Tangerine Dream: Tyger

Some 25 years prior to the band's initiation of the Eastgate Sonic Poem series with 'The Island Of The Fay,' reviewed here, came the release of 'Tyger,' an album typical of their 80's output in style but featuring a brief foray into vocal melodies, courtesy of singer Jocelyn Bernadette Smith. This release takes as its inspiration selected William Blake poetry, specifically "The Tyger", "Smile", "America", "The Fly", and "London".

Tangerine Dream: Tyger

The album begins with 'Tyger,' perhaps some of the most accomplished writing in the album, drawing upon 80's production and musical aesthetics within the context of their own style which many fans will enjoy. In contrast to their more recent releases, this album focusses (as much of their 80's output does) on ethnic timbres and the creation of hybrid timbres which gave their releases at this time great sonic complexity ahead of many other artists in the field. This word music influence is of course unsurprising given the band's definition of an early New Age musical style.

Moving on to 'Alchemy Of The Heart,' the first instrumental track of the album, the writers combine various sequencer lines with sampled harpsichord writing and drum machine lines. Given the virtue of hindsight, it is very interesting to hear the elements which now underpin the band's music in an early form. In the track's mid section, the band utilise moving baselines aside long running sequences to create highly interesting patterns which sound equally at home in the context of their contemporary music (referring to the inclusion of 'Alchemy Of The Heart' in the set list for Tangerine Dream's recent Zeitgeist tour).

'Smile' sees a return to song writing, beginning with various sequences before Jocelyn Bernadette Smith enters powerfully. Particularly strong is the harmonic progressions in this piece. The usage of song format for the band suits their style in this regard as it accommodates the long repeated harmonic structures well. From a musicological point of view, the changes of metre in this track and the song's structure prove particularly interesting. For the listener, these smaller details may not be audible yet they add a great deal of interest to the music.

The 1987 release reviewed here ends with '21st Common Man,' a two part composition which exemplifies some of the most intriguing tambral aspects of the album. Listeners of the 1992 release will find an additional track 'Vigour' concludes the album. 21st Common Man provides an appropriate end to the album in a New Age style of writing embellished with instrumental solos which typified earlier writing. Overall, this album proves a highlight of the band's accomplished catalogue of works.

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The Sonic Music Review Weekly Playlist: Week 3

Following the success with the introduction of a weekly playlist, a short cross section of the works featured on The Sonic Music Review, we are proud to release the third instalment, featuring a selection of works from acts including Enigma, Tangerine Dream and Schiller.

Tracklisting:

1. Enigma                    - Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi from Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi

2. Schiller                    - Let Me Love You from Desire

3. Tangerine Dream     - Tyger from Tyger

4. The Pet Shop Boys  - The Clock 10/11/12 from The Most Incredible Thing

5. Kraftwerk                - Home Computer from Minimum-Maximum

6. Yazoo                      - Only You from Only Yazoo

7. Global Communication     - 5:23 from 76:14

For the Spotify streamable playlist, click here.

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Tangerine Dream: The Island Of The Fay

With the 2011 release of ‘The Endless Season,’ reviewed here, the end of Tangerine Dream’s long running Five Atomic Seasons series was marked. Invigorated by the success and popularity of this programmatic series, the band quickly released ‘The Island Of The Fay,’ the first in a new series, the Eastgate Sonic Poems series, setting to poetry to music. This particular release takes as its basis ‘The Island Of The Fay’ by Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1841.

Tangerine Dream: The Island Of The Fay

The poem itself revolves around a fantasy setting of an island occupied by fairies, ultimately leading to the conclusion in which the narrator compares the death of a fairy with the fading sight of a tree in darkening water. The work ends by depicting the fade into complete darkness.

The album begins with ‘Beauty Of Magic Antagonism,’ which sets the tone for the entire release, one of melancholic optimism. Sonically, the release clearly occupies a similar soundworld seen in the Five Atomic Seasons series, comparable best with the concluding work in the series, ‘The Endless Season.’ The band combine their trademark harpsichord timbres with various electronic overtones and background sequenced elements, presenting a very well rounded and precise sonic palette which is further enhanced by the releases commendable clarity of production.

