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Brian Bennett began drumming for The Shadows in 1961, and save for a handful of periods, he’s been with the band ever since.  Yet his work with the band only encompasses one aspect of his career.  A composer, producer, and pianist as well as a drummer, Bennett has maintained a solo career since 1967 as well as prolifically creating library music (one-size-fits-all music not written for a specific project but intended for use on television and film).  One of his albums, Counterpoint in Rhythm, even provided the soundtrack for Pixar’s first animated film, the groundbreaking short Luxo, Jr., in 1986.  In his solo works, Bennett often ventured far from The Shadows’ rock and roll.  1978’s DJM Records release Voyage: A Journey Into Discoid Funk is no exception.  The sci-fi-themed LP capitalized on the “space disco” movement but was notable for the flawless musicianship behind its breaks which have been sampled by hip-hop heavy hitters including Kanye West and Nas.  Now, Cherry Red’s Strawberry imprint has revisited Bennett’s Voyage on a new 2-CD expanded edition.

As he reveals in the newly-penned introduction to this reissue, Bennett approached the disco genre with a variety of influences.  Musically, he was inspired by Aaron Copland while thematically, he took his cues from figures such as explorer James Cook and scientist Charles Darwin as well as from popular sci-fi films Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  His original orchestral concept gave way to a primarily synthesized one.  Keyboards were played by Francis Monkman (of Curved Air and Sky) with Bennett on percussion and Alan Jones on bass.

Bennett laid the foundation for the tracks by recording a drum box and a Fender Rhodes; some of this initial instrumentation was left intact on the final mixes.  Monkman played the Rhodes as well as a Clavinet plus a couple synthesizers including the Moog.  A Polymoog was used to create the string pads that added to the orchestral sounds being emulated.  Yet despite the spacey title and tag A Journey Into Discoid Funk (which Bennett and engineer Dick Plant both disdain), the creators didn’t overplay their sci-fi hand.

A majestic fanfare opens the title track “Voyage” which cedes quickly to the expected disco beat.  It sets the “discoid funk” mood with Jones bringing the funk on his bass.  But the album as a whole is more varied.  “Solstice,” the most sampled track as well as Bennett’s favorite, is a slow, atmospheric groover (“It’s got a good feel to it,” he modestly but accurately notes) with just the right undercurrent of the unknown.  “Chain Reaction” returns to the insistent milieu of “Voyage;” its second part is one of the most straightforward disco tracks on the album with Jones’ malleable, liquid bass standing out.  The second side of the original LP was opened by the hypnotic “Pendulum Force,” another lengthy cut in which Bennett and co. keep the proceedings fresh by taking the melody and beats in unexpected directions.  “Air Quake” is an even more dramatic shift, a jolt of adrenaline with its jagged, jazz-like drums and driving synth sequences.  (Try dancing to that one!)  The mellow “Ocean Glide” immediately follows and brings the Voyage to a tranquil close, with multi-instrumentalist Bennett on acoustic piano.

For this edition compiled by Brian’s son (and member of The Shadows) Warren Bennett, Voyage has been expanded with a second disc featuring the single edits of “Pendulum Force” and “Ocean Glide” plus Brian’s early “working mixes” for all six tracks.  These skeletal mixes add up to a raw, D.I.Y. version of the album, with the composer-musician-arranger calling out the provisional titles (“Voyage 1,” “Voyage 2,” “Voyage 3,” and so on) and bars as he goes along.  These demos/works-in-progress should prove particularly illuminating to those most familiar with the original LP.   They’re not as slick as the finished productions, but they showcase his musical vision and bring the subsequent contributions by Monkman and Jones into sharper focus.

The 20-page booklet housed within the six-panel digipak bears a simple design – black text on a white background – but compensates for it with terrific notes from both Bennett and Plant plus a new historical essay by Bill Brewster.  Oli Hemingway has mastered the audio.

Voyage: A Journey Into Discoid Funk wasn’t Brian Bennett’s only foray into the realm of disco/dance; his 1979 EMI album as Heat Exchange was also in that vein.  With its striking cover and sci-fi overtones, however, it might be his most memorable. Strawberry’s expanded edition is available now in the U.K. and on Friday, April 2 in North America at the links below.

Brian Bennett, Voyage: A Journey Into Discoid Funk (DJM LP DJF 20532, 1978 – reissued Cherry Red/Strawberry CRJAM002D, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. Voyage
2. Solstice
3. Chain Reaction
4. Pendulum Force
5. Air Quake
6. Ocean Glide

CD 2

1. Pendulum Force (7″ Edit) (DJM single DJS 10843, 1978)
2. Ocean Glide (7″ Edit) (DJM single DJS 10843, 1978)

Previously Unreleased Working Mixes

3. Voyage
4. Solstice
5. Chain Reaction
6. Pendulum Force
7. Air Quake
8. Ocean Glide