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Double CD Set originally released by Centaur Discs in 1995, then Treated & Remastered by Jeff Towne in 2018 and now reissued by industry8 in the USA!
1995 album Remastered & re-released 31st March 2018, packaged in a 6-Panel Card Wallet showing photo details of the planet Jupiter!
The outward appearance of ‘The Relic’ is that of a CD album, but its true origin extends back to the era of tape… the 1980s where Chuck Van Zyl (and his many compatriots) were recording Spacemusic and releasing it on audio-cassette. During this span, Synkronos Music put out a trove of cassette releases in the USA, including ‘Europa’ (1991), ‘Ganymede’ (1991) and ‘Io’ (1991) by Chuck Van Zyl.
Each cassette held two side-long pieces of music, and continued a series of releases by Van Zyl representing his enthusiasm for Astronomy and the Cosmos.
The music found on ‘The Relic’ seems cerebral, yet feels emotional. Its meticulous sound designs by Chuck Van Zyl portray humanity’s contemplation of space and all its mysteries. This album presents a range of themes and styles connecting the stars with the earth, and the head with the heart.
Although the product of thoroughly electronic procedures, the sound throughout comes across as organic and human - and gives ‘The Relic’ its evocative depth and dimension. Through sustaining chords and spacey modulations, enigmatic synth timbres move the mind of the listener to the outer planets.
Complex tonal form and grand sonic structures provide tension and release, and draw the listener steadily through the eight tracks spread across two discs. Further in, excitement builds through dramatic key changes and propulsive percussion - only to wind down in motoring sequencer runs and reassuring lead lines. There is more to this music than just spacing out. Listening to ‘The Relic’ should call forth a sense of wonder at the Universe, and the journey outward.
When originally released by the CDS in house label Centaur Discs, ‘The Relic’ was considered the logical follow-up to ‘Celestial Mechanics’ (1993 and also released on Centaur), and continued the label’s effort to compile early works onto CD, and getting them out before the public.
That original 2CD edition has been long out of print, but thanks to the Philadelphia based label industry8, ‘The Relic’ is back, Remastered and treated to modern audio enhancements, and a vastly improved fidelity. Housed in a Limited Edition, 4-Panel Double CD Jacket, and adorned with vivid NASA probe images, it offers those interested listeners and collectors the opportunity to encounter the significant back-story to one of our community's most unique affiliates.
Also included on ‘The Relic’ are Bonus Tracks from the Synkronos Music cassette releases: ‘Facets’ (1991 - an anthology which also featured the double CD's title track ‘The Relic’) and ‘The Sound Museum’ (1991) by Xisle - a spontaneous in-studio live jam between Andrew Rath, Peter Gulch and Chuck Van Zyl called ‘Beyond The Known Horizon’, a track now restored to its original length!
Inspired by space, the physical universe, and all of its intricacies, as well as by classic Kosmische Musik works from out of the 1970s, Van Zyl realized the pieces found on ‘The Relic’ as personal electronic odes to the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, and the astral motions and mysteries of the solar system.
Clearly influenced by TD’s ‘Rubycon’ & ‘Tangram’ and Stearn’s ‘Planetary Unfolding’ & ‘Ancient Leaves’, as well as by the direct mentoring of The NIGHTCRAWLERS (the NJ Space trio with which he was so closely associated), Van Zyl found himself finally making music that, not only properly portrayed his cosmic yearning, but was representative of the restless, creative spirit which had inhabited him for so long.
New musical territory can only be discovered once, and Chuck Van Zyl has built profoundly on his early music. But these works are but reference points in a field that is inexhaustible. As we listen to ‘The Relic’, we can feel this world of discovery still living on today.
Now… Here is the original review we did for ‘The Relic’ back in 1995…
This is escapism in its most exciting form… Imagine you are taking a long space journey - You have just awoken from a long deep sleep to find yourself in the darkest reaches of space, smoothly flying through a silent, vast universe of uncharted cosmic territories that hold nothing but mystery and intrigue. Chuck Van Zyl is your stellar pilot on the mission - An interplanetary quest, searching for a spacecraft that is thought to be only a legend, but may well prove to be something that will lead to a bigger truth! His superb brand of 70's, TANGERINE DREAM / Klaus Schulze inspired space music is all but the perfect vehicle to guide you through such an amazing journey through the outer reaches of the universe. It’s a golden voyage through the stars where dreamlike images pass you by as you drift through galaxies speckled with sparkling lights and colourful misty clouds of space dust. This is music that evokes that feeling of being a long, long way from home – right “out there” as you voyage through the dark, endless channels of space to the sounds of Van Zyl’s fantastic, ethereal sound textures with strong melodies and backdrops of heavenly choirs and string-synths. Only the sounds of pulsating sequencer rhythms breaks the peaceful nature of the experience, and that only indicates that your vessel’s engines are moving into overdrive for a short period of time, as it transports you quickly from one world to another in search of ‘The Relic’.