The band’s output can often be characterised by large anthemic writing using a thick multitude of textures or as more ambient writing with a calculated thinner number of textures. ‘Breath Kissing Matter’s Mouth’ falls into the latter category and is remarkable in the way in which despite being led largely by a long running sequence, the music retains a fascinating element which draws the listener in and retains their attention throughout the nine-minute duration.

The concluding track, ‘Moment Of Floating Into The Light’ finally realises the allusions to optimism which occur as brief references throughout the album. Ultimately however the piece descends into a tone of mystery as the sound finally fades into the darkness Poe so suggested. As the first in a new series, it would be premature to base great assumptions based upon a single work, but this release lays a firm foundation for a number of eagerly anticipated sequels.

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The Sonic Music Review Playlist: Week 2

Following the success with the introduction of a weekly playlist, a short cross section of the works featured on The Sonic Music Review, we are proud to release the second instalment, featuring a selection of Trance, Ambient and Pop works from acts including Daft Punk, Tangerine Dream and Depeche Mode.

Tracklisting:

1. Daft Punk / Avicii    - Derezzed (Avicii Remix) from Tron Legacy - Reconfigured

2. Tiesto                       - Elements Of Life from Elements Of Life

3. The Human League - Breaking The Chains from Credo

4. Tangerine Dream     - Navel Of Light - Part 2 from Springtime In Nagasaki

5. Alva Noto                - By This River from Summvs

6. Thomas Dolby         - She Blinded Me With Science from She Blinded Me With Science

7. Depeche Mode         - Enjoy The Silence from Violator

8. Kraftwerk                 - Radioactivity (Live) from Minimum-Maximum

For the Spotify streamable playlist, click here.

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Tangerine Dream: Winter In Hiroshima

Following three previous releases in Tangerine Dream’s Five Atomic Seasons series, ‘Winter In Hiroshima,’ the fourth instalment, represents the penultimate release in the series. This release follows ‘Autumn In Hiroshima,’ retaining elements the sombre and dark style of writing which characterised that album, interjected with a greater sense of urgency and pace to the work. Stylistically this release sees noticeable development from its predecessor as the story of the Japanese businessman which approached the group’s youth throughout 1945 and the dropping of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima nears its conclusion.

Tangerine Dream: Winter In Hiroshima

‘Winter In Hiroshima’ opens with ‘Transition’ which through its writing style trivialises the premise of the work to paradoxically induce a greater sense of dread when this is considered as part of the larger work. This is followed by the third and final reference to Ayumi in the series in ‘Ayumi’s Loom.’ As no explanation of the programme is provided by the group other than brief outlines in ‘Springtime In Nagasaki’’s liner notes, the significance of Ayumi is unknown but one can assume that on the basis that no other character receives reference throughout the series, Ayumi is central to the story governing the work. ‘Ayumi’s Loom’ itself illustrates the more urgent and upbeat style of writing seen at several points in this release, adorned with long-running sequences, unusual percussive electronic timbres and further abstract instrumentation.

‘Outlook’ sees a Koto-like lead meandering through various harmonic constructs of which a tonal ambiguity, aural uncertainty regarding a major or minor tonal centre, creates an aurally fascinating quality to the track. This track is possibly the most ambient in style to appear on this album, which is in itself a reference to the charming naïve optimism expressed by the ambient style in several tracks from the first album in the series, ‘Springtime In Hiroshima.’

As ‘Glowing Vision’ signifies the beginning of the concluding track to this album, the listener is plunged into great uncertainty, established by the brooding harmonic and timbral elements in this track. As the track concludes, the tone is set for the beginning of ‘The Endless Season,’ the final instalment in the Five Atomic Seasons series which interestingly references ‘Trauma’ in the third chapter, ‘Autumn In Hiroshima,’ rather than any material from the release featured here.


