ECSTASY

While most fans of Deuter's D and Aum don't favour his conversion to such kind of music, I adore it. I think his later works are at least as (if not more) inventive that his first two albums (although I love them both). First, he practically created absolutely new genre (although the name of New Age comes from the title of Ashra's album New Age Of Earth, it has more relations to Kosmische that to anything else). Second, despite the oceans of imitators he created a blend as almost nobody else does). To put it short, The Musical Heaven. By the way one could find a conceptual correlation with his older albums: they were trippy, kind of journey somewhere; with older works it shows that Deuter has reached that right place, the perfect state of mind. And I must disagree with opinions about insipidity and etc. It's just the peaceful atmosphere that tricks.

This album is one of the best examples of Deuter's music. It makes listener blow away his earthly problems and sink into the music. It opens with Wings Of Love. A very nice meditative track with a bit folkish ending. Then comes 11+ minute "epic" Ecstasy. One might even compare it to Klaus Schulze. The difference is that Schulze almost always uses minor chords (not a drawback) and Deuter almost always uses majors! Night Rain is a simple sequenced moody track. Blue Waves Gold - kind of Ecstasy, just shorter. Back to The Planet follows that cosmic mood - the nice sounding guitar is added. Brazilian Love is a good acoustic guitar piece. How many guitars are there 2? 3? Well I don't care, I enjoy it. Illaha Il Allah closes the album in beautiful slow-paced way.

I think objectively this album should rank between 5 / 4 stars but it has something more just than music in it. A hidden spirituality or something else, maybe, which is in perfect harmony with my personality and the fact is that I LOVE this recording so much. So an Advice: LISTEN AND ENLIGHTEN YOURSELF!

Less experimental, more focused song writing, great results!

Stepping aside from his earlier electronic experimentations, Deuter shows an unknown dexterity for creative and serious musical composition. In "Ecstasy", the biggest surprise are its early rennaisance and baroque musical figures, alongside very "electronic" compositions.

For starters do not mistake this work by its art cover, name or the future "new age" music, Deuter will pursue without rest, in posterior projects. Here in this work, the freshness of new found methods of expression, that are both novel and original, express themselves with a very tasteful, balance of what may seem, at close distance, as opposed goals, turns out succesfully, due to the precise dosage of creative, yet un-pretentious "classical music" structures, rendered into form with a match of "electronic" synths that instead of emulating the sound of acoustic instruments, catches their spirit with analogue synth sounds, which greatest attribute, is not faking the original acoustic sounds, but "catching" their inner "depth" and sonic timbre.

So,.. Really inspired songs that move around very "progressive" electronic pieces, counterpointed by classical music early structures, into "new age" like-environments. Pulling it off, with innovative but "focused" musical composition and a "measured" but inspired performance.

****4 "A jewel in Deuter's discography, therefore a "jewel" for Prog audiophiles, electronic and not", PA stars.