'Europa' provides the first stop on your journey round the moons of Jupiter - A dreamlike flowing track that evokes a feeling of being far from home, in a dark, yet beautiful world - Deep, drifting, spacey synth chords hover, creating a background of dark endless space from which we are visited by an array of curious, yet joyous melodies of choirs and strings filtering from the seemingly endless density of space. After that haunting eighteen-minute orbit of 'Europa' we drift off into the distance to explore the satellite 'Ganymede' - This track opens with waves of cosmic sound, but soon develops speed with sequencers stepping up a few gears and going into overdrive, and there are infectious melodies pouring from every angle. After a ten-minute circumnavigation of that mystical sphere, Van Zyl breaks out of orbit and sets a course for our next port of call, which happens to be Jupiter's innermost Galilean satellite, and a host of angelic voices linger in the atmosphere and welcome you into the dark world that is ‘Io’. As the ship explores the dark uninviting landscapes, we hear volcanic eruptions of electronic sound bursting into the atmosphere, but later we encounter other more habitable areas where celestial strings and distant heavenly choirs herald our arrival into this strange world. The sound of sequencers do not grace this track until it is time to break orbit, again they build up speed and soar off into space on the back on a haunting melodic theme that transports us into an area 'Beyond The Known Horizon'! Here, we experience many new sounds, building a picture of a territory in space previously unseen by human eyes! Cosmic voices melt and unfold into each other as we delve deeper into this new world's hidden secrets. Half way, an overwhelming feeling of discovery takes over, marked by the arrival of a fast driving sequencer pattern, as we pull into orbit around a massive planet to find...
(Change to Disc 2)
… 'The Relic' - a lost ship embedded on a giant floating asteroid – It has been here undetected for millions of years and we are about to discover it's many secrets! A dark ominous chord pounds in the distance as we approach the area in which 'The Relic' lies - An alien like aura surrounds the music with eerie synths creeping from every corner as we approach the craft - Deep sequencer riffs fill the atmosphere and gradually merge with a melodic structure that represents the pounding heartbeat of the excited space explorer about to have the experience of a lifetime! 'Dark Bands & Bright Streaks' now drift before us, bringing a sense of awe and wonder into the music - Organ and synthesizer strikingly portray the unimaginable vastness of what is before us as we take in each and every part of this massive, fossilised deep space wreck - Space music at it's ethereal best! With wondrous new secrets learned and many new mysteries still to unravel, we complete our quest by returning to an area visited earlier in the album: 'Regio Galilieo', a vast, smooth and virtually un-impacted area on 'Ganymede'. Velvet like distant and haunting synth textures float and call out in the emptiness of space, beckoning us to enter this powerful ten-minute passage of soaring synth melodies that will reveal even more dark secrets. Before the quest is ended, we make a final trip back to ‘Io’ and to the conclusion of the album. 'Prometheus' is a huge active volcano on this moon, and as we arrive an eruption is taking place. Explosive electronic noise represents lava shooting from the volcano's core, and as we move through the vast dark array of catacombs and tunnels deep below the mountainous terrain, a swelling synth melody fills the atmosphere and the dark caverns glow with a beautiful vision of shining lights, revealing all...!
Also available by CHUCK VAN ZYL …
CENOTAPH (2012 Album / 6-Panel Digi-Pak) CD – Stock # 1611292
LIVE ON STAR’S END 10-06-19 (2020 Album / 4-Panel Card Cover) CCCD – Stock # 2204853
LIVE ON STAR’S END 2021-2022 (2023 3CD Album / 6-Panel Card Cover) 3CCD – Stock # 2207026
RECITALS-V1 (2016 2CD Album / 6-Panel Digi-Pak) CD – Stock # 1911198
RECITALS-V2 (2018 2CD Album / 6-Panel Digi-Pak) CD – Stock # 2072647
RECITALS-V3 (2019 2CD Album / 6-Panel Digi-Pak) CD – Stock # 2198786
REGENERATION MODE (1996 Album Recorded with Peter Gulch) CD – Stock # 317169
RITUALS (2014 Album / 4-Panel Digi-Pak) CD – Stock # 1743358
SPACETONES (2019 Album of E-Day 2018 Gig) CD – Stock # 2184590
TRANSIENCE (2025 Album / 6-Panel Digi-Pak) CD – Stock # 2207025
VOTIVE (2021 Album / 6-Panel Digi-Pak) CD – Stock # 2205842
XYL FILE (2020 Album / Ltd to 100 Copies / 4-Panel Digi-Pak) CD – Stock # 2204854
CHUCK VAN ZYL: THE RELIC 2CD Track List:
CD 1:
01. Europa (18:41)
02. Ganymede (18:20)
03. Io (18:25)
04. Beyond The Known Horizon (19:41) * Bonus Track *
TPT – 75:07
CD 2:
01. The Relic (12:08)
02. Dark Bands, Bright Streaks (19:18)
03. Regio Gallileo (19:25)
04. Prometheus (18:59)
TPT - 69:50
Tracks 2 & 7 originally released on the audio-cassette ‘Ganymede’ (1991) & ‘The Relic’ 2CD (1995)
Tracks 1 & 6 originally released on the audio-cassette ‘Europa’ (1991) & ‘The Relic’ 2CD (1995)
Tracks 3 & 8 originally released on the audio-cassette ‘Io’ (1991) & ‘The Relic’ 2CD (1995)
Track 5 originally released on the audio-cassette ‘Facets’ (1991) & ‘The Relic’ 2CD (1995)
Track 4 is an impromptu live studio jam originally released on the audio-cassette ‘The Sound Museum’ (1991) & ‘The Relic’ 2CD (1995)