View Tracklisting

Tracklisting:

1. Transition
2. Ayumi's Loom
3. Outlook
4. Togetherness
5. Echo Of Light
6. Key Moment
7. Insiders
8. Nexuses
9. Glowing Vision

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Tangerine Dream: Autumn In Hiroshima

Autumn In Hiroshima is the third instalment in Tangerine Dream’s Five Atomic Seasons series. This 2008 release rejoins the musical narrative following the dropping of the first nuclear bomb in Hiroshima at the finale of the last album, ‘Summer In Nagasaki,’ reviewed here. For those unfamiliar with the Five Atomic Series, a brief introduction is provided at the beginning of the ‘Springtime In Nagasaki’ review here. Unlike the preceding instalments in the Five Atomic Seasons, this album features a larger number of tracks, dominated by 8 ‘teachings’ set to music.

Tangerine Dream: Autumn In Hiroshima

This album opens with the seminal track ‘Trauma,’ one of the finest examples of electronic music of our time. As such, ‘Trauma’ has received a separate review here in order to cover the track in sufficient detail. The following track ‘Reset’ maintains the soundworld of trauma in a more ambient musical context which also gradually suggests partial optimism as the track progresses. This Ambient style of writing continues through ‘Awareness (1st Teaching),’ which makes extended use of western classical church-like vocal harmonies.

Moving on to the later track ‘Oracular World (4th Teaching),’ the ambient style of writing has been replaced with a more typical example of Tangerine Dream writing, supported by a steady, yet unintrusive, beat throughout. The later ‘Touching Truth’ in fact references the band’s earlier output during their so-called Blue Years. The way in which a large number go the tracks on this album transition smoothly between one another proves worth note as this in itself speaks volumes about the band’s production values. Seemingly paramount to this release is a sense of flow. This is particularly well achieved with reference to the music’s emotional subtext, smoothly segueing with the music to form a narrative of emotions and moods expressed by the music to echo the narrative to this programmatic work.

In each of the releases in Tangerine Dream’s Five Atomic Seasons series, the penultimate and final tracks typically prove to be particularly interesting, providing an indication for the music which follows in the following instalment. When attention is paid to the final two tracks, ‘Omniscience (8th Teaching)’ and ‘Nothing And All’ respectively, a heavily sequence-led track is juxtaposed with an ambient successor, indicatory of uncertain times ahead, although the smoother ambient nature of writing induces a sense of calm in stark contrast to the beginning of the release here featured.

As ‘Nothing And All’ reaches its inevitable conclusion, the listener is plunged into silence once more in preparation for the following chapter in the series, ‘Winter In Hiroshima.’


View Tracklisting

Tracklisting:

1. Trauma
2. Reset
3. Awareness (1st Teaching)
4. Novice (2nd Teaching)
5. Strange Voices
6. Fathom (3rd Teaching)
7. Oracular World (4th Teaching)
8. Remembering Ayumi
9. Mellow Submersion (5th Teaching)
10. Answers (6th Teaching)
11. Touching Truth
12. Insight (7th Teaching)
13. Omniscience (8th Teaching)
14. Nothing And All

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Tangerine Dream: Trauma

Given that several features in The Sonic Music Review make particular mention of ‘Trauma,’ the opening track of Tangerine Dream’s 2009 album ‘Autumn In Hiroshima,’ it seemed pertinent to give this track a dedicated reviewed in order to fully cover the musical details contained therein. In this reviewer’s opinion, ‘Trauma’ represents some of the finest writing by the band throughout their independent years, incorporating advanced timbal construction, use and consequence of thematic material and noteworthy production, an element often neglected when considering contemporary electronic music.

When constructing opinions of this piece, a keen listener would be well advised to listen to the material in Tangerine Dream’s Five Atomic Seasons series which precedes this, such as the ‘Summer In Nagasaki’ album or ‘11:02 Am,’ the concluding track of the aforementioned album. As the introductory section in ‘Trauma’ exhibits a development of the musical character seen in preceding material from the series.

