Search - Tangerine Dream :: Electronic Meditation

Embryonic Anarchic Improvisation

Steve Benner | Lancaster, UK | 05/02/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If you're familiar with Tangerine Dream only as a synthesiser group, specialising in "New Age Ambient" music (as many people think of them), then "Electronic Meditation" will come as something of a shock. This was the embryonic Tangerine Dream's first record release, originally by a very forward-looking (to say nothing of brave) German record label, Ohr. It was recorded in October 1969, a couple of years before even the name Tangerine Dream had been heard in the UK, and some five years before their signing to an upstart record-publisher, Virgin, gave both their own and their record company's careers such a tremendous boost. Bear in mind that 1969 was only five years or so after Robert Moog and David Buchla almost simultaneously released the world's first commercial electronic music synthesisers: such instruments were still rare, expensive, and of fairly limited capabilities back then, and the 'electronic' of the title refers not to the use of any such instrument, but rather to the treatments applied to the sound produced from the standard acoustical instruments--guitars and piano (Edgar Froese), cello and violin (Conrad Schnitzler) and drum-kit and metal sticks (Klaus Schulze)--using an extremely crude electronic effect device, an additator (basically, just a ring modulator as far as I can tell) and the use of Farfisa organ. The music itself is difficult to describe unless you're already familiar with the cult experimental free-form rock that was prevalent across continental Europe (especially Germany) in the late 60s but if you imagine three guys hammering and scraping away and generally torturing their instruments, often with little or no seeming regard for what their fellow group members are doing at the time, then you'll have a pretty fair idea! But don't let that put you off: this is important music which at one time had a huge cult following and it deserves to be heard still. And, who knows, you may even discover that you like it!



Be warned, however, that this disc runs for fewer than 35 minutes. (Hence the paucity of stars!) And it was recorded 'live' in an old warehouse, using less than the highest of fi recording gear, so it has a much lower dynamic range than we're used to hearing these days, and in parts sounds positively muddy. Which was probably intended...



Incidentally, if you do find you like it and want to hear more like it, then you should definitely check out the other early Tangerine Dream albums, "Atem", "Zeit" and "Green Desert", as well as the early musics of Klaus Schulze and other experimental groups of the time, like Amon Dhul and Cosmic Rooster. Or you may prefer to explore the more up-to-date approach to experimental electronic music-making, by investigating the many treasures available from Centaur Records and the Consortium to Distribute Computer Music releases, or the electroacoustic masterpieces on offer from Diffusion i Media. Amazon don't seem to stock these (shame!) so you'll need to send your favourite web-searcher off to look for CDCM in Texas, and electrocd.com in Quebec, though."