Crystal Presence - The Albums 1977 - 1991

Tim Blake first came to prominence as a member of Gong where his synthesizer experimentation was demonstrated on Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg, and You. He later joined Hawkwind from 1979 – 1980 and from November 2007.

After departing Gong in 1975, he teamed up with French lighting designer Patrice Warrener to form Crystal Machine, pioneering the use of lasers and synthesizers in a live setting. Blake's debut album, Crystal Machine, was originally released in 1977 on the French experimental label Egg and featured two pieces recorded live in the UK and in France.

This work was followed by arguably his finest work, Blake's New Jerusalem, in 1978. Unlike his previous work, the album featured songs and the lengthy title track would dominate the album's second side. Blake's New Jerusalem also saw the guest appearance of Jean-Philippe Rykiel on mini-moog.

He briefly joined Hawkwind before returning to France and moving away from music. Tim returned to the music scene with the album Magick in 1991, recorded at his home studio in a windmill in Brittany in one evening. This collection of the first three albums recorded by Tim Blake confirms his status as a true pioneer of ambient electronica.