The track begins with an extended introduction of processed bell timbres, breathy resonances and glistening sonic reflections. As the piece opens, a steady sequence reminiscent of a music box is introduced alongside melodic material which borrows timbrally from ‘Persistence Of Memory Part Four’ in the first album of the Five Atomic Seasons, ‘Springtime In Nagasaki.’

Following the extended introduction, which lasts more than two minutes comes the A section, in which large amounts of musical material is introduced. Interestingly, the melodic material of this section does not announce itself through typical musical conventions - the introduction concludes with a mighty burst of synthetic brass-like timbres but the initial exposition of melodic material begins gradually within the functioning harmony rather than as discrete musical elements.

The B section sees an accomplished change of character to a far darker and urgent style of writing, employing various bass pedals and ostinatos alongside new percussion elements hitherto unseen. The piece sees a well contoured progression between B and C sections, ultimately returning back again before revisiting some of the earliest musical material of the track. Along with the production, the writing and in particular the sense of ‘flow’ throughout this piece makes it truly remarkable, one of the bands most accomplished contemporary work.

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Tangerine Dream: Summer In Nagasaki Review

Following on from the 2007 release of ‘Springtime In Nagasaki’ comes the release of the second instalment in Tangerine Dream’s Five Atomic Seasons series, entitled ‘Summer in Nagasaki.’ This instalment describes musically the summer of 1945 and ends with ’11:02 Am,’ which depicts the moment at which the first nuclear bomb was dropped in Japan.

Tangerine Dream: Summer In Nagasaki

The Release begins with ‘Climbing Mount Inasa,’ which follows stylistically on from ‘Persistence Of Memory Part Six,’ the final track of ‘Springtime In Nagasaki.’ Evident in this track are the band’s deliberate attempt to write in a style to suggest uncertainty within a perceivable aural sensation of neutrality. Throughout this track occurs also the impression of strain afforded from the harmonic movement of the introduction and later extended sequenced passages.

The following track, ‘In The Cherry Blossom Hills,’ retains several characteristics from the previous track but develops into what becomes a more upbeat and, for the most part, less brooding track. The opposing moods continue throughout the release. ‘Mystery Of Life And Death’ introduces a foreboding sense of danger and to the novice musicologist would reward academic study for its suggestion of melody from moving harmony as well as several other musical elements.

Moving on to a later track, ‘Ayumi’s Butterflies’ is perhaps some of the finest writing on the release, or at least some of the most accessible for listeners who favour the group’s more consonant writing. This track sets to music a much more optimistic subject matter, underpinned by a shuffle drum beat and particularly interesting syncopated bassline. This particular track is the standout must-listen from the album.

The concluding track crystallises the suggestion of danger seen musically throughout the album and ends as the nuclear bomb falls, setting to music the impending tragedy which ensued. As the track ends, the die is cast for ‘Trauma’ and the rest of the following album in the series, ‘Autumn In Hiroshima.’


View Tracklisting

1.     Climbing Mount Inasa
2.     In The Cherry Blossom Hills
3.     Mystery Of Life And Death
4.    Dreaming In A Kyoto Train
5.    Ayumi’s Butterflies
6.    Presentiment
7.     11:02 Am

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Tangerine Dream: Springtime In Nagasaki

2007 marked the release of ‘Springtime In Nagasaki,’ the first in a series of five releases later named The Five Atomic Seasons which were commissioned by a Japanese survivor of the 1945 dropping of the first atomic bomb. This, the first in the series, describes musically the Spring of 1945 when the commissioner, in his youth, was living in Nagasaki.

Tangerine Dream: Springtime In Nagasaki

Interestingly, when one compares this the first release of the series with ‘The Endless Season,’ reviewed here, the final release in the series, a large difference in styles is seen. While ‘The Endless Season’ is typical of the group’s contemporary writing from their independent years, several of the tracks on this release are more akin to ambient writing. In particular, the second track, ‘Navel Of Light Part Two’ follows several of the aesthetic constructs from the Ambient music tradition, creating a soundscape of pseudo-water droplets with brief interjections of classical musical references.

