RICOCHET

In The Netherlands there is a vivid electronic music scene, with an annual festival and an annual day for electronic music fans, an electronic music oriented label (Groove) for Dutch and international bands and artists, and lots of Facebook pages dedicated to Dutch electronic music. During the years I have bought many albums at the Groove label: from Free System Project, Red Shift, Airsculpture, ARC (Ian Boddy and Mark Shreeve) and Return To The Origin to Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij, Rudy Adrian, Pollard/Daniel/Booth and Node, all obviously inspired by the highly acclaimed 1974-1977 Tangerine Dream era, in the classic line-up featuring Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann and Christoph Franke.

Although I consider Phaedra as a masterpiece and a boost for the development of electronic music, to me it still sounds as a pioneering album: the band used for the first time the sequencer module of the modular Moog, and the trio is experimenting how to blend the sequencer with the synthesizers and Mellotron. On the next album Rubycon you can hear the development of the Phaedra sound, the music is less experimental and more elaborate, dynamic and structured, also due to the guitarplay by Edgar Froese, but especially the sequencing is spectacular. On this live album, recorded during the European tour in 1975, the legendary trio Tangerine Dream really shines with their pivotal electronic music.

Ricochet Pt. 1 (17:03) : The intro delivers spacey synthesizers with phasing and echo, and the usual beeps and bleeps, blended with electronic percussion. The music sounds like leaving the earth with a spaceship for a cosmic trip between the stars and around the moon. Now slowly from outer space the pulsating sound of sequencing and soaring Farfisa organ, soon a distorted electric guitar sound, backed by electronic percussion and soft Mellotron drops. Next the music turns first into more atmospheric with tight drum beats and then gradually a dynamic blend of synthesizers, string-ensemble, Mellotron, distorted electric guitar and spectacular mid-tempo sequencing, what an amazing interplay between the trio, top notch electronic music, wow! Finally a blend of high and low souding slow synthesizer flights, a fascinating contrast to end this epic electronic music magnum opus.

Ricochet Pt. 2 (21:11) : This other epic composition begins with tender play on the Grand piano and soaring Mellotron flute, in a melancholical climate, pretty emotional for electronic music standards! Now sequencing joins, fuelled by lush synthesizers, gradually the sequencing sounds more pulsating, this is Electronic Music Heaven, and turned out to be very influential. The powerful sequencing and flashy synthesizer flights add a dynamic dimension to the music, interrupted by a wonderful dreamy interlude with Mellotron flute, in the end soaring synthesizers and Mellotron, with phasing, an unique piece of electronic music, wow!

With respect for the milestone Phaedra, I prefer the more elaborate and dynamic Tangerine Dream sound between 1975 and 1977. For me this live album is one of the absolute highlights in electronic music history!