PSI

*300 copies limited edition.* Cut in 1978 at the height of Germany’s jazz‑rock and fusion explosion, Horizonte captures PSI hitting that rare point where chops, chemistry and studio resources all line up. While the quintet clearly belongs to the same ecosystem as Kraan, Missus Beastly, Munju and RMO, they don’t get lost in the crowd. From the first bars, it’s obvious this is a band operating as a single organism: grooves are tight but never stiff, solos erupt out of the ensemble rather than being grafted on top, and every transition feels like second nature rather than careful negotiation. Signed to the high‑profile Bacillus label at a time when many peers were still self‑releasing, PSI took full advantage of a big‑room sound that lets every detail in their arrangements land with maximum impact.

At the core of Horizonte lie two blazing leads and a rhythm section that refuses to sit politely in the background. Keyboardist Matthias Frey splits his time between shimmering electric piano, biting synth lines and harmonically adventurous comping, while guitarist Volkmar Zimmermann skates the line between lyrical phrasing and manic, edge‑of‑overdrive ferocity. Their exchanges have the kind of “telepathic” snap that comes only from heavy stage time: motifs are tossed back and forth, doubled, inverted, and suddenly launched into new directions without a hitch. Beneath them, bass and drums drive the music forward with muscular precision, keeping the pulse high and the floor moving even when the harmony takes detours. Wilfried Kunkler’s saxophone adds splashes of colour and melodic counterpoint, stepping in at just the right moments to widen the emotional horizon without crowding the frontline.

What ultimately sets Horizonte apart from so many period fusion records is its balance of firepower and tune. The band never hides behind density for its own sake; even at their most intense, there’s always a strong melodic through‑line and a clear sense of where the track is headed. The production puts this clarity front and centre: drums punch, bass is full and articulate, guitars cut without harshness, and keys sit in a sweet spot between warmth and bite. For listeners who love their fusion energetic, tightly played and generously melodic, Horizonte is both a minor classic and a powerful reminder of how high the late‑’70s German scene could soar when everyone in the room was “firing on all cylinders.”