The six tracks which feature on this release emerge from two larger works - ‘Navel Of Light’ and ‘Persistence Of Memory,’ which are both divided into separate parts. Regarding ‘Persistence Of Memory,’ the atmosphere of the music takes on an altogether darker oeuvre, with ‘Persistence of Memory Part Four’ revisiting the idea of the suggested aquatic landscape of ‘Navel Of Light Part Two’ incorporating a revised sound-world which uses more distorted timbres. The writing at this point further develops the music’s connotations, introducing an element of urgency. As an interesting side-note, this is not only due to the writing, but the production also , given the prominence of the brooding bass frequencies within this track.

As ‘Persistence Of Memory’ continues, the listener hears a juxtaposition in character between parts four and five, with the latter reconciling the brooding and dysphoric musical notions of the former with notably easier listening. This continues into the concluding part, which begins in an upbeat style which verges on sounding ‘merry,’ although the music later does suggest a state of blissful naivety, a forerunner to the following releases in the series which suggest the presence of danger and later trauma.

View Tracklisting

1. Navel Of Light Part One
2. Navel Of Light Part Two
3. Navel Of Light Part Three
4. Persistence Of Memory Part Four
5. Persistence Of Memory Part Five
6. Persistence Of Memory Part Six

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The Sonic Music Review Playlist: Week 1

This week The Sonic Music Review is proud to introduce the compilation of weekly playlists which feature notable tracks from the week's reviews, in particular those that have earned special mention. Playlists are provided as iTunes and Spotify links, so be sure to install Spotify if available in your region.

This first playlist features selected works from Enigma, Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream.

Tracklisting:

1. Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene Part II from Oxygene

2. Tangerine Dream - Trauma as appears on Booster Volume II

3. Jean Michel Jarre - Velvet Road from Geometry Of Love

4. Enigma                - Principals Of Lust from MCMXC A.D., as appears on Love Sensuality Devotion

5. Enigma                - Sadeness (Part 1) from MCMXC A.D., as appears on Love Sensuality Devotion

6. Jean Michel Jarre - Electric Flesh from Geometry Of Love

7. Kraftwerk            - Planet Of Visions from Minimum-Maximum

8. Tangerine Dream - Love On A Real Train as appears on Ministry Of Sound 'Anthems - Electronic 80's 2'

For the Spotify streamable playlist, click here.

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Tangerine Dream: Under Cover Chapter 1

Tangerine Dream are of course best known for their typically instrumental Electronica and New Age compositions. Over their several decades of activity, the group have released a great number of original works, with brief forays into songwriting. This particular release is unusual being the first release of only cover versions of various rock/pop songs by artists including REM and The Goo Goo Dolls.

Tangerine Dream: Under Cover Chapter 1


The release begins with the cover of ‘Cry Little Sister’ from the soundtrack to the 1987 film The Lost Boys, with a suitably brooding beginning which is idiomatic of the band’s style, developing into a 5:40 ballad which combines synths with layered guitars and typical backing vocals suitable for this setting. The later track ‘Precious,’ first performed by Depeche Mose is particularly notable for its clean production and accomplished alternative setting of the original.

Comparing the upbeat styles of say ‘Wicked Game,’ as made popular by Chris Isaak, with the Tangerine Dream cover of Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’ reveals a vast difference between styles. The setting of ‘The Model’ is very influenced by the attempts of jazz performers to provide an ambient style of lounge music in years gone by. For readers familiar with the original, the great deviation from Kraftwerk’s version may alienate listeners, due to the great deviation from the mechanical-sounding and heavily programmed nature of the original. Meanwhile ‘Wicked Game’ employs a reinterpretation of the original in a similar style but with a clear influence from Tangerine Dream’s own music.

