Search - Pete Namlook, Klaus Schulze, Bill Laswell :: Dark Side of Moog 5

Absolutely incredible!

Basher | St. Louis | 03/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD defines what GOOD electronica / space music is supposed to be! Slow pads, drum machines with incredible samples and even better beats, VERY good synthesizer work-- the masters (Bill Laswell, Pete Namlook and Klaus Schulze) did it again in the fifth of the series 'Dark Side of the Moog'. Unfortunately, the purchase of this CD is not to be taken lightly. ANY of the CDs in the series are very hard to find. I own four of them, and I'm hunting like a madman for the other six, after hearing those I own (IV, V, VI, & VII). This PARTICULAR CD is still my favorite so far, though, and I highly reccomend it if you're willing to do the hunting, and want to treat your ears well!"

Superb

guymart14 | toronto | 04/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are looking for good solid electronic music - ambient space music - this is one of a superb series of albums Klaus Schulz and Pete Namlook put together through the years. Enter in Bill Laswell on a few tracks (the liveliest of the psychedelic brunch) and you have a solid album. The special part of this album is a brief introduction by Bob Moog. Unfortunately, not the easiest disc to find but there are places you can find this....."

Rather unsatisfying... but my opinion is all the more biased

Alec 'Oss | Italy's whereabouts | 04/05/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'm no particular fan of ambient/space music per se, though I do like some of Eno's works, as well as some drone kraut rock stuff Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel (Schulze played in both), have done. Not my cup of tea, but still... As for Namlook, I virtually know nothing of him. Laswell is a major aquaintance to me, though I'm more familiar with his collaborations on his dub coté or on his noise-thrash zornisms.

That said, the work done here is diverse, which might not be bad at all, but in this case the results don't coalesce perfectly. Tunes shift from modulating moog driven drones, just like good old TD, to lisergic spaced out atmospheres, like intriguing Ash Ra, to light ambient electronic dance music, the kind that you easily find in certain clubs you might try to avoid, in a not very convincing way, or at least I'm not very impressed by it. As a matter of fact you have the impression you are listening to stuff which is by no means new (but I'm writing as a 2006 listener), nor really paying properly homage to good old kraut rock days. The album itself was issued in 1997, and electronic music has changed a lot since. I was expecting it a more dub-inflated album, melding in moogs&synths à la 70's space music, but I have the impression I landed on a rather standard ambient music record. Anyway a couple of tracks are good enough a listen, and they're the ones that are more influenced by Schulze's background."