BERND KISTENMACHER

Bernd Kistenmacher - Wake Up in the Sun....

Comment: This studio album dates from 1987, an era when the great bands and artists of the 70s virtually burned out, and entered the shallow waters of commercialization, muzak, elevator music and creative emptiness in general. However, the spirit does not die in the nation, and the late 80s spawned the new generation of electronic music. Boy, was I happy. Yet again the Deutsche Ubermenschen of Electronica proved beyond doubt that they and only they have it in blood. If flamenco and tango burns like a fire in the southern musicians, almost by default, we can say the same about zee Teutons in the ambient/electronic genre.

Bernd Kistenmacher is a young lad (well, relatively to, say, Edgar Froese) who entered the stage in 1986 with his "Head Visions", and knocked us out completely with his next release, "Wake Up In The Sun". If you feel as lost as I did years ago, i.e. if you know brand names only, then here's a hint, meine freund. Bernd composes in the good old tradition of electronic rock - taking the best inspirations from Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, and most of all, Klaus Schulze and Michael Hoenig. These inspirations are eminent, no doubt, and they are evident on this album, especially with respect to Hoenig. As if phoenix from the ashes, the Grand Music is alive again.

The first track of this album, over 20 minutes long, is a tribute to old masters. Whereas the influences are strong, we hear a distinct, young voice of originality. The second track, the shortest on the album (just over 8 minutes) is one of the best ambient beats I have ever heard in my life. Incredibly rhythmic, with almost no drums, however - it rocks you, and yet the stigma of electronic meditation is undeniable. The second half of the album only gets better. No more Schulzian staccato, no more Klausian ostinato, no more Tangerine Arpeggio - just Bernd and his head visions. Although inspired, the structure of this over 20-minute track is evident from the very first minutes, but nevertheless it's an audiophiliac feast.

The grand finale is the small suite I fell in love with more than ten years ago, in 1990, when I first heard "Wake Up In The Sun". Rainy is this track, indeed. This is the real Kistenmacher, this is the real discovery of the late 1980s. His talent is just incredible. With this track only, he managed to outscore the Giants, to oust them from the throne, to jerk out from our hearts what was turned to stone years ago.

With this CD, I am young again.