Mandragora (band)
| Mandragora | |
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Mandragora 2009
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Brighton, England |
| Genres | Neo-psychedelia, space rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion, instrumental rock, world |
| Years active | 1983 - present |
| Labels | Babbleon Records, Delerium Records, Mystic Stones |
| Associated acts | Tribe of Cro, Ozric Tentacles, Phil Thornton, Hawkwind, Gong |
| Website | http://www.mandragora.biz/ |
| Members | Phil Thornton, Simon Williams |
Mandragora are a space rock/world dance-music band from Brighton, England, whose formative output can be described as psychedelic rock with ethnic sounds and tribal rhythms. Formed in 1983, the band have released 5 albums of their own, and a collaborative album with Phil Thornton. They built up a loyal following on the free festival circuit of the 1980s and 1990s, and were signed to Delerium Records. In recent years Mandragora have evolved into a world music/electronic dance act featuring singers and musicians from all corners of the globe.
Mandragora began life as a Hawkwind influenced psychedelic rock band formed by Simon Williams in 1983. They played gigs and festivals around the UK including the Stonehenge Free Festival of 1984. Their first album was a self-financed cassette only release called Something Missing. In 1983 Simon Williams saw a performance by innovative New Age synthesizer pioneer, Phil Thornton at a festival in Sussex and after the show the two met. So in 1988 when Mandragora had were asked to open for Hawkwind on their UK tour, Phil Thornton was invited to play synths with the band. With improvisation a key component of Mandragora's live concerts, Phil, with his Moog synthesizer and samplers, gave them a much more sophisticated sound.
While the band's early material, due to its guitar and synth driven nature, was always compared favourably to other similar acts such as Ozric Tentacles, the band always experimented with different musical styles. It is this interest and experimentation that led to the band's style and integration of many different musical genres, with Simon Williams stating that the impact Phil Thornton's studio experience and production skills had on the second album, 1991's Head First (Resonance Records), was immense, the band started to receive airplay on BBC radio with John Peel and Mark Radcliffe playing their track "Zarg". Two studio albums (Head First and Earthdance), a live album (Temple Ball) and a collaboration with Phil Thornton on his solo album While The Green Man Sleeps followed to critical acclaim.
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