Having attended the band’s ‘Zeitgeist’ concert at the Royal Albert Hall, UK in April 2010, this reviewer did note the conspicuous conclusion to the concert with a cover of ‘Norwegian Wood’ by The Beatles. The recording from the concert appears as track 12 of this album, without doubt, one of the album’s highlights.

Despite professing to being a ‘Just For Fun’ release, originally conceived as the result of a bet placed by the band, several tracks from this release are particularly well executed and are a welcome addition to one’s musical library. With that said, the vast range of styles seen in this album may prove too different to the original releases for some listeners. Either way, this landmark Tangerine Dream release will remain an interesting side-note in the bands history for many years to come.

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Tangerine Dream: Tangram

Released in 1980, 'Tangram' came at a pivotal point in the German band Tangerine Dream's career, meeting at the crossroads of their previous extended form sequencer-based compositions and their decidedly New Age material which was yet to come. It also came as the band introduced a new member Johannes Schmoelling to the group, but despite turbulent circumstances for the band, 'Tangram' went on to become the fifth best selling release from the band, unsurprising when one listens to the album.

Tangerine Dream: Tangram

The album itself consists of simply two tracks: 'Tangram Set 1' and 'Tangram Set 2,' overall lasting an approximate duration of 40 minutes. In the later release, 'Tangram 2008,' these two tracks are divided into seven in total and many of the timbres have been altered.

Track one begins with a moderate paced sequence which underpins the initial section, embellished with an emphatic descending bass partern, later developing harmonically and progressing to include the defining antiphonal analogue brass melody which defines that part of the set. What is notable about the first set is the apparent influence which progressive rock has given, leading to a slightly experimental application of metre and form. This influence from progressive rock contrasts heavily with the final section of the set, which sees a much more subtle and calming quality.

The second track of the album begins with synthesised strings which undergo various suspensions, drawing some similarity in writing to some of Jean Michel Jarre's output in the late 1970's. As the piece develops, sequencers provide a more upbeat underpinning to the music and a strong melody is soon added. A bridge between the two distinct tracks in set 2 revisits the band's much earlier Krautrock begins in its experimental use of noise and non-musical sound. This also occurs later while the synthetic drones which end the set fade in and gradually take the primary focus.

A later compilation, 'Booster,' features a rather fine excerpt from Tangram and is reviewed here.

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Tangerine Dream: Booster Volume II

Following the success of the 2008 compilation 'Booster,' reviewed here, a second volume, 'Booster Volume II' was added in 2010 to the series which at time of writing includes four volumes in total. This new collection of works again comprise of a combination of live recordings and studio work and also includes some tracks from the group's Five Atomic Seasons series.

Tangerine Dream: Booster Volume II

The album begins with two contemporary reflections of works released several years ago by the group: 'Cloudburst Flight 2008' and 'Scrapyard 2008.' Compared to the original versions, released some thirty years previous, it is evident that both tracks have greatly benefited from modern synthesis and mixing technology. Being typical of Tangerine Dream's Independent Years, the sonic quality of the tracks in the album are a fine example to many electronic musicians.

The album contains in total 20 tracks across two CDs. Of note is the penultimate track 'Beyond The Cottage And The Lake,' which cannot easily be found on any other release. This particular track exemplifies sequence based composition and while it contains largely repetitive material from a musical standpoint, there is great variety in the track which generates great interest for the ear. This track is then followed with 'Trauma' which has become one of the iconic pieces of the group's Five Atomic Seasons series. This track could be considered in some respect to be an electronic application of the contemporary classical music tradition. From its intimidating pseudo-bell introduction to the emphatic musical textures which occur later, this piece is one of the best crafted tracks to be seen in the band's contemporary output.

For the avid collector, this compilation serves as a great accompaniment to the previous 'Booster' volume and showcases a further number of fine compositions by Tangerine Dream.

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Tangerine Dream: The Endless Season

'The Endless Season' marks the close of Tangerine Dream's Five Atomic Seasons series with 11 track, a total of over an hour in duration, of some of the finest material from the series.

