| Artists: Pete Namlook + Klaus Schulze Album: The Dark Side of the Moog IX Label: Fax |  |
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Pete Namlook and Klaus Schulze, two towering figures in electronic music, combine their talents and craft on their continuing series of The Dark Side of the Moog releases. Each volume contains one named track which is divided into several sections. On IX (May 2002), the duo offers "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother", yet another in a long line of jumbled up Pink Floyd titles. On this album, the music's trajectory rises immediately into low-earth orbit. This mood is powered with the pulse of layered analogue percussion cycling softly beneath the wandering counterpoint of electric piano and vintage synth leads. Elsewhere, the rhythmic element comes from steadfast sequencer driven synth tones - excellent examples of the fat, full and fleshy tonal attributes of this classic style of spacemusic. Between these forays into rhythm, melody and harmony, we are briefly transported into the chilling void of deep space with movements where subtle changes in the timbral plane is all that remains to focus on. The list of explorers in this genre is expanding. The more skilled within these ranks bring with them, at the very least, proficiencey and enthusiasm. But what sets The Dark Side of the Moog IX apart from this group is its innovation - the rarest of all creative traits.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 2 May 2003 | |
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