Review: Zone Six ‘Any Noise Is Intended’

Originally released on CD via Sunhair in 2003 this is now brought to you in 2020 as an expanded 2 x LP edition and for fans of psychedelic space/krautrock rock this is one serious kind of space travel delivering you way, way out into the cosmos. Interplanetary space flight is where this album wants to take you, so strap on your headphones and enjoy a sonic attack of the brain cells, brilliantly achieved with nods to their seventies heroes Can and Hawkwind especially, which for this writer is never a bad thing.

Zone Six ‘Any Noise Is Intended’

Zone Six were originally founded in 1997 by Germans Dave Schmidt aka Sula Bassana and Hans Peter Ringholz to fulfil their desire to play improvised music. The band have developed through their 23 years delivering now a staggering 28 releases since forming. Initial influences here are Can, which are very prominent on first track Score Trek but as the album develops they absolutely fulfil their intentions to stamp their own identity on every inch of this record.

Title track Any Noise Is Intended brings an ambient, hypnotic texture which intensifies as the music grows to great effect also. Psss… continues the trance like vibes, developing into the atmospheric and psychedelic trip that is Bauchfellhavarie. The Gotthun infectious guitar riff continues the journey to a higher plain followed by Cookie Overdose last track which has to be improvised with nods to Huw LLoyd Langton on guitar.

Psss… continues the trance like vibes, developing into the atmospheric and psychedelic trip that is Bauchfellhavarie.

2020 Zone Six are Dave Schmidt (Liquid Visions, Electric Moon, Krautzone, Interkosmos on guitar and keyboards), Komet Lulu (Liquid Visions,Electric Moon,Krautzone and Embryo on bass and FX), Rainer Neef (The Pancakes, Krautzone, Embryo on acid guitar) plus on drums and samples Pablo Carneval (Electric Moon) . These guy were one of the first of their genre in the late 1990’s to begin experimenting with these sounds, last heard way back in the early seventies and extremely authentically done it all is too. A changing line up through the years has included guest musicians  – ex Hawkwind members Nik Turner and Huw Lloyd Langton R.I.P. plus numerous other contributors through the years.

In conclusion Any Noise Is Intended is a headphone album whose sole intention is to remove you from your everyday life and transport you to somewhere far more cosmic and generally a much nicer place to be. In my opinion this is achieved admirably throughout the whole album, plus with the addition of 2 bonus tracks (20 minutes of extra material) and available in Coloured Eco and Black Vinyl Editions, I would jump on this as soon as it is released if a fan of psych, prog, trans and krautrock.

So in the meantime take the time to check out their back catalogue and get yourself comfortable to experience an aural journey like you have never known.

Label: The Acid Test Recordings
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp

Scribed by: Tim Keppie