MIRAGE

Schulze's "Mirage" is an electronic new age masterwork from the mid-70s with crystal clear sound, rich layering of analogue instrumentation, and minimalistic dynamics. These elements work together to provide you ultimate relaxation.

"Velvet Voyage" is a timeless piece of art, among the most beautiful in the genre. The mysterious, avant-garde synthesizers drift you off to a dream-like wintry (or cosmic) soundscape throughout the rest of the song driven by multiple layers of choir mellotrons, pulsing synthesizer loop, repetitive delicate keys, and ambient moog synthesizer improvisations. All of these elements are brilliant by themselves, transcendental when mixed together. The track, despite half an hour in length, does not overstay its welcome at all. It also does not have any moments that would break the delicate, quiet mood that help relax listeners' minds. I perceive it to be a rare perfect composition.

"Crystal Lake" continues the theme of winter and the sequence of bells and vibraphones conjure images of a desolate frozen lake. After a few minutes, thick buzzing synthesizers begin cutting through the thick bell sequence and a third layer plays in the background, adding a needed element to the first themes. I do find these first eight minutes repetitive and somewhat dated when I am not in the mood: the issue is that the pace is a bit more energetic and the themes are more upfront and less intertwined. Luckily, the extended ambient rhythm-less section that lingers for over ten minutes is stunningly beautiful. The music eventually develops into a culmination that involves variations of the themes from both tracks, including the gorgeous keys from "Velvet Voyage" and the dense mellotron layers. The end of the synthesizer solo can give me chills: it is that powerful.

This album is recommendable to anyone who can enjoy any forms of slow-paced minimalistic music. It is the album that helped me discover the good side of electronic and new age music. While the only thing that is connected to 'prog' in here is the heavy use of mellotron, "Velvet Voyage" (and possibly Crystal Lake) should find many fans within this website which provides the full track for streaming.