Henri Texier

For years Amir, Henri Texier’s debut solo LP, stood slightly in the shadow of its follow-up, Varech, but is equal and towers in every possible way. There is no other record like it on earth - stunning from start to final turn. In our view, it’s one the greatest artifacts of the 1970s France scene, and that’s no small thing! Deceptively minimal and elegant, Amir is the first the world would hear of Texier’s signature sound - a universe of musical legacies, distilled and channelled through delicate, cycling bass tones and a chanting voice. Magical incantations, which draw the listener in, forcing them to follow, leaving them forever changed. This is, in a few words, what great music is all about. Rhythmic pulses of the bass flirt with the sounds of the Oud, Ocarina, sparse hand percussion and clapping hands, painting the image of a deeply spiritual music drawn from countless traditional musics from around the globe and avant-garde jazz. For fans of Don Cherry, Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society, Areski, and Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio, this is sure to prove to be a definitive missing link. It is virtually impossible to do this one justice with description. It’s just incredible, sounding as fresh as anything made today, bearing an ambience as old as time. In our view, it’s as incredible as records get and as absolutely essential as they come.

We can’t tell you how long we waited for this one to come back into print.