HAKEN - Conditioned for success

In the good ten years of their existence, Haken have unerringly fought their way to the top of the progmetal scene and delivered true classics with albums like "Visions" or "The Mountain". With the concert recording "L-1VE", the group recently drew an impressive balance of its work to date. Now the four Britons, the Mexican and the US-American want to start again with the fifth studio album "Vector".

Shortly before a US tour with Leprous and Bent Knee we talk to guitarist/keyboarder Richard Henshall (34), who has a lot of interesting things to report about the new hook record. He is especially fond of the topics psychology and psychoanalysis, which run like a red thread through the songs. The former main composer is also very happy about the division of labour established since the predecessor album "Affinity", since not only the band climate but also the music had profited from it: "Since all six were involved to the same extent, the album was also six times as good!

RICK WAKEMAN - Odyssey in sound space

If you think of Rick Wakeman, the synthesizer immediately comes to mind. The traces that the famous musician has left in rock history with this electronic powerhouse are too deep. As a sound witch of Yes, but also as a solo artist who has created large-format works for symphony orchestra and choir. Now with "Piano Odyssey" he has once again recorded a quiet album, which shows him on the grand piano.

From Rick Wakemans to the hundred solo recordings, it is above all the early albums "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII", "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" and "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table" that have remained in the memories of rock and prog fans. These established him as the intoxication gold angel on the battlements of his synthesizer castles. But the 69-year-old Englishman has also repeatedly focused on the natural sounds of the piano, as in his current recording "Piano Odyssey", a follow-up to the very successful "Piano Portraits" from 2017 in Great Britain. On a Steinway grand piano he intones pieces by Yes, David Bowie, the Beatles and Queen as well as his own compositions.

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE - Equinoxe instead of Botox

The smart electronics pioneer from France is a phenomenon. Apparently he knows the formula that keeps you young forever. Turned seventy in August, Jean-Michel Jarre still looks outrageously fresh. And although he can look back on a career spanning fifty years, he hasn't calmed down at all. With the compilation "Planet Jarre: 50 Years Of Music" and the studio album "Equinoxe Infinity", which will be released in mid-November, he shows that he can still be reckoned with.

At the beginning of the seventies the synthesizer found its way into popular music. Initially only used by a few innovative artists, the magic box prevailed in almost all genres in the eighties at the latest. Jean-Michel Jarre laid the foundation for his international success with the groundbreaking works "Oxygène" (1976) and "Equinoxe" (1978). His mixture of experimental music and sensual, pop-compatible melodies hit a nerve.

eclipsed: Do you feel old or wise at seventy?

THE BEATLES - Project Management à la John, Paul, George & Ringo

In November a 6CD/Blu-ray box will be released on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the release of "The Beatles", commonly known as the White Album. As with the 50th Anniversary Edition of "Sgt. Pepper", the son of Beatles producer George Martin sat at the controls. Giles Martin not only gave the White Album a new sound, but also digged deep into the archives. We talked to the mastermind behind the Beatles-Reissues about his work on the mammoth project.

At the centre of the "White Album" box are the legendary "Esher Demos", a kind of unplugged version of the record, which have been circulating for years as lousy sounding bootlegs and now for the first time shine in real splendour. But also officially unreleased songs like "Circles" or "Child Of Nature" can be found in the box. Giles Martin (49), an uncomplicated, sometimes sympathetically talked-about contemporary, is happy to provide information about this new treasure on the phone.

PHIL COLLINS - The playmate

Hardly anyone has left his musical scent mark on so many well-known colleagues: Phil Collins is now gathering his collaborations with other artists in the four CD retrospective "Plays Well With Others", which covers the years 1969 to 2002.

Not every good musician makes it to a pop star. But Phil Collins combines both. Hardly any pop artist has made it further in terms of success and musical mastery - Collins is Pop XXL and Sideman deluxe. In fact, apart from Paul McCartney, there is no musician who has brought more than 100 million records to customers worldwide, both with a band and as a solo artist. And if you look at the list of those who have secured Collins' services for their own projects, even the ex-Beatle can hardly keep up. The little Englishman became one of the most coveted accomplices of pop, with his stylistic spectrum covering all conceivable varieties of pop, rock, jazz and world music.

OPETH - In the garden of the Titans

The renunciation of guttural singing, which began with "Heritage" and continues at least in the studio, has already lasted seven years. A live document of this era (apart from an exclusive magazine release in 2011) remained indebted to Opeth for a long time. On "Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre" they now show how well "old" and "new" Opeth go together - and that according to guitarist Fredrik Åkesson they sound even better than on record.

The history of the Red Rocks Amphitheatre as a sought-after place for musical culture begins with the former owner of the fashion magazine "Cosmopolitan": John Brisben Walker organises the "Grand Opening of the Garden of the Titans" in 1906. For Fredrik Åkesson, who appears exactly 111 years later, the rock formation is one of the most remarkable venues of all. Opeth therefore decided to do the same with U2 and Neil Young and produce a concert film there.

"I don't think of myself as a progger" - STEVEN WILSON has no desire to commit himself

"Home Invasion: In Concert At The Royal Albert Hall" is the title of the latest live recording by Steven Wilson. The allusion to his album "Hand. Cannot. Erase" makes it clear that he is not primarily interested in documenting the tour cycle of the current album "To The Bone". Rather, the active musician shows where he stands artistically in 2018. Also Bollywood dancers play a role here..

eclipsed: During the "To The Bone" tour you were three times at the Royal Albert Hall (RAH). Why did you choose the last show for the DVD?

Steven Wilson: Filming concerts is very expensive, so we only recorded the last one. We also filmed the soundcheck and the rehearsals. This resulted in many of the close-ups, because the actual show took place behind a transparent screen, which complicated close-ups. The finished film is a mixture of recordings from the concert and those we made during the day without an audience.