Djam Karet was founded in 1984, and continue making new music even to this day. So far ... they have released 16 full-length albums, including the newest release "The Trip" (as well as an additional 23 minor releases and EPs and compilations, see the Discography below). The California-based instrumental group has often been called America's greatest undiscovered band. Compared by the press with King Crimson, Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Ozric Tentacles and Porcupine Tree, they are credited with breathing new life into Progressive rock, leading the way to the genre's future growth. Impressively, such high praise comes from widely divergent sources; Djam Karet has been written up in mainstream music publications such as BILLBOARD and ROLLING STONE, and in prestigious musician-oriented publications such as ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN, KEYBOARD, CD REVIEW, and GUITAR PLAYER, and also in numerous magazines, fanzines and webzines published for the indie/non-commercial rock communities. They have also scored numerous TV shows on ESPN, ABC-TV and other networks, as well as many small film projects and commercials. RELIX Magazine recently noted that Djam Karet, "has always been the ultimate jamband...just a little ahead of its time."
EXPOSE' asserted that Djam Karet was "Arguably the most important band of the last decade, and certainly the most unique" and placed the band "at the forefront of their instrumental genre". Put simply by NEW AGE VOICE: "Djam Karet is no ordinary band. They gobble up myriad influences...including New Age, fusion, hard rock, electronic music, world, blues, even surf music...and metamorphose them into fascinating musical hybrids. They have never made the same album twice." With the release of their newest release, Recollection Harvest, Djam Karet makes their strongest statement yet, and shows the world their uncompromising drive and vision.
Djam Karet was founded in 1984 by guitarists Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson, bassist Henry J. Osborne, and drummer Chuck Oken, Jr. They chose as the band's name an Indonesian word (pronounced 'jam care-RAY) that translates loosely as "elastic time". Early Djam Karet was a proto-"jam band" whose live, totally improvised performances on the southern California/LA area college circuit featured a free-form mixture of guitar-dominated instrumental rock and textural Eastern drone music, as on their 1985 release No Commercial Potential. Djam Karet's mode of working and repertoire gradually expanded beyond improvisation to include compositional elements, field recordings, and studio work. In 1987 the band released The Ritual Continues, which was chosen "Number 2 Album Of The Year" by ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN magazine. Two years later, they released Reflections From The Firepool (now available from Cuneiform Records), which received ROLLING STONE's accolade of " Number 2 Independent Album Of The Year".
In 1991, the band released two separate CDs at the same time: Burning The Hard City and Suspension & Displacement which "show-cased the band's two extreme split personalities...The former was a bone-crushing excursion into heavy power rock with anarchistic guitar solos, and the latter was a brilliant diary of dark, eerie ambient soundscapes." (EXPOSE'). Three years later in 1994, Djam Karet released the CD Collaborator, with guests musicians: Jeff Greinke, Kit Watkins, Marc Anderson, Steve Roach, Carl Weingarten, and many others.
As the 20th Century drew to a close, Djam Karet signed with Cuneiform Records, and entered a period of unprecedented creative productivity that only accelerated as the 21st century dawned. It began working on new releases for Cuneiform, initiated a program to repackage and reissue its back catalogue on Cuneiform, and began playing live on the festival circuit. Live shows were performed at Day Zero for 1999's ProgDay (San Francisco); at NEARfest 2001, progressive rock's premier US showcase; ProgWest 2001 (Claremont) and at 2002's ProgDay (North Carolina). Throughout the years they have also contributed music to 10 compilation releases, both here and in Europe. Many of those tunes are available nowhere else.
When Cuneiform released its first Djam Karet CD in 1997 titled The Devouring, INNERVIEWS noted that Djam Karet is "back with a vengeance, one hell of an album". SPACE.com applauded their expanded sound featuring more keyboards: "As if the band's earlier music hadn't already scorched the ceilings of heaven, this new sonic incarnation burned like a stellar nova." In 1998, Djam Karet performed on the West and East Coasts, recordings a live album for Cuneiform titled Live At Orion, released in 1999, that was applauded as "one of the best live recordings that I've heard" and was chosen as "Top 10 Album of 1999" by EXPOSE' Magazine. The band began to do more work in the studio, resulting in the 2001 release of New Dark Age (Cuneiform) and also the Limited Edition CD release Ascension. Numerous critics called New Dark Age Djam Karet's best to date. In the words of PROGRESSION: "This may be the best Djam Karet recording yet, which is a mouthful, considering that the band's now-voluminous output is amply studded with gems. Their brilliant synthesis of abstract mind-trip and concrete butt-kick is at an all-time high here. Sonically, ...it is simply masterful. This is one of the major releases of the year."
