It's about time that the works of this fabulous prog-fusion group made the digital age. Nearly twenty years after the band released its first recording it finally hits the CD shelves with the brilliant re-release of a compilation of all their released studio tracks -- from 1981's Sõnum EP and 1983's Põletus LP. The fabulous compositions and crafty playing of the band come to life with this release, and it lets the world hear how truly good these musicians are -- something only LP collectors outside of Estonia knew about.

The release came from the Russian/Czech record company Boheme Music, which is currently re-releasing on CD many works originally released on LP by Melodiya Records in Moscow. Though the issue of material by Kaseke prompted some debate about the status of copyright in the wake of the Soviet collapse and has prompted some anger in Estonia on how the entire project was done outside, it is nevertheless out for the world to enjoy.

The packaging is a little lacking, however. Rumours have it that due to disputes with certain members of the band, it hindered the production of the packaging. Therefore the cover of the 1981 Sõnum EP was used instead of the more appropriate cover of the 1983 Põletus LP, and there were no photos or additional information in the booklet. The liner notes were written by yours truly, which is a great honour.

Remastering material from old tape is always hard, and there have been mixed results with Estonian prog re-releases. Some of the material are a bit shoddy, and some are excellent. The remastering of the Kaseke material is quite good, though the feel of the early 1980s remain. It's by no means perfect, but that would have ruined the flavour of the era. But it is quite enjoyable and producers must be given credit for the work.

Now to the songs, though it's hard to write a review of something I've already reviewed in the past. Almost a year and a half ago I wrote the reviews for the two Kaseke releases, so I wonder how much the reviews have changed. The first track, "Elevant," you can hear the quality of the remastering. The guitars and organ are powerful and give the entire piece the "umph" it needed from the old LP days. Excellent rhythm work by bassist Priit Kuulberg and drummer Andrus Vaht is more apparent on this version. The guitar work by Ain Varts and Riho Sibul are crisp and sharp, sounding better than ever. Guest keyboardist (and song's author) Margus Kappel (of Ruja fame) does an excellent job on the organ, which is hard and intrusive. Excellent start to the remastered CD.

"Valhalla" by Ain Varts follows, and it's again, very clear and sharp. The guitar melody by Varts is excellent, while the nice keyboard solos by Mart Metsala shines through well as he trades off between synth and organ masterfully. The metal work by drummer Vaht is especially crisp, cutting into the music like a sharp knife. Maybe it's a little too much at times, but it's interesting. The guitar solos are also excellent in this piece.

The third track is the fun "Elevanti hirmulaul" by guest keyboardist Olav Ehala, which has a bit more of a jazz-fusion flavour than most of the other tracks. A great input came from the flute playing of Peeter Malkov, who really made the middle of the song fun with his excellent playing. Following that is the mellow "Salajane rõõm," written by keyboardist Metsala. It's a nice melody, and it's in a softer song like this that you can hear the rhythm section so much better than from the LP. Excellent melodic keyboards too.

Then the action-packed "Põletaja" follows, and just by the hi-hat of Vaht you can hear the crisper sound that evaded even the best stereos playing the old LP. It's an excellent upbeat fusion piece, with excellent playing all around. The work by the guitarists Varts and Sibul are just fantastic here, as is the keyboards by Metsala. One of the best tracks on the CD. The next one, "Tantsija," starts off with a small drum opening by Vaht, showing off his dexterity skilfully. Though the song itself is quite mellow at first, some of the passages feature excellent solos by all the players. It gets more active in the middle section, as everyone takes it up a notch for a brief interlude before returning to the mellow melody. Cool song.

After that we have one of the best songs on the CD, the fantastic and energetic "Näotused," written by guitar great Riho Sibul. More than 17 years after this was released, it's still an incredible fusion piece, with some of the most skilful guitars you'll ever hear. The use of flute by Malkov on this piece adds a touch of exoticness to the energetic song. With the fast tempo everyone in the band seems energised by it and pushes them into some of their best stuff ever on tape. It's too bad that the fabulous live version of this song released once on a compilation LP of the Tartu Rock Festival in 1982 is not here to show how good these guys were live.

Next is a calmer piece called "Pikk päevatee," written by the well-known jazz keyboardist Tõnu Naissoo. This piece features the excellent keyboard work of the former central member of the band, and the sound is reminiscent of material on their 1981 Sõnum EP (see a few paragraphs down). It is a nice song, and you can hear the bass of Kuulberg well in this piece. It also uses the flute well, which is lost in too many of the songs sadly.

The final piece from the 1983 band is the fabulously proggy "Põlenud maa," written by world-famous Erkki-Sven Tüür. This is in the classic Tüür school of composition, recognisable to the many In Spe fans out there immediately. The opening section with its complex layering of sounds -- headed by excellent flute and keyboards on top -- shows off Tüür's composing skills. The end result is an awesome prog-fusion piece, taking the best elements of both genres and mixing them perfectly a la Tüür. This piece would impress the hell out of Robert Fripp, both in composition and playing.

Then we move back by two years to 1981 with the nice electric piano "Introduktsioon" by Naissoo. It's a fusiony era piece, very much in the "Rhodes" abundant style of keyboardists in that era. After the short opening piece is the title track of the EP, "Sõnum." It's a good fusiony piece, with some nice flute playing alongside the guitars. Drummer Vaht plays very well on the track, which is accented by the excellent remastering process -- especially for these 1981 tracks. Malkov brings an impressive flute solo in the latter part of this song, capping off some excellent soloing by the band.

Following that is "Kala jälg vees," a nice bluesy piece written by guitarist Sibul, who now fronts the proggy blues band Ultima Thule. Very much in his nature, this is a strong guitar-driven blues song. The guitar sound is full of emotion, though Sibul does indeed shred with it during choice moments in the solo. Fine example of blues here. The final track on the CD is "Laupäeval koos isaga," a cool nippy fusion song filled with crafty and melodic guitar leads. Keyboardist Naissoo also gets a bit loose here, as does the strong rhythm section. Excellent ending track.

The release of the Kaseke material marks a major step in the process to re-release all of Estonia's best progressive music from its rich history. All of the most important bands have seen their material released or re-released on CD, as now the process moves to other prog projects of the past, and of course, the new prog of the future. Kaseke is a good example for all musicians on how to keep two-decade old music fresh -- by good, clean playing.

Mel Huang
Tallinn, Estonia
6 September 2000

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