From the aeronautical title to the space chants and exotica flourishes, the irrepressible Estonia-born, Portugal-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Misha Panfilov has made To The Mesosphere and Beyond a winning and winding homage to early Sun Ra.
Category: Misha Panfilov Sound Combo
Penza Penza :: Electricolorized
Electricolorized is a decidedly slinkier affair than its stomping predecessor, Neanderthal Rock. Panfilov still scribbles with his sub-basement guitar fuzz, but elements of easy listening, 60s French chanson, Joe Meek sound effects and tasteful David Axelrod-style jazz-funk are slipping into the mix. Still, Penza’s ultra-tight rhythm section never ceases to bounce.
Misha Panfilov :: Atlântico
Estonian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Misha Panfilov continues to operate in his own diaphanous waters where waves of funk, jazz, and exotica crash upon mystic sands of psychedelic rock and kosmische music. Recorded in the archipelago of Madeira, his latest album, Atlântico, shifts tectonic plates of space and sound, leaving a decidedly more spiritual and serene landscape in its wake.
Misha Panfilov :: The Sea Will Outlive Us All
Misha Panfilov has been brewing a singular blend of psychedelic jazz, electronic lounge, and ambient exotica for the better part of a decade now, the results growing only more potent and intoxicating with each council. On his latest solo venture, The Sea Will Outlive Us All, he greets us at an “Albatross”-on-repeat level of bliss and ascends toward a mystical summit of sound.
Penza Penza :: Neanderthal Rock
At a quick glance, Penza Penza might seem like a lost 70s Zamrock situation, and perhaps that’s exactly as Misha Panfilov would have it. The Estonian composer and multi-instrumentalist has proven tireless over the past few years—we took his 2021 earthy jazz masterpiece, Days as Echoes, recorded with the Misha Panfilov Sound Combo, for several spins around the orbit and have since savored his recordings with Gloria Ann Taylor, various one-offs and collaborations, as well as his forthcoming score for the animated film Sierra, the tastes from which have been a symphony of synth fantasias.
Gloria Ann Taylor & Misha Panfilov Sound Combo :: Be Worthy
In the late ’70s Gloria Ann Taylor walked away from the music business, her career having largely stalled out since its auspicious ’60s origins. Renewed interest in her work resulted in the winning 2015 compilation Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing and a return to the studio before her passing in 2017. Now, her latter day recordings with Misha Panfilov Sound Combo finally see release.
Misha Panfilov :: Days As Echoes
Who is Misha Panfilov? The prolific Estonian multi-instrumentalist has shot onto the scene over the last few years, recording and releasing a grip of gritty groove-laden titles under his own name and with outfits such as Penza Penza, Centre El Muusa, and more, mostly via Detroit’s Funk Night Records. Panfilov pulls from a vast pool of influences, from Italian library music to Zamrock to Kosmische Musik, while creating an urgent – sometimes nearly unhinged—sound that is entirely his own.