RUBYCON

It is important for me to perform the reviews of Rubycon and Phaedra one beside the other. Both albums share the same quality, and if we consider Phaedra to be the top of an evolution that yielded such a fantastic record, one must say that Rubycon would be the starting of a period of fall. This would mean that for the best Tangerine could do, after a masterpiece like Phaedra (the climax of a cycle), it would be too hard to maintain a masterpiece level without a complete exchange of musical approach? But for the pleasure of music lovers, they got it !! They made an album very much close in style, but sufficiently apart to be not considered the second disc of a double LP.

If you take a view on Phaedra like that, Rubycon would only avoid being eclipsed by Phaedra if it could reach lands Phaedra doesn´t. And it would be even harder without a considerable change in approach. But for the amazement of all music lovers, Tangerine got to do it, even without a change in musical approach (a change like the one noticed when you compare Richochet or Atmosfear with Phaedra).

So, this is the great achievement of Tangerine Dream in Rubycon. They got to go further beyond the climax that Phaedra represents; but even doing this, Phaedra maintains its condition of being a climax; the albums are so similar, but there are no lack of creativity in composing and playing both of them.

All this comparisons, maybe even all this reviews of Tangerine Dream works may sounds meaningless to many of the listeners. But this is progressive electronic. It is always in the straight line between being magic and being boring, between a environment sound for reading or talking or a full attention demanding music that takes listeners to a very deep inside experience. Progressive Electronic is music of extremes?