Full title:

If The World Were Turned On It's Head, We Would Walk Amoung The Stars

Highly recommended:

An album of three tracks that range from fourteen to over twenty-five minutes long. Here you have both a musician and a composer using analogue synths and sequencers and doing his best NOT to sound like yet another T Dream copyist. The twenty-five minute title track opens the proceedings, and far from outstaying its welcome, it actually goes through many different changes, changes that are still long enough within the track to enjoy to their fullest, but, ever aware of dynamics, the moment he feels an idea's done its bit, he moves on. The fifteen minute 'I Have Known The Void' continues the sound and feel of the first track to a more easy-going, but no less engaging an extent, the first six or so minutes standing largely in the spacey furnace of a hot glowing sun, only for an unexpected resonant African drum rhythm to emerge, as all manner of space music soundscapes swirl and sizzle away on top. The album ends with the fourteen minute 'Nutty Puppet Mayhem', again starting slowly in resonant bass depths and flowing cosmic synths, but after just over a minute, the awesomely beefy sequencer rhythm emerges, combines with ever increasing synth soundscapes and backdrops that well up from below and all around, as the synth rhythms and undulating fast sequencer lead lines, all take over.

Born in Wales, Mark Jenkins was influenced by the early albums of Mike Oldfield and Tangerine Dream and started to experiment with tape recorders and electronic instruments at school. His first recordings independently developed the tape loop system used by Terry Riley, Robert Fripp and Brian Eno, and an album-length recording, "Universe" exists using electric organ, modified electronic oscillators, chimes and tape - the music was performed on stage as a tape playback. Other early instruments included a kit-built synthesizer and sequencer - the ETI Transcendent 2000 and PE Sequencer - and an Elgam electronic organ, Melos tape echo, phaser and effects. These were used in the late '70's to make various recordings, of which tapes still exist.

Mark Jenkins went on to study English, Philosophy, Psychology and History of Science at Leicester University. On graduation in 1982 he was offered the post of Music Editor on "Electronics And Music Maker" magazine, going on to review all the major instrument releases of the time and to interview many of the electronic music scene's most influential artists. Mark Jenkins then became Technical Editor of Melody Maker. After three and a half years with Melody Maker, Mark Jenkins left to develop the AMP Records label and to write for a vast number of music and computing magazines including International Musician, Music Technology, Studio Sound, Sound On Sound, Music Week and Music Business.

In 1987 Mark Jenkins played at a Summer festival organised by AMP Records in London's Logan Hall, and in 1988 at the UK Electronica Festival, now organised entirely by AMP Records and gaining its highest attendance to date in the spectacular setting of the converted church of St. John's in Smith Square, Westminster. After this time the AMP Records label began a series of CD releases for musicians from the UK and overseas, and returned to Festival organisation in 1991 at London's Astoria Theatre where Mark Jenkins supported the only live concert performance ever played by ex-Tangerine Dream member Chris Franke.

A short except of 'I Have Known The Void' is available: click here.

This is a professionally made CD with full color artwork for a jewel case, but shipped in a plastic envelope.