Expo '70

Experimental / Ambient / Psychedelic

Kansas City, MO

Billboard

Justin Wright's EXPO '70 has been very prolific this past year, having released a hand full of CD-r's that were picked up by Aquarius Records late Summer caused quite a buzz with favorable reviews. Wright conceptualized EXPO '70 while playing guitar in Living Science Foundation (Second Nature Recordings; GSL50 Compilation). Initially, the group also included Wright's friend, Paul Kneeje (The Pope, The Manifolds, Bipolar Bear, SXBRS). After the break up of LSF at the end of 2004, Wright moved back to his home town of Kansas City, Missouri and further developed the project.

Having been compared to Brian Eno, Ash Ra Tempel, A.R. & Machines, SunnO))) and Earth, Wright's music is an eclectic mix of krautrock, ambient drone, space exploration and minimal compositions, most of which are performed with heavily effected guitar in alternate tuneings. Releases have varied from a 3 piece performing vocal drones, Fender Rhodes, guitar, bass, sitar, reel-to-reels of old ethnic music delayed to single guitar and moog improvisations. "Center of the Earth", Wright's first solo venture, compiles heavily effected and layered guitar drones that pushed textures sonically into a mesh of cynical rhythms, a recent review from The Wire in U.K. cites "There's a crossword puzzle cleverness to the weave of riffs...", which is true to most of Wright's natural playing.

2007 brings EXPO '70's first official CD release, "Animism", collecting improvised guitar tracks, an improvisation of 3 gongs and a layered acoustic & synthesizer track with saxophone, this album is truly varied and quite a unique blend of aggressive and psychedelic drone compositions, every track takes the listener on a unique journey.

Wright continues to release CD-r's with the popularity and cult following gained after the induction to Aquarius Records and will be playing select cities through out the states this year. He also designs and packaged all releases himself.

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Foxy Digitalis on Mystical Amplification Feb 14

This mammoth feast of monolithic drone is an exercise in clever subterfuge. Going by looks alone, you'd think that "Mystical Amplification" was either a reissue of a long lost European prog epic, or a recent release from one of the current Japanese heavy psych masters.