Gert Emmens + Ruud Heij - Return to the Origin

Artist: Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij
P: 2005 / 2010   
"Blind Watchers of A Vanishing Night" is an album consisting of live tracks recorded during various gigs in 2004.
The title track wastes no time with the lovely sequences appearing almost instantly - and what sequences they are - lovely pulsations straight out of the "Ricochet" school. Great Mellotron choir sounds add to the picture, as well as subtle synth soloing. Pure cosmic bliss! Stylistically this continues what started on "Return To the Origin", which means Berlin School music of the highest order. If upbeat sequencers with a melancholic flair (courtesy of Gert, I think) are your thing - this is the album for you.
"A Journey Through Time" is a long suite (44:01) with multiple parts.
The first part, "Solaris" is known from Gert & Ruud's previous effort as well as Gert's solo performances. Floating pads, melodic sequences, Mellotron flutes and a no-nonsense CS-80-like "harmonica" solo are the key elements here.
The second part, "Red Clouds Over A Misty Swamp" is all-atmospheric, with subtle synth soundscapes and distant Mellotron choirs. This is some real moody stuff!
"The Rise And Fall of Atlantis" takes things back to sequencer territory, with insistent string slabs and supporting pads.
"Waiting For the Day To Come" calms things down once again, but this time the atmosphere of suspense and fear prevails.
"Crystal Tears" has sequences that are slower but have more oomph to them - bass pulsations that remind on Klaus Schulze circa 1976 - 1977. Some lovely use of Mellotron flute sound on this one as well.
"The Day the Moon Will Leave Us" closes the suite on an atmospheric and a tad dramatic note.
"Moments of Unexpected Sadness" starts with excellent soundscapes but after a few seconds in comes an excellent melodic sequence which is then joined by yet another one and we are propelled forward on top of floating waves of sound. Excellent sounds, melodies, atmospheres and of course, sequencing. The whistling synth lead line is pretty tasty as well. Any fan of sequencer EM will swallow this track in no time! A lot of Mellotron strings are heard towards the end as well as some EMS chirping.
"Conspiracy of Two Forces"... Wow! This is simply the strongest bass sequencing I've heard from these guys so far. The pulsations are so punchy, they'll have your head spinning and your heart racing at full speed. On top of that we can hear Gert churning out a reflective solo. This is the best track on the entire album. The ultimate Berlin School number? The essence of Berlin-styled electronics? Perhaps.
"Driving Home On A Rainy Night" sounds like a continuation of the previous number with added electronic drums and Mellotron strings.
Excellent and somewhat cheerful / reflective finish to this great album laden with sequences, solos and atmospheres.

Artist: Gert Emmens
P: 2013
Peter Leijdsman is co-composer of Contemplation, since this is a new version of a track with the same name, composed and played by Gert Emmens and Peter Leijdsman in 2003.
Matzumi (Kathrin Manz): voice on Cry It Out and Silencio Eterno.
Natxo Asenjo Fernandez: narrator of Spanish poem on Silencio Eterno.
Photography, photo-editing and photo-artwork by Aleksandra Prybylska.
The story of this album is about a woman, having the time of her life, along the side of the love of her life. Everything seems to be perfect, what can go wrong? Then one morning, she wakes up, finding herself being alone, no sign of her love, but a poem in Spanish that he left for her. A poem that seems to have some meaning she cannot find in it. What has happened? While time passes without him returning, she undergoes feelings of unbelieve, desperation, sadness, despair, anger and hope. It is a time where this hope slowly fades and she tries to find a way to move on, without the man who meant so much to her. All the time one question remains: Why? Will she ever find the answer to it?

Artist: Gert Emmens
P: 1999 / 2024
So the idea was actually: how would Elektra sound if I had played and recorded it now (2023 that is).
At some point I started to realize that in 2024 it would be 25 years ago since Elektra was released, which led to the idea of releasing this version as a 25th anniversary edition.
The original Elektra was never released on cd, but on cdr. So in a way you have the chance to have it on cd now. Hope you’ll enjoy it!!
"Elektra" opens with a cheesy vocoder voice, sounding like those evil robots from the eighties American sci-fi show Battlestar Galactica. However, it doesn't take long at all for the excellent music that follows to make you forget all about that. Gert Emmens provides exceptionally strong compositions with crisp melodies and pace. Though there is a heavy dose of cool retro analog sounds, they are used much differently than most recent electronic music. No long sequencer passages, no layers of hypnotic effects, even though the cover art showing rows of analog knobs and switches imply it.
Though technically a three-part, 54-minute track, "Elektra" is really made up of several smaller themes and ideas, seamlessly blended into a unified musical work. There are readily identifiable passages, some of them quite brief, others lasting a few minutes. Male vocal chants, reminiscent of Enigma, at the beginning of "Elektra part 2" quickly give way to light, bouncy synthesizers, which after a few minutes surrender to floating space music, with stabs of cheese saw waves popping in and out. At times, Emmens reminds me of Venja, who also blends eighties synthesizer melodic sensibilities into its music. The music is generally bright and upbeat, the kind to give you an emotional lift for the day, or to enjoy while driving in the country or along the coastline. Emmens somehow manages to achieve this without too much kitsch. If you like how Tangerine Dream blended melody and themes into its music of the early eighties, then you really owe it to yourself to check out this release.
This is a legendary work, where the composer proved his great imagination. He developed fresh, imaginative ideas, preferably aimed at Space Music. From the precise instant of the beginning of the album, we witness a display of creative, sonic energy of a high degree. Ethereal sounds, dramatic melodies and gliding sequences, envelop one by one all the themes of the album. The music flows in a stream of unearthly soundscapes, communicating a wide range of feelings and emotions. In a few words, this is one of the recordings that takes Space Music to its highest reaches.