LE BERCEAU DE CRISTAL (OST)

Le Berceau De Crystal is more of a Göttsching solo effort then a real Ash Ra Tempel record. Bass player Hartmut Enke is not in this line-up, neither will you find any drummer. This album was actually a cooperation with Lutz Ulbrich from Agitation Free. It was mainly recorded live in 1975 but you can't hear any audience and the material is entirely original. So in fact, this listens like a studio album.

The music belongs to a completely different realm then the kraut rock of Ash Ra Tempel. This is a progressive electronic album, closer to what Göttsching would release under the of Ashra moniker then to anything krautrock. In fact, there is no rock at all here and people looking for action will have to seek elsewhere. This is one of those 'nothing happens' albums, an album of introvert ambient soundscapes, with lots of delayed guitars, electronics, effects, great compositions and of course tons of atmosphere!

The album is a near masterpiece in the style. Slowly spinning eternal melodies create an abstract and mystical ambience that transcends you to another world. But it's no new age. The music is too compelling and ominous for that. A piece like L'hiver Doux is simply gorgeous and can proudly stand next to Schulze's and Tangerine Dream's best early works. Don't expect bouncy sequencers, apart from a few exceptions, all tracks are created without rhythmic pulse. Only Silence Sauvage and Le Sourire Volé have a sort of dark droning pulse that remind me of Schulze's Blackdance.

This is a marvellous album, it similar to the early works from Schulze and Tangerine dream, be it slightly more melodious and accessible. Also all fans of Richard Wright's keyboard playing on the early Floyd albums should lend their ears. 4.5 stars