Originally active between 1975 and 1978, the Austrian group Atlas brought together musicians from Vienna and Lower Austria for a single album released by bacillus records in 1977. Rather than following the Progressive and Psychedelic Rock direction associated with many of the label’s early releases, Atlas developed a distinctive blend of Jazz, Soul and Funk, driven by horns, keyboards, guitar, bass and drums.
The album opens with “Hey, Man!” combining punchy brass arrangements with Bluesy guitar, dubbed-out effects and the expressive vocals of Reinhard Ploil. Across its nine tracks, Atlas moves between Jazz-Rock grooves, Soul-influenced songwriting and instrumental passages, with the rhythm section providing a consistently Funky foundation. The album also includes a version of Bill Withers‘ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” reinterpreted within the band’s Jazz-Funk setting.
Recorded in Vienna under the direction of engineer Ernie Seuberth, Atlas was produced in relatively small quantities and remained the group’s only album. The recordings later gained renewed attention among collectors of European Jazz-Funk, rare groove and obscure 1970s Rock. Two tracks from the album, “Play It Cool” and “We Are Happy,” were subsequently sampled by Gotye on his 2011 album “Making Mirrors.”
Within the bacillus records catalogue, Atlas documents a different side of the label’s musical spectrum: a groove-oriented Austrian ensemble whose music connected the Jazz-Rock and Progressive currents of the 1970s with Soul and Funk.
Purchase “Atlas” on Bandcamp: https://bacillusrecords.bandcamp.com/album/atlas-1977
Tracklist:
01. Hey, Man! 03:31
02. Pasteboard 05:38
03. Skybird, Fly 04:33
04. Necessity 03:02
05. Ain’t No Sunshine 03:47
06. Play It Cool 03:26
07. Rhode Island 04:01
08. We Are Happy 03:50
09. Let’s Not Believe 03:12
Lineup:
Reinhard Ploil / Vocals
Thomas Böröcz / Drums, Congas, Rub Drum, Cabasa, Woods, Strings; (Piano solo on “Skybird, Fly“)
Reinhard Kühne / Electric Guitar; (12-string Guitar on “We Are Happy“)
Hannes Seidle / Piano, Clavinet
Helmut Pichler / Bass
Gereon Wolters / Trombone
Franz Berka / Tenor Saxophone
Joe Rauter / Trumpet
Helmut Plattner / Trumpet
Special Thanks to:
Cliff (our road technician with good humour), Reiner Schmid (for his faith), Peter Hermann (for psychological aid), Marek Spiegel (for his enthusiasm). Also many thanks to HOLFINA for generous support of the group.
Produced by Atlas for Bellaphon Records
Recorded at Gorilla Studios, Vienna
Sound Engineers: Ernie Seuberth, Rudi Sykora
Remix Supervision: Joe Ofenböck