THE PRIVATE TAPES VOL. 1

The Private Tapes volumes, signed under the entire philosophy of Manuel Göttsching and his legendary parallels in musicianship, is a truly exciting collection of outspoken music of the general but heated intensities of krautrock in the fashionable sense or in the peculiar audentity and of electronic in the classic touch of personal inventions, being a welcoming address to unreleased material, which deserves however its music moment. Klaus Schulze launched four voluminous collection editions of definitory or just comprehensive music. Tangerine Dream approached differently their un-equivalent Golden Years style during the 90s compilation or remixes motion, but eventually took also a bit of care in the unmentioned passed, especially by concept lives. In the rest of examples, we got enough compilations to mention. Manuel Göttsching launches an essential set of six volumes Private Tapes, through which much about his creativity and his creator impulse are anticipated and, why to stretch it longer in conversation, the known history of Ash Ra Tempel, Ashra and Göttsching solo gets more complete through something not necessarily known, still totally recommended for addicted and for the addiction.

Volume 1 is easy and comfortable, balanced in electronic simplistic on one hand and krautrock of little drama on the other. All the main pieces are personally Göttsching's, the consensus of influences and directions being marginal to speak of. Last piece is original in its pointed place.

Introduction to the volume and to the entire concept (if we take in a usual, but in the same time unnecessary extended way), still a small concept-fragment itself if the two pieces of same sort in this album have a relation, Bois de la soleil is a lethargic manner of playing four minutes of guitar small craft on the made flat background of as precise as possible harmonics, being a confusing style of either individual composition by Göttsching in the late Ash Ra or a pretty typo of settled and calm(ing) pieces within the Ashra replica (whoever it sounds best.)

The first epic of the album indicates valences of pure electronic that can define Manuel Göttsching as a composer and interpret, but which stay as them being defined perpendicularly by him. Regarding the technique, never even think of the preferred syntagm "inventions for electric guitar" without an unsaid but understood "inventions for electronic itself!". Eloquentes wiesel is of taste, but simple and light. In a unitary mode being personalized, Göttsching creates the atmosphere, prologues it and preserves it all the way up. The impression is short, acceptable. A continuous theme, driven to profoundness by secondary lines and derived nature, catching therefore some polyphonic glitter but mainly rhythmic melody (the oxymoron is less subtle, to be sincere.), ending in a refined cross of wrapping guitar. It is a small essence through which to see the volatized concrete sound, in switch of modular and sequential.

The artistic epic, Begleitmus, is of a welcomed kraut, playing with dissonances, contrasts, somber shines, fascinating cold artifices.tempting introspective music.proven quality of creator impulse. Composition is actually one segmented, in "traveling soundings" impressions: at first of a indubitable Ash Ra Tempel sensitivity, precariously emotional, followed by frames in the same still way of echoes, harmonies, ambiances, pleasure coming then indescribably in a moment of experimental sense, rough-orientation, calm grasping, all mystifying qualities. I don't know, a slight iz of "Alpha Centauri" or the much deep character of Ash Ra. Not a bad cuisine at all, in the mind-impulsive style that's always preferable or, if not, without hesitation in classic followings.

As a response or as a reaction, Bois De La Lune makes the tableau of a self-arrived moment whole. Meaning unequivocally, from the start, a dynamic impulse, a small ampleness of improvisation and a stone color. In a bigger effort, Göttsching plays heavy and (distinctively) hurtful, with hypnotism not in technique, but, yes, in the emotional galore. Seven minutes shaped in sublime penchant of not at all simple broken acoustics, but also in exaggerated brutal climaxes which sin comes from only the radical/ridiculous/revolutionary guitar mastering.

Steeple Chase Blues Band is the ante-formation of Ash Ra Tempel Göttsching motioned, with also the musical effort of Hermut Enke, Wolker Zibell and Wolfgang Muller. This semi-rigid semi-unleashed piece is either a spineless demo, either the incipient start of the full progression towards Ash Ra whose sense is understandable by words and facts, less by music, either the self-imposed caliber, low and different. So the only "evasion" from this entire kraut, electronic, cosmic and dark feast is an accommodating sheet of "blues-ed rock" (strictly upbeat), with a percussive intermezzo of discrepancies but elegance as much as given. You can feel the acid of real kraut premonitions, of deep, of confounded sound. Otherwise, it's the simple perspective taken by Froese as well, with The Ones, before Tangerine, without the psych of course.

Good material in a volume which doesn't consume itself irresponsibly and does not let loose everything except when such a known acidic music means délice. More and better goodies on the following volumes.