MARC MOULIN-SAM SUFFY, LP, 1975, BELGIUM

The musical metamorphosis of Belgian keyboardist Marc Moulin (who sadly died a few years back) is certainly a dramatic enough story, having managed over the course of the 70's to completely transform himself from stalwart jazz rock icon via his sublime Canterbury-derived work in Placebo to progenitor of Belgium's Man Machine future via his work as half of Kraftwerk-ian technopop avatars Telex. Outside of Placebo, Sam Suffy was Moulin's prime contribution to the jazz rock canon and also a final hurrah for the form he was soon to abandon in favor of a candy colored synthetic future. Awash in the sorta hazy rhodes and string synth flows that marked his work in Placebo, side A is mostly absent the Nucleus-derived horns that defined so much of that band's vibe, the focus instead being directed toward Moulin's keys, with some of the vamping here taking a decided turn toward the greasily funky. The significantly larger horn factor on the side-long Tohu-Bohu suite that occupies side B (in the person of ex-Placebo member Richard Rousselet) briefly corrals this back into more familiar zone, but this track quickly zig-zags into it's own distinct territory, as extended washes of vaporous keys intermix with outbursts of intensive Miles-like trumpet work, location recordings and sound effects for a supremely heady brew.

Get it via Rapidshare here