Daevid Allen

If human beings were to be categorized as either pioneers, mainstreamers, or traditionalists, then Daevid Allen would unquestionably belong to the first category. He pioneered "beat poetry" and "poetry and jazz" in Melbourne (Australia)in the late fifties. He helped introduce "performance poetry" and "free jazz" to London in the early sixties, also worked and performed with William Burroughs as one of the "Machine Poets" at the institute of Contemporary Arts in London and the American Centre in Paris. "Ticket Has Exploded" a dramatisation by Burroughs, Daevid wrote and played the music at La Boheme in Paris. In 1966 was one of the founder members of both the hippy movement and one of the first "fusion" or "jazz/rock" bands 'Soft Machine'. With the acceptance of Soft Machine by the English audiences, Daevid brought the evolution over revolution concept to Paris in the wake of the student riots and founded together with feminist poet Gilli Smyth one of the first spiritual rock communities near Fontainbleu in 1980. Founded by the group 'Gong' itself a revolutionary concept band in terms of what had previously been acceptable to French popular music audiences it drew upon Eastern, Arabic and African influences as well as European classical, ethnic and jazz. Theatrically, it drew upon ritual, mime, lightshow and lazer effects and the entire community lived out a Tolkienesque galactic mythology on which the songs and mystery dramas were based. In 1973, an ORTF T.V. documentary about life in the community and the band, reassured viewers with interviews with local shopkeepers who spoke kindly of these crazy "artistes" stressing that they "always paid their bills"!! Shortly after this, Gong became one of the first signings to Richard Branson's "Virgin" label and the community moved to Oxford in the U.K.

In 1975, with Gong gaining wide acceptance with an album high in the charts, Daevid quit and withdrew to his home studio in Majorca (Spain), where he recorded two widely popular "new age troubadour" L.P.'s both a good ten years ahead of their time. In the late seventies, Daevid moved to the U.S. where he worked with avant garde bassist Bill Laswell (later producer of Herbie Honcock's 'Rock it') and drummer Fred Maher (now with Scritti Politti) returning to tour France as 'New York Gong'. This was followed by a solo 'performance art' tour crossing the states from coast to coast several times, opening up an unconventional tour path for progressive experimentalists such as Laurie Anderson

In 1981, Daevid returned to his homeland aged 42, after a 21 year absence. Here he abandoned music for street poetry, busking at markets and fairs, taxi driving and a 'cult following' for a weekly F.M. radio programme "Radio Brainwave". In 1983, he began a spiritual retreat in the rainforests of northern New South Wales where he was initiated into various "new age consciousness therapies" and studied intensively in a "mystery school". During this period he composed a series of seven single note composition called 'drones' for use as therapeutic tools and aid to meditation. In 1988, aged 50, he returned to the U.K. to run what he calls "play shops" for adventurous spirits who would wish to speed up their personal evolution These increasingly popular and successful events are currently peopled by those drawn by the uplifting and positive atmosphere of Daevid's current concert series. With musicians coming from a collective known as 'The Invisible Co Opera', and based around open song structures, the music constantly revitalizes itself and retains a generous capacity for individual creative expression. Daevid Allen, after 30 years of unflagging creativity, demonstates a mystic/philosophical artistic influence that is stronger than ever, and his latest music and poetry is as fresh and innovative as his first. Though he prefers to remain relatively unknown in his country, Daevid is widely loved and appreciated by his faithful fans across America, U.K. and Europe for his absurdist/self satirizing humour and his compassion for the human condition. As always, Daevid's distaste for predictability ensures the perpetual element of surprise...in his life as much as in his performances. There is nobody like this unique Australian. Daevid Allen is a true original

DAEVID ALLEN releases on DEMI MONDE RECORDS.

DMCD 1018 HISTORY AND MYSTERY OF THE PLANET GONG
DMCD 1019 THE OWL AND THE TREE
DMCD 1022 GONGMAISON
DMCD 1025 SHE