Around the same time as New Dark Age's release, and complementary to its work with Cuneiform, Djam Karet launched a series of self-released CD-Rs, reissues and limited edition CDs for its fans. Within two years, the band had self-released numerous CD projects, including recordings made at New York City's The Knitting Factory, an on-air performance recorded at KCRW-FM, and other archival performances. Out of this creative renaissance arose A Night For Baku. As a distillation of their musical visions across 20 years, A Night For Baku is indeed a diamond in Djam Karet's oeuvre, a true Djam Karet "classic", and featured the addition of new band member Aaron Kenyon on bass. The title derives from Japanese folklore: the Baku are mythical inhabitants of the dream world, valiant warriors who devour nightmares as the spoils of battle. The CD features Djam Karet using more keyboards and electronics, and collaborating on one track with Electronic musician Steve Roach, who worked previously with the band on Collaborator.
It is this new line up as a quintet that created Recollection Harvest, one of their best and most melodic albums. Actually two albums on one CD, Recollection Harvest is divided into two chapters. The first-half is filled with their most melodic and jazzy music released so far, with a strong focus on composition and tight arrangements, Mellotrons and soulful guitar melodies. The second-half, titled Indian Summer, features a collection of compositions colored with beautiful acoustic guitars and analog synths, and showcases their more atmospheric side.
In 2009 the band was flown to the Bordeaux area of France to headline the annual Crescendo Festival. Held in a huge grassy field right on the beach, this three-day progressive rock concert took place with great weather and fantastic music by all involved. With free camping and a bohemian atmosphere this was one of the group's most enjoyable gigs. To achieve a fuller and more massive live sound, the group acquired new member Mike Murray on guitar, allowing Gayle Ellett to focus more exclusively on keyboards. When they returned to the States they decided to record The Heavy Soul Sessions in 2010, to better document their current live sound. In order to achieve a more lively and dynamic sound, all of the music was performed live-in-studio without any overdubs and no compressors or limiters were used during the recording process. This gives the CD a sound that is very dynamic, punchy and powerful, where the drums and bass are crystal clear and aggressive, and the guitars and keyboards are warm and inviting, and clearly demonstrates the broad and varied world that is Djam Karet.
In 2011 they formed a new record label called Firepool Records, which has released three CDs so far; Herd Of Instinct (self-titled), Hillmen - The Whiskey Mountain Sessions, and Henderson/Oken - Dream Theory In The IE. Stay tuned for more releases soon!
In 2013 they released: The Trip, which is their first studio album of all-new music in eight years! It features one single 47 minute long track, a psychedelic journey through your mind's eye, the soundtrack of a trip to places both familiar and otherworldly.
Currently, the group has once again returned to their private studio, to record two new studio albums of all new smoking instrumental music, due to be released throughout the year 2013/2014.
In 2014 the group will be celebrating their 30th anniversary together!! For this epic moment in time the group will be pursuing special events such as releasing new music, re-releasing re-mixes of older albums, performing a few Live shows, etc.
For more then 29 years Djam Karet has been a group that is constantly growing and expanding their own unique universe.
Discover for yourself the music that is Djam Karet.
Discography
Major Releases:
2013: The Trip
2010: The Heavy Soul Sessions
2005: Recollection Harvest
2004: Live At NEARfest 2001
2003: A Night For Baku
2001: Ascension
2001: New Dark Age
1999: Live At Orion
1998: Still No Commercial Potential
1997: The Devouring
1994: Collaborator
1991: Suspension & Displacement
1991: Burning The Hard City
1989: Reflections From The Firepool
1987: The Ritual Continues
1985/2004: No Commercial Potential...And Still Getting The Ladies
Minor Releases, Compilations, CD-rs & EPs:
2012: Spring Attack - Lizard Magazyn
2011: Progressive Journey II
2011: Strength -a Japan tsunami fundraiser CD
2009: 25th Aniversary Beginner's Guide
2006: iO Pages
2006: After The Storm - Hurricane Katrina fundraiser CD
2005: Kinections: The ProgDay CD
2004: Got Prog?
2002: Beginners' Guide, Volume I
2002: Beginners' Guide, Volume II
2002: ProgWest 2001
2001: Afghan
2001: Number 1
2001: Number 2
2001: Flourescent Television
2001: Unsettled Scores
2001: Past, Present, Future
1995: Cosmic Mysteries
1995: Future Music
1990: Dali: The Endless Enigma
1989: Auricle Sampler
1988: Auricle Sampler
1988: Kafka's Breakfast
Djam Karet was founded in 1984, and continue making new music even to this day. So far ... they have released 16 full-length albums, including the newest release "The Trip" (as well as an additional 23 minor releases and EPs and compilations, see the Discography below). The California-based instrumental group has often been called America's greatest undiscovered band. Compared by the press with King Crimson, Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Ozric Tentacles and Porcupine Tree, they are credited with breathing new life into Progressive rock, leading the way to the genre's future growth. Impressively, such high praise comes from widely divergent sources; Djam Karet has been written up in mainstream music publications such as BILLBOARD and ROLLING STONE, and in prestigious musician-oriented publications such as ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN, KEYBOARD, CD REVIEW, and GUITAR PLAYER, and also in numerous magazines, fanzines and webzines published for the indie/non-commercial rock communities. They have also scored numerous TV shows on ESPN, ABC-TV and other networks, as well as many small film projects and commercials. RELIX Magazine recently noted that Djam Karet, "has always been the ultimate jamband...just a little ahead of its time."
