RARITIES

Artist: Arcanum
P: 1996
Released in 1996, the artist behind Arcanum is Bernd Franz Moritz Braun and he's come up with a quality synth album here which doesn't exactly break new ground, but what it does cover is presented with polish and expertise. The opening track 'Alaska' features 20 minutes of careful sequences and lush synth pads and textures. This is not for fans of "in yer face" wall of sound EM, but may appeal to Space Music fans who would perhaps like something a bit less desolate and more lively. 'Behind the White Sea' is a lush symphonic affair with a genuinely strong theme which brings to mind Robert Fox. 'Megaptera' is a lighter piano led piece containing some deft sequencing, and the lighter more contemporary theme continues on 'Awakening' and especially 'Final Recall' which is a grandiose slab of symphonic mood music which may even be palatable to other members of the family who usually abandon the room once anything EM related hits the player.

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Artist: Arcanum
P: 2000
This release is a combination of two discs. Disc one is the soundtrack with the spoken book.
Disc two is the soundtrack without the spoken word. It is a kind of dark electronic music.

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Artist: Arcanum
P: 1999
Bernd Franz Moritz Braun, who records under the shorter moniker Arcanum, brings us another very good sample of German electronics. He blends relaxing, drawn out synthesizers with pleasant arrangements and melody, creating the sort of mood that new age enthusiasts seek, but without sounding "new age."
The disc consists of three very long tracks, beginning with "Close to the Edge." Bearing no resemblance to the classic Yes track/album of the same name, this is a slowly evolving piece which evokes feelings of warmth and peace. Though the music changes slowly, the music does cover a lot of ground, becoming quite energetic as it goes along. The last six minutes or so strike me as a bit over the top, with one repeating passage in particular seeming a bit melodramatic. Fortunately, the music crests in this fashion only a few times, then levels off, leaving the end result still largely enjoyable. "Shadowland" is a very nice track that reminds me of a lesser-known emusic artist, Apeiron. There is a little more restraint here, and I love the crisp, unusual percussion toward the end as the energy once again intensifies.
Synth oboe strains open the 33-minute title track, begging immediate comparisons to latter-day Tangerine Dream, but it is much better than that. There are beautiful melodies sprinkled throughout the song, which is subdivided into six parts, though they flow quite seamlessly together. The melodies are made with harp, acoustic guitar, and harpsichord-like tones. Halfway through, drums come pounding in, lending a much more majestic tone. This carries through nearly to the end, then the oboes return to close out a very beautiful musical journey. Arcanum manages to create synthetic music with a depth of emotion that isn't always found in the genre.

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Artists: Arno
P: 1994
This is a musical dream journey, that tales the listener to the imaginary worlds of Arno.
He realises these worlds with an electronicmusic style of melodies and sounds like Vangelis uses to play with.

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Artists: Asana
P: 2000
LTD
8 Alben auf einer MP3 CD:

These are:
1. Live@Jodrell Bank
2. Enshrined
3. Shrine Remaster
4. Remixes
5. Sampler CD Track
6. Rise
7. Sacred
8. Live


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Artists: Asana
P: 1998
LTD
Extended remixes. "Touch Beyond" previously unreleased. This version of "Children of the Earth" originally performed live at Jodrell Bank Planetarium 15 March 1997.

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Artists: Asana
P: 1994
With the many artists, labels, and sub-genres as there are under the electronic music umbrella, it isn't surprising that sometimes a CD or artist might slip past you. This is the case with this musician and myself. The fine folks at Neu Harmony are allowing me to rectify this situation by starting at the beginning with this debut album. This is the work of David Barker, a British musician, who is new to me in spite of his resume. This particular work has been a best seller on Synth Music Direct, I am told. I must say that with a name like Asana, I had expected more of a "New Age" content. This music has been described as "ambient / electronic crossover", and may well have been ahead of its' time for this style. Whatever that description means, it's all here, stratospheric soundscapes, contemporary beats, ambient tones, sequencer runs, vocal samples, and the occasional ethnic percussion flair. Ascent is an example of that intermittent ethnic beat and exotic melody lines. Except for the vocal samples I would envision camel caravans and desert winds in this one. The next track, Jupiter, not surprisingly tends to be a bit more ambient in texture while still backed with a steady beat.
Scan F, a humorous title for C programmers, is a good example of what is in store on this recording. Soft lilting atmospherics lead into a steady beat. This provides the background for the spacey melody line as it cycles through. Shrine is the longest cut on the disc at around 12 and 1/2 minutes, and allows Barker to stretch with gentle melodies overlying enchanted soundscapes. Halfway in, this gives way to a floating flute filled examination of "Time" and "Space". Topping off the package, the cover has the entertaining appeal of a 60's sci-fi novel complete with shambling hominids and a bewildered heroine. Also, gear-heads will enjoy seeing the equipment list used by this artist. Much of what's on this disc is not cutting edge new, but then again, the disc is half a decade old. Still, it holds its' own with many current releases. It is the testimony of a performer's first foray in this guise. A bit of history that has me looking forward to hearing more from this band.

