PETE NAMLOOK & K. SCHULZE: THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOOG VI

It offers weak and long interludes ("Part I") while some other moments are pure magic and fully Floydean oriented ("Part II"). I guess that the latter corresponds more to the "world" that one can imagine for this long sequence of albums. A deep and wonderful highlight for sure.

The problem is that it is one of the few?Some other "Parts" are quite difficult to swallow, even for die-hard fans of the great man as I am. Techno beats for a long while ("Part III"), jazzy items for short ones (not too bad actually like during the closing fourth part).

Still, the best is reached with the epic section ("Part V") which is a pure marvel of a melody as Klaus has used us to in the seventies. Splendid harmony, cold beauty, simple passion, skilled song writing and of course perfect execution. A perfect travel into TD and Floyd. What else can you expect?

Just some splendid key lines, I guess?And you'll definitely get them.

This long section is formidably saving the bill for this sixth leg of this dark side of the moog. Actually, the last part is also gorgeous and provides the same shivering skin effect. A memorable and grandiose piece of music.

I rate this album with three stars overall, but be aware that there are some darker and less appealing sides here as well; which means that there are also masterpiece songs to make the balance.

Starting with 8 minutes of sparse synths and vocoder effects, this uncanny ambience will not remind you very much of the Pink Floyd album that this title is referring to. Not a very great pun neither really.

Part II gets me going though. A slow pace, lush sounds and mesmeric melodies show that the two artists are highly inspired again. It flows into Part III, which adds a faster beat that gradually develops into a drum&bass/jungle groove. Soft mellotron chords and a memorably lead melody turn this one into a very charming electronic piece. Part IV starts as a cosmic lounge take on minimal drum and bass. This album is from 1997 for something. I like the rhythmic development of it but it doesn't seem to evolve into much. There's a nice guitar contribution from Laswell though. I can see this one growing on me a bit more.

With 24 minutes, Part V is the focal point of the album and has a clear Schulze stamp all over it, featuring plenty of organically developing sequences and synth washes. Namlook is into it as well, adding sound effects and some of his Tangerine Dream alike sequences.

The best part comes at the end, Part VI consists of a number of sections really, beginning with those majestic minor chords from Schulze again. Then a slightly more experimental minute follows, suggesting watery sounds and introducing the bass line that will push the last 6 minutes forward. This last section is one of the best dance moments of the entire Dark Side Of The Moog project. It's amazing Trance techno that sits comfortably next to the music of Underworld and Orbital from those years. Stunning, could have lasted another half hour for me.

After a slightly problematical start on the first 4 albums, this Dark Side of The Moog project has turned into the most satisfying progressive electronic music experience of the 90's for me. Apart from a slow start, this Final DAT delivers. 3.5 stars