The 14th Dream of Dr. Sardonicus – August 5th-7th in Cardigan, West Wales

Fruits de Mer's annual extravaganza in west Wales! This summer's hot ticket!

Good ol' Fruits de Mer know how to turn an unbearably strange summer into one that's actually enjoyable. Anyone wishing to escape Brexit and and Donald Trump for a few days should head over to Cardigan in lovely west Wales for the annual FDM-run festival.

Acts appearing include Twink & The Fairies, Vibravoid, The Electric Stars, Sendelica, Soft Hearted Scientists and our good friend Ted Selke (Seventh Ring Of Saturn). There'll be vinyl goodie bags on the Saturday and Sunday too. What better chance to hang out with like minded people and hear some great music!

Along with the live apprearances, quizes and general good vibes, each attendee will receive three free CDs featuring tracks compiled by Fruits de Mer. The CDs feature bands playing at the festival along with a globe-straddling array of new and old favourites. Tickets are limited to 150 only and will no doubt sell out. What are you waiting for?!

Click here to purchase tickets online.

Click here for the Fruits De Mer Records website.

Vibravoid – Stepping Stone (Ltd. 7”)

Psychedelic Monkee business and heavy Traffic aboard the Lovecraft.

With Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork heading out on their latest nostalgic cash-in for the first time in ten years it's a happy coincidence that Vibravoid are releasing a brand new 7” featuring their take on The Monkees classic (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone. The garage rock staple gets a Freakbeat makeover complete with backward guitar solo. Neat!

If the Monkees cover doesn't float your boat there's always their version of Traffic's Hole In My Shoe which features guest vocals from Italian mod jazz singer Viola Road. A fairly straight take on the Brit-psych save for the middle eight section which is sung as opposed to spoken

Completing this 3 track 7” is a new mix of H.P. Lovecraft's The White Ship. Less about melody and more of a mood piece with atmospherics, synth shimmer and pulsating bass, it completes a pretty impressive 3 tracker!

Click here for Vibravoid on Facebook.

Click here for more on Fruits De Mer Records.

Vibravoid – Colour Your Mind

Dusseldorf trio covers rare psych. Limited orange vinyl 7” with gatefold sleeve.

Fruits De Mer records are market leaders in applying modern production values to covers of rare psych. OK, maybe that market is small and niche, but the point I'm trying to make is they do it well. This latest release is a case in point.

Cult psych-rockers Vibravoid have dug deep into the crates for this release, selecting a globe-spanning selection of tracks to cover. Australia, France and the US west-coast are all represented by the original artists, those being Tyrnaround, Michael Polnareff and Human Expression respectively. Although all three tracks have been previously available on CD, they've been given a fresh mix for their debut appearance on vinyl.

Kicking things off with Tyrnaround's Colour Your Mind, all spiky guitar and descending Farfisa lines. The track's melodic debt to Syd Barrett is well evidenced but it's the improvised wig-out section where Vibravoid make the the track their own. La Poupee Qui Non Fait is a more innocent poppy affair, though darkened with a fair amount of studio sonics.

The Human Expression were a Los Angeles band in the heady days of 1966 through to 1967. Their song Optical Sound is acidic Sunset Strip incarnate, covered here with a suitably hazy yet sinister feel. The dark flipside to flower power's innocent dream. All in all this is a great little EP that'll leave you wanting to hear more from Vibravoid. Good that there's more available on the band's own Stoned Karma label.

TRACKLISTING

1 – Colour Your Mind (originally by Tyrnaround)

2 – La Poupee Qui Fait Non (by Michael Polnareff)

3 – Optical Sound (by Human Expression)

Click here for more on Vibravoid.

Click here for the Fruits De Mer website.