LE PARC

Hailing from an era when Tangerine Dream were arguably focusing on movie soundtracks far more than studio albums, Le Parc is an exception to that rule (though even then, some of the selections here would be used as soundtrack work). Their mid-1980s transformation here is largely complete; the spacey sounds of their 1970s releases are largely absent, and in its place are sleek, then-modern digital synthesisers, a cool cyberpunk atmosphere, and catchy synthpop-esque cadences, but with sufficient flashes of inventiveness to make this all seem compelling and original rather than blandly generic. Provided you aren't averse to shorter compositions and a fairly light, accessible tone, there's a lot to enjoy here.