Motiffe [CD]

Seelie Court - the world's premier label for rare and previously unreleased archive recordings of underground folk, rock, proto-metal, and psychedelic music presents Motiffe. Motiffe were a British underground progressive and psychedelic jazz-rock band active in the early 1970s. The group was formed around brothers John Grimaldi (guitar) and Mark Pasterfield (drums), along with David Shackley (bass), Ian Wilson (flute and vocals), Quentin Bryar (saxophone), and Mike Avery (keyboards). Their only album, Motiffe, was privately released in 1973 in a tiny edition of fewer than 100 copies, making it one of the rarest artefacts of the British progressive scene. The recording, made under primitive conditions with a microphone suspended from the ceiling, is distinctly lo-fi yet strikingly atmospheric. The album blends dark, angular King Crimson-like intensity with passages of jazz-rock improvisation and introspective instrumental interplay. Though largely unheard at the time, Motiffe has since achieved cult status among collectors and progressive rock enthusiasts for it's raw creativity, experimental energy, and unique mood-a snapshot of uncompromising underground music in early-1970s Britain.