK. To this end, Mandragora started to gain a large following around the UK free festival scene, including three appearances at the Glastonbury Festival. They were also invited to open for many varied artists such as The Wailers, Gil Scott-Heron, Transglobal Underground, Gong, The Orb and The Shamen. Niall Hone has since gone on to join Hawkwind and Nik Hunt has joined Here & Now.
Later years
The release of the bands most recent album, Pollen, in 1998 saw them shift into a more dance orientated direction, encompassing elements of dub, psy-trance and Celtic music. They drew on both traditional world musical styles and the mechanisms of the psychedelic dance scene. Also on this album were notable guest appearances from Howard Marks and Arthur Brown. After the release of Pollen the band took a hiatus. Multi-instrumentalists Simon Williams and Phil Thornton went on to form Earthdance a group of musicians, film makers and producers specialising in world/dance and chillout music.[4]
Resurgence
According to the bands official website a new album is scheduled for release in 2010. The article states: "World dance music pioneers and firm festival favorites’ Mandragora’ are back doing live shows and have a new album/film scheduled for release in 2010. The current line up features the amazing Bosnian singer Dalinda, who grew up in Libya and has released albums for ARC records. Dalinda is well known all over the Middle East and North Africa from her MTV appearances in Egypt and live performances throughout the world. Original members Simon Williams and Phil Thornton are back performing live again as Mandragora after several years concentrating on studio projects , producing other artists and performing live with other acts as well as recording musicians all over the globe!"[5]
Discography
Albums
- 1988 Over the Moon - LP/CD (Babbleon Records) (CD re-released on Delerium Records has 3 extra tracks)
- 1991 Head First - LP/CD (Resonance Records) (CD re-released on Delerium Records has 3 extra tracks)
- 1993 Earthdance - LP/CD (Mystic Stones)
- 1994 Temple Ball - LP/CD (Mystic Stones)
- 1998 Pollen - CD (Delerium Records)
With Phil Thornton
- 1993 While the Green Man Sleeps - LP/CD (Mystic Stones)
Cassette only albums
- 1985 Something Missing
- 1990 Under the Sun Live
- 1992 Mandrake Madness (outtakes and Live)
[6]
Also, the track Conspiracy appears on the Delerium compilation A Psychedelic Psauna (In Four Parts).
References
- ^ "Mandragora: In Space And Time...Evolving Through The Years". Aural Innovations. July 1999. http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue7/mandra02.html.
- ^ "MySpace Biography". http://www.myspace.com/theoriginalmandragora.
- ^ "Phil Thornton interview". http://phil1.homecall.co.uk/mandragora.html.
- ^ "Earthdance". http://www.myspace.com/earthdancemusic.
- ^ "Mandragora homepage". http://www.mandragora.biz/.
- ^ "Mandragora: In Space And Time...Evolving Through The Years". Aural Innovations. July 1999. http://www.aural-innovations.com/issues/issue7/mandra02.html.
External links
Categories:- Jam bands
- Psychedelic rock music groups
- Space rock
- English rock music groups
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