surfin'

• Format: CD, album reissue, stereo
• Packaging: Jewel case with an illustrated booklet reproducing the original rear cover and track-by-track musician credits

Originally released in 1975, Surfin’ was Embryo’s seventh studio album and marked one of the clearest stylistic changes in the German group’s early career. While retaining their jazz-rock foundation and improvisational approach, the musicians introduced a stronger influence from contemporary funk and soul.

The album was recorded after Christian Burchard and Roman Bunka had spent time in New York, where they encountered leading jazz, funk and soul performers. These experiences inspired the compact rhythms, clavinet figures, layered percussion and warmer vocal arrangements heard throughout the record. Despite its title, the album has no connection with surf music: “surfin’” was the musicians’ term for travelling continuously from one performance to another.

Christian Burchard combines drums and percussion with marimba, vibraphone, electric piano, organ, clavinet and Mellotron, while Roman Bunka contributes guitar, bass, sitar, saz and electronic effects. Uwe Müllrich supplies much of the album’s fluid bass work, and former Embryo member Edgar Hofmann adds violin and soprano saxophone.

American jazz musician Charlie Mariano is an especially important presence, contributing alto saxophone, flute and the Indian double-reed nagaswaram. His expressive playing gives “You Can Turn Me On,” the title track and the extended “Dance Of Some Broken Glasses” much of their distinctive character.

The opening “You Can Turn Me On” establishes the album’s direct, rhythmically infectious sound, while “Music Of Today” and “Secret” combine vocal passages with jazz-inflected instrumental exchanges. “New Ridin’” introduces sitar textures, and the brief experimental piece “In My Lunamatic” leads into the album’s longest performance, “Dance Of Some Broken Glasses.” The closing “Sidetrack” brings together saxophone, guitar, keyboards and a firm funk-rock groove.

Track Listing

1. You Can Turn Me On – 5:11
2. Music Of Today – 4:12
3. Secret – 6:23
4. Surfin’ – 3:22
5. New Ridin’ – 3:44
6. In My Lunamatic – 1:28
7. Dance Of Some Broken Glasses – 9:01
8. Sidetrack – 5:58