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{{Infobox musical artist
| name
| image
| genre = [[Progressive rock]]<br>[[Jam rock]]<br>[[Psychedelic rock]]<br>[[World music]]<br>[[Avant-garde music|Avant-garde]]<br>[[New wave music|New wave]]<br>[[Electronic music|Electronic]]<br>[[Ambient music|Ambient]]
▲| origin = [[Claremont, California|Claremont]], [[California]], [[United States|US]]
| years_active = 1984–present
|
|
| current_members
▲| current_members = [[Gayle Ellett]], Mike Henderson, [[Henry J. Osborne]], Aaron Kenyon, [[Chuck Oken, Jr.]], M.G. Murray
}}
'''Djam Karet''' is an instrumental [[progressive rock]] band based in [[Topanga, California]]. The band was founded in 1984 by guitarists [[Gayle Ellett]] and Mike Henderson, bassist [[Henry J. Osborne]], and drummer [[Chuck Oken, Jr.]]
==Personnel==
*[[Gayle Ellett]]: guitar, keyboards, effects, percussion
*
*[[Henry J. Osborne]]: bass, keyboards, percussion
*[[Aaron Kenyon]]: bass
*[[Chuck Oken, Jr.]]: drums, synths, keyboards, percussion
*[[M.G. Murray]]: guitar, effects
===Guests===
* [[Judy Garp]] — Violin in "Lights Over Roswell" on ''[[The Devouring (album)|The Devouring]]''.
* [[Loren Nerell]] — Oberheim Synth in "Demon Train" and "Eulogy" on ''New Dark Age''.
* [[Michael Ostrich]] — Melodic Lead Synth Lines in "Requiem" on ''[[Recollection Harvest]]''.
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==History==
Djam Karet was founded at [[Pitzer College]] in 1984 by guitarists Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson, bassist Henry J. Osborne, and drummer Chuck Oken, Jr. They've created
In 1991, the band released two separate CDs at the same time: ''Burning The Hard City'' and ''Suspension & Displacement'' which "show-cased the band's two extreme split personalities...The former was a bone-crushing excursion into heavy power rock with anarchistic guitar solos, and the latter was a brilliant diary of dark, eerie ambient soundscapes." (EXPOSE'). Three years later in 1994, Djam Karet released the CD ''Collaborator'', with guests musicians: [[Jeff Greinke]], [[Kit Watkins]], [[Marc Anderson]], [[Steve Roach (musician)|Steve Roach]], [[Carl Weingarten]], and many others.
As the 20th
When Cuneiform released its first Djam Karet CD in 1997 titled ''The Devouring'', [[INNERVIEWS]] noted that Djam Karet is "back with a vengeance, one hell of an album". SPACE.com applauded their expanded sound featuring more keyboards: "As if the band's earlier music hadn't already scorched the ceilings of heaven, this new sonic incarnation burned like a stellar nova." In 1998, Djam Karet performed on the West and East Coasts, recording a live album for Cuneiform titled ''Live At Orion'', released in 1999, that was applauded as "one of the best live recordings that I've heard" and was chosen as "Top 10 Album of 1999" by EXPOSE' Magazine. The band began to do more work in the studio, resulting in the 2001 release of ''New Dark Age'' (Cuneiform) and also the Limited Edition CD release ''Ascension''. Numerous critics called ''New Dark Age'' Djam Karet's best to date. In the words of PROGRESSION: "This may be the best Djam Karet recording yet, which is a mouthful, considering that the band's now-voluminous output is amply studded with gems. Their brilliant synthesis of abstract mind-trip and concrete butt-kick is at an all-time high here. Sonically, ...it is simply masterful. This is one of the major releases of the year."
Around the same time as ''New Dark Age'''s release, and complementary to its work with Cuneiform, Djam Karet launched a series of self-released [[CD-R]]s, reissues and limited edition CDs for its fans. Within two years, the band had self-released numerous CD projects, including recordings made at [[New York City]]'s [[The Knitting Factory]], an on-air performance recorded at [[KCRW-FM]], and other archival performances. Out of this creative renaissance arose ''A Night For Baku'' which featured the addition of new band member Aaron Kenyon on bass. The title derives from [[Japan]]ese folklore: the [[Baku]] are mythical inhabitants of the dream world, valiant warriors who devour nightmares as the spoils of battle. The CD features Djam Karet using more keyboards and electronics, and collaborating on one track with electronic musician [[Steve Roach (musician)|Steve Roach]], who worked previously with the band on ''Collaborator''.
It is this new line up as a quintet that created ''Recollection Harvest'', their most melodic album yet. Actually two albums on one CD, ''Recollection Harvest'' is divided into two chapters. The first-half is filled with their most melodic and jazzy music released so far, with a strong focus on composition and tight arrangements, [[Mellotron]]s and soulful guitar melodies. The second-half, titled Indian Summer, features a collection of compositions colored with beautiful acoustic guitars and analog synths, and showcases their more atmospheric side. Together, this release demonstrates the broad and varied world that is Djam Karet. The internal drama and sense of purpose of earlier releases (through ''New Dark Age'' and ''Ascension'') is diffused in these later works.
