HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

i know - i was a big fan of his early stuff in my teens and it took me years & years to get into the later stuff, and now i can't get enough - Tilt is my favorite album of all time, just gets better & better every time i hear it (ditto Nick Drake's Pink Moon / John Martyn's Solid Air / Arvo Part's Miserere, nos. 2,3 & 4).

Arthur Russel had a custom-made electric cello (hence the beautiful bass drone quality), was classically trained and made music that sounded/sounds like nothing else, a big influence on late 80s/90s british dance music (house/ambient).

Then I'll have to give it a listen, also into making strange ambient noises with my e-cello (Steinberg) and several delay / loop / effects pedals.

Cool

When I get frazzled like right now, I tend to stuff like this -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQSW0-qt_6M

Brilliant flat out on the large active ATC's I once owned... I'm sure the neighbours agreed - cough...

Yup! Thats frazzled music, Dave. Sure enough!

Ah, but then this from the master

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQSW0-qt_6M

and then this - the most beautiful piece I've ever known

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-ATeFGN2Ss


That's better - utter bliss...

KS - yes, that's bliss.

Taking time out from headbanging mode with a brand new remaster/reissue of THE original, British EM album; Tim Blake's 'Crystal Machine'.

The synth operator on several classic early 70's Gong and Hawkwind LP's released this collection of live tracks, at the time he was having trouble getting out of a contract that he had signed in his Gong days which meant that anything he released was the property of Virgin Records.

Despite being recorded solo and direct to 2-track, the music and recording is astonishing and fresh for the time. Managing to sound totally different to the few other electronic artists around: Vangelis, Jarre, Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. It looked as if Tim Blake was set for a great career. Whatever happened?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXRSQ24p2HM

The Grand Masters in the development of modern EM have to be Tangerine Dream, and then especially in the period 1974-1983 when they were signed to Virgin Records. During this period they were key figures in creating many of the instruments now taken for granted: Sequencers, samplers, modular and polyphonic synths.

For those wishing to begin/update/complete their TD collection, Virgin have issued 2 multi-disc sets:



The Virgin years 1974-1978 includes the albums:
Phaedra
Rubycon
Ricochet
Stratosfear
Cyclone
plus extras like single edits and radio adverts.



The Virgin years 1977-1983
Encore
Force Majeure
Tangram
Exit
White Eagle
Logos
Hyperborea
plus a couple of tracks from the soundtrack 'Thief'

Each and every one of these recordings is a classic in the genre and their importance cannot be emphasised enough.
These discs are all very well remastered, slightly different EQ from the last series, I think they sound a tad clearer.
Can be picked up for about 10 pounds per set if you shop around.
What are you waiting for ?

It was a year or so ago that DSJR recommended Wolfgang Flur's autobiography 'I Was A Robot' about his life and music before, during and after the time when he was a member of the 'classic' Kraftwerk line-up.

Having read this during my holiday, I was struck mainly by how a naive feeling of friendship based in the love of making music can be manipulated and soured by greed for financial gain. Ralf and Florian appeared to use everyone around them for their own gains - Wolfgang, the other member Karl Bartos and producer Conny Plank were all ripped off to a large extent.

Poignantly, Flur held on to his humanity throughout the mad years where four shy boys from Dusseldorf became the world-renowned creators of a musical genre. Even at the end he retains his feelings of friendship.



Kraftwerk - Tanzmusik (Live, 1973)

Here is a clip showing the fledgling Kraftwerk heading into a new era, the transformation from art-rock duo to synth pioneers is around the next corner. Wolfgang had just joined and in a couple of weeks had thought up and developed the electronic drum kit which launched the Man-Machine concept. Despite it being his idea - Ralf and Florian patented it in America shortly afterwards (without telling Flur) laying the basis for the acrimony that would come later.

And here 'Autobahn' from their 1975 tour.
kraftwerk - Autobahn midnight special (us tv 1975)

Tangerine Dream fans looking for a taste of the new 'Quantum Gate' album should check out this clip on the Kscope website.
Noticeable Ulrich Schnauss sound here - release date is September 29.

“Tear Down the Grey Skies”