Oh Temple! by University Challenged
- "wonderfully tense, cerebral stuff" (Electronic Sound)
- "mesmeric, free-form, instrumental soundscape" (God Is In The TV)
- "expansive psychedelic wanderings, wonderfully mesmerising jams" (The Monthly RecommNeds)
- "top quality and depth all the way; expect to see this opus reach the choice end-of-year features" (Monolith Cocktail)
- "it's been calm joy absorbing this album and it is thoroughly recommendable" (Music Is My Sanctuary)
- "it's a delightful ride that's additionally striking in its assuredness as a debut recording" (The Vinyl District)
- "the late great Andrew Weatherall would have been all over this on his legendary "Music Is Not For Everyone" shows on NTS Radio and you don't get a bigger compliment than that" (Truth & Lies)
- "this wonderful album is something you need" (TwistedSoul)
- "mesmerising and inspiring stuff" (World Treasures Music)
- "an incredible album" (Opduvel)
- "patient listeners are carried into a fascinating dreamworld" (Enola.be)
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGED are Ajay Saggar (“Bhajan Bhoy”), Oli Heffernan (“Ivan The Tolerable”) and Kohhei Matsuda (“Bo Ningen”). The trio began in 2019, playing shows in Holland, where they gained a reputation for delivering highly dynamic sense-rattling shows, ranging from gentle melodic orchestral spinouts to epic power jams, all backed by beautiful self-made films in the background.
The plan had always been to record an album, and get the collective musical force and spirit cemented to vinyl. Many months of hard work and focus paid dividends with the majestic eight track double album “Oh Temple!” ready to be delivered to the world at large.
This is a beautiful collection of tracks where the pioneering spirit of the three artists allowed them to cross musical boundaries with their bold and accomplished playing to forge 8 unique and mesmeric numbers. While there is commonality in the artists approach to music, there are a wide variety of styles - kosmische musik, electronic experimentation, deep spiritual jazz, modern classical, pastoral guitar soli, and more.
These tracks sound fresh and revealing now, and will certainly do so for a long time to come.
It will be released on Hive Mind Records (Brighton UK)....home of Sonny Sharrock and Maalem Mahmoud Gania amongst many others...on Friday 29 January 2021
Tracklist
| 1. | Serenus | 8:02 |
| 2. | On The Banks Of the River Swale | 10:32 |
| 3. | Reverse Swing | 11:02 |
| 4. | Choppers Over Negril | 10:02 |
| 5. | How I Swam Across The Pond | 9:59 |
| 6. | Shibboleth | 9:57 |
| 7. | Black Smoke | 8:50 |
| 8. | Inside Segovia's Dream | 8:24 |
Videos
Credits
University Challenged are:
Ajay Saggar (guitar, bass, piano, electronica, field recordings)
Oli Heffernan (bass, synths)
Kohhei Matsuda (guitar)
Recorded between March and June 2020.
Mixed at Soundation Studio between June and August 2020 by Ajay Saggar
Mastered by Oli Heffernan in August 2020
License
All rights reserved.Tags
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGED are Ajay Saggar (“Bhajan Bhoy”), Oli Heffernan (“Ivan The Tolerable”) and Kohhei Matsuda (“Bo Ningen”). The trio began in 2019, playing shows in Holland, where they gained a reputation for delivering highly dynamic sense-rattling shows, ranging from gentle melodic orchestral spinouts to epic power jams. Now the majestic 8 track double album “Oh Temple!” is the gift to all!