In 2009 the band was flown to the Bordeaux area of France to headline the annual Crescendo Festival. Held in a huge grassy field right on the beach, this three-day progressive rock concert took place with great weather and fantastic music by all involved. With free camping and a bohemian atmosphere this was one of the group’s most enjoyable gigs. To achieve a fuller and more massive live sound, the group acquired new member Mike Murray on guitar, allowing Gayle Ellett to focus more exclusively on keyboards. When they returned to the States they decided to record ''The Heavy Soul Sessions'' in 2010, to better document their current live sound. In order to achieve a more lively and dynamic sound, all of the music was performed live-in-studio without any overdubs and no compressors or limiters were used during the recording process. This gives the CD a sound that is very dynamic, punchy and powerful, where the drums and bass are crystal clear and aggressive, and the guitars and keyboards are warm and inviting, and clearly demonstrates the broad and varied world that is Djam Karet
In 2010 they released ''The Heavy Soul Sessions'', which includes recordings made live-in-studio, without overdubs, of many of their classic songs. Recently they have formed a new record label called FIREPOOL RECORDS which has released three albums so far: the self-titled ''Herd Of Instinct'', Henderson/Oken's ''Dream Theory In The IE'', and the improvised Jazz album ''The Whiskey Mountain Sessions'' by the group Hillmen.▼
▲
2013 saw the release of ''The Trip'' which features one single 47 minute track. Spacey and dreamy, ''The Trip'' takes you on a journey to places both familiar and exotic. It was voted "#6 Album Of The Year" by the listeners of east coast FM Radio show Gagliarchives, hosted by DJ Tom Gagliardi.
In 2014 they celebrated their 30th anniversary together with a new album ''Regenerator 3017'', their 17th album so far. The album is a collection of 7 tracks that were recorded with a pristine sound quality, without any compression or computer manipulation. All music is played by hand the old-fashioned way. Punchy drums and fat bass hold down a slowly driving groove, as Rhodes and electric guitars rock on. Many of the instruments used on this album have been owned by the band members since the band was formed thirty years ago! Founding member/guitarist Gayle Ellett said “We wanted to create a melodic album with a classic sound. Most of us were born around 1960, so the 1970’s was the decade of our youth, our teenage years. And the music of that time, and the values it embraced, were very pivotal in the development of our views on how music should sound. This was a time when Fusion, Psychedelic music, Southern Rock and other styles were all quite popular. With Regenerator 3017 we’re not trying to recreate that era, but we are inspired by it.”
In 2017 they released their most melodic album: Sonic Celluloid. Relating to the idea of "sound as cinema", this collection of 10 tracks demonstrates the group's ability to create "mini-movies in your mind". With more acoustic instruments, and more minimoogs and mellotrons then on any previous album, Sonic Celluloid is their best produced and best sounding album to date.
==Discography==
Discography of Major Releases:
*
*
* 2014: ''[[Regenerator 3017]]''
* 2013: ''[[The Trip (Djam Karet album)|The Trip]]''
* 2010: ''[[The Heavy Soul Sessions]]''
* 2005: ''[[Recollection Harvest]]''
* 2004: ''Live At NEARfest 2001''
* 2003: ''[[A Night
* 2001: ''[[Ascension (Djam Karet album)|Ascension]]''
* 2001: ''[[New Dark Age (album)|New Dark Age]]''
* 1999: ''[[Live
* 1998: ''[[Still No Commercial Potential]]''
* 1997: ''[[The Devouring (album)|The Devouring]]''
* 1994: ''[[Collaborator (album)|Collaborator]]''
* 1991: ''[[Suspension & Displacement]]''
* 1991: ''[[Burning the Hard City]]''
* 1989: ''[[Reflections From the Firepool]]''
* 1987: ''[[The Ritual Continues]]''
* 1985/2004: ''[[No Commercial Potential]]...And Still Getting The Ladies''
Minor Releases, Compilations, CD-rs & EPs:
* 2016: ''All From One, And One From All''
* 2015: ''[[Swamp of Dreams]]''
* 2012: ''Spring Attack - Lizard Magazyn''
* 2011: ''Progressive Journey II''
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* 2009: ''25th Anniversary Beginner's Guide''
* 2006: ''iO Pages''
* 2006: ''After The Storm'' - [[Hurricane Katrina]] fundraiser CD
* 2005: ''Kinections: The ProgDay CD''
* 2004: ''Got Prog?''
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* 1988: ''Auricle Sampler''
* 1988: ''[[Kafka's Breakfast]]''
Solo Albums and Side-Projects:
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* [http://www.djamkaret.com Djam Karet official web site]
* [http://cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/djam.html Cuneiform Record's Djam Karet page]
* [http://www.wiegers.demon.nl/ Ben Wieger's Djam Karet Site (in Dutch)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060617220201/http://www.wiegers.demon.nl/ |date=2006-06-17 }}
* [
{{Djam Karet}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:American experimental musical groups]]
[[Category:
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