Tangerine Dream: The Endless Season

The album begins with the shortest introductory track, 'Flashback,' which samples the marvellous 'Trauma' from part four in the Five Atomic Seasons series, 'Autumn In Hiroshima.' This leads into the more mysterious and darker 'Devotion' which makes extensive use of metallic and distorted guitar lines with innocent and naive flute writing towards the end of the track, segueing into 'Virtue Of Hope.'

In this reviewer's opinion, the fourth track, 'Escape,' is some of the finest material in the album. In typical contemporary Tangerine Dream output, the track fuses electronic drums with typical use of sequenced backdrops. The track also exhibits the group's typical use of extended form and very smooth harmony.

A later track, 'Logic Of Intuition,' characterises the theme of uncertainty and anxiety which is seen throughout the album. This track begins pleasantly before becoming increasingly frantic as it reaches the next track.

For fans of the band's early 00's output, 'Wild Oceans Of Blue Fate' ticks all the right boxes but illustrates the band's ever increasing attention to finding new and interesting timbres. Overall however, this album will prove a good listen for fans of any Tangerine Dream material from their independent years.

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Global Communication: '76:14'

While many readers may be unfamiliar with Global Communication, an ambient duo based in the UK, their debut album, simply entitled '76:14,' has received wide-spread critical acclaim. Frankly, for anyone with a Penchant for ambient music or downtempo soothing electronica, it's clear to see why this album received such praise.

The album begins with the brooding synthetic introduction portrayed by the first track, 4:02. This continues to build until a climactic conclusion at which point the haunting grand father clock crossfades in from the next track, '14:31.' The true strength of the album becomes clear from having listened to very little of the material on offer: Global Communication have an uncanny ability to give ambient music great interest for the attentive listener through their arrangements and choice of material.

The dysphoric introduction to the third track, '2:25' slowly evolves to incorporate a heavy beat which given the ambient beginnings to the album initially seems out of place, but it integrated well into the piece and contrasts well with the next track which seems to even draw inspiration weakly from Enigma and similar acts through it's use of a faux-New Age vibe which is also seen more overtly later in '5:23,' whose sequencer based synthetic rhythms and filtered white noise draw an instant comparison to 'Love on a Real Train' by Tangerine Dream.

This album is unashamedely a great ambient work, all the more due to the variety afforded the the expert use of material. The album takes the listener on a musical journey and serves as a brilliant musical backdrop to the daily grind. When one considers that this album was made in 1994, it's longevity and sustained relevance is a great credit to the English duo.

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Tangerine Dream: Booster

Tangerine Dream first became a household name after the increasing attention received since their first experimental music releases in the late 70s. As an early proponent of Krautrock along with Kraftwerk and similar bands, Tangerine Dream first began by creating avant-garde pieces making use of early analog synthesisers. As their career advanced and Tangerine Dream refined their sound, they became highly influential in the development of the 'New Age' musical genre and inspired several other acts, such as Enigma.

The 'Booster' compilation contains a total of 16 tracks across 2 CDs and serves as a tasteful retrospective for the bands output, including excerpts from 'Logos' and 'Tangram.' Alongside examples of Tangerine Dreams past hits, the album includes several lesser known tracks and some more recent compositions. The album itself includes several tracks recorded live, alongside several studio compositions, the sonic quality however is truly remarkable, this album is indeed very well mixed to sound crisp with great attention to detail.

The first track, 'One Night In Space' is a masterpiece in its own right and establishes the sequencer driven electronica style which is seen throughout the entire album. It is unsurprising that this has been incorporated into many of their live sets of late. With that said, most of the album is more ambient than the first track, serving as great background music. The hypnotic quality of 'The Greek Mirror' for instance reminds the listener of the bands roots in new age music but in a much more sophisticated electronica soundworld.

Overall, this album remains one of my personal favourites of all time, containing some truly exceptional examples of electronica which remains unparalleled by any other band. A later expansion to the 'Booster' Series, 'Booster Volume II' is reviewed here.

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