Tangerine Dream started out making complete space music, and their first 4 record on the German Ohr label are all key. However, after DJ John Peel named their album Atem best import of the year in 1973, they switched to Mike Oldfield's new Virgin label. Here, they changed things up, adding a bit more melodic structure while continued that open, minimalistic feel. The result is 1974's Phaedra often hailed as one of the electronic genre's first masterpieces.
The record contains a 16 minute long title track, two 9-10 minute pieces, and wraps up with a 2:20 meletron flute. That title track has a very airy feel, using Meletron extensively. It slowly transitions between a number of melodic structures, never actively gripping the listener but merely showering sound through their mind in a light manner. The whole record speaks of this: gentle, docile, and ambient. All but a few little sprinkles of guitar chords is done on electronic instruments. The two mid length tracks, are also very pleasing. "Mysterious Semblance at the Strands of Nightmares" is soft and cloudlike, while "Movements of a Visionary", one of TD's most famous tracks, is more analog sounding, and conjures up images of water. The quickie "Sequent C" is a very sweet overlaying on the Meletron's Flute sound.
This was indeed the future of E-music. Phaedra came out the same year as Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" and Brian Eno's debut album. These three set the new bar: no longer reserved for experiments, purely electronic music can have melody, and be enjoyable. A Progressive work in every sense of the word.
A fantastic indicator of things to come, Tangerine Dream had reached their peak which would last several albums longer. Grade: A
The record contains a 16 minute long title track, two 9-10 minute pieces, and wraps up with a 2:20 meletron flute. That title track has a very airy feel, using Meletron extensively. It slowly transitions between a number of melodic structures, never actively gripping the listener but merely showering sound through their mind in a light manner. The whole record speaks of this: gentle, docile, and ambient. All but a few little sprinkles of guitar chords is done on electronic instruments. The two mid length tracks, are also very pleasing. "Mysterious Semblance at the Strands of Nightmares" is soft and cloudlike, while "Movements of a Visionary", one of TD's most famous tracks, is more analog sounding, and conjures up images of water. The quickie "Sequent C" is a very sweet overlaying on the Meletron's Flute sound.
This was indeed the future of E-music. Phaedra came out the same year as Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" and Brian Eno's debut album. These three set the new bar: no longer reserved for experiments, purely electronic music can have melody, and be enjoyable. A Progressive work in every sense of the word.
A fantastic indicator of things to come, Tangerine Dream had reached their peak which would last several albums longer. Grade: A
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