LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Formed in Bern around percussionist Peter Giger, Drum Circus brought together three drummers with organ, piano, flute, sitar, saxophone and bass, creating an unusually dense mixture of psychedelic rock, progressive jazz and free-form improvisation. Although the group performed during 1971, its recordings remained unreleased until Garden of Delights issued Magic Theatre in 2003.

The twenty-one-minute title piece is the album’s centrepiece, developing through ritualistic percussion, drifting keyboards, expressive vocals and increasingly intense ensemble passages. The shorter compositions explore different sides of the group, from the compact psychedelic writing of “Papera” and “La-Si-Do” to the heavy rhythmic drive and extended instrumental interplay of “Groove Rock.”

1. Magic Theatre – 21:25
2. Now It Hurts You – 2:42
3. Papera – 3:26
4. La-Si-Do – 2:17
5. Groove Rock – 8:38
6. All Things Pass – 3:22

Label: Garden Of Delights

First archival CD release with 32-page booklet