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Artists: Asana
P: 1997
Very good Trance-Electroic crossover from its time.
Instrumentation: EMU ESI 32 Sampler, Korg Wavestation SR, Novation Drumstation, Novation Basstation Rack, Roland Jupiter 6, Roland A33, Korg X3, Soundcraft Folio Rac Pac, BBE Sonic Maximizer 462, Behringer MDX2000 Composer, Zoom 9120, Roland Dep 5, Atari STE running Notator SL.

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Artists: Ash Ra Tempel
P: 1973 / 1994
Starring Rosi, is a less intense album, but with a great feel-good atmosphere and amply demonstrates the startling changes of style this band would go through. Laughter Loving has an upbeat bouncy atmosphere with some great fluid guitar from Gottsching. Day-Dream is a gentle psychedelic vision with Rosi's vocals painting some beautiful images. Schizo is a slow instrumental that features the classic Gottsching lonely guitar sound over dreamy wah-wah rhythms and is probably my favourite track on the album. Cosmic Tango is a deceptively simple tune which builds into a great guitar-piece over a thumping tango beat. Interplay of Forces starts with Rosi reciting some poetic lyrics alternately in German and English and then melds into a really joyous guitar outro. The Fairy Dance is a quite delicate instrumental, with a vaguely folksy/celtic feel to it. Bring Me Up closes the album in brilliant style, with a rocking memorable theme and great guitar accompaniment.

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Artist: Ashok Prema
P: 1997
Good electronic music that reminds on Wavestar, inspired by Tangerine Dream.

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Artists: Ashra
P: 1998
Recorded at February 1997, Osaka and Tokyo, Japan.
Performed by Manuel Göttsching, Lutz Ulbrich, Harald Grosskopf and Steve Baltes.
This double CD set contains remastered versions of the original CDs @shra and @shra Vol. 2
Composed largely by Manuel Göttsching, both serve as diverse, hypnotic breaks from the grind of standard progressive. It’s the kind of music that Robert Fripp has made in his best moments, a cross pollination of the dance beat days of Discipline-era Crimson and the mournful but compelling lines that have graced his best soundscape work. But these discs stand on their own, far above and beyond a number of releases that are presented as bold and imaginative works but prove to be only so in the minds of marketing executives. There’s an other-worldly atmosphere here, a kind of laid-back, late-night charm that leaves you in a pleasantly dumbfounded state of mind as the four members of the ensemble (Göttsching, Lutz Ulbrich, Harald Grosskopf and Steve Baltes) weave jazz and prog and chill out-inspired webs.

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Artists: Ashra
P: 1977 / 2002
Since the release of thie music way back in 1977, the music fascinats the listener. The Music is timeless and therefore voted to the ultimative best releases in electronicmusic ever.
The 6 Tracks are perfectly arranged and include the best guitarsound Manuel Göttsching ever has produced. The slow sequences and the effects are the missing link, that fullfill this music with the best athmosphere ever.
Everything fits, everything works... perfect!

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Artist: Asmus Tietchens
P: 1982 / 2003
LTD 600
Tracks 1-20 originally released on Spät-Europa LP (Sky, 1982).
Tracks 21-22 are bonus tracks.
Experimentel studio recordings from the early 80s.

Artist: Astral Dance
P: 1992
Astral Dance is Pelle Handen, a Swedish synthesist who has always proved his worth as both an exemplary synthesist and composer. Here, on his third release, he reveals himself as a multi-instrumentalist of great adeptness. All in all, this is certainly his most varied and inventive album to date, cutting across and blending a wider range of styles most effectively. A sense of atmosphere plays a key role here and thus an energetic soundtrack-like mood is created. Structural simplicity and complex shifting timbres animate all thirteen pieces in this collection. What sets Pelle apart is not just that he's using new musical tools, it's how he uses them. You hear it in the sensitivity of interaction with each element, balance of timbre, texture and mood. "Dreamscape" will show a new, more innovative side of Handen's work, i.e. the purely electronic sounds. Additional musicians on the CD are Bjorn J:son Lindh on flute, Irene Tuomaninen on backing vocals and Kent Strom on additional keyboards. I found it fascinating, hypnotic and transfixing right to the end.

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Artist: Aural Float
P: 1995 / 2001
Breathing and floating rhythmic elecronic music from the best times of the new era with Space Night on TV in the mid 90s.

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Artist: Autopilot
P: 1999
e1000001cd
Producer Andreas Stollenz has already released a couple of 12inches on different labels under the name Froyd. With his project Autopilot, he now delivers the album The Voice Inside, which was recorded especially for Elektrolux. In a decent and flowing manner, organic Elektro gets combined with psychedelic influences. The CD explores the connections between Elektro and Laid Back Listening, while the more club orientated Dj friendly double vinyl (12 tracks) contains partly different tracks and mixes. Berlin Electro producer Froyd introduces his new project Autopilot with this organic album. While the CD is more homelistening orientated, the DJ friendly double vinyl contains the club tracks with pumping electro beats.

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Artists: Axess & Maxxess
P: 2004
Electronic music meets progressive music.
This sound material combines electronic music with rockmusic. Electronic soundsculptures and rockmusic were combined to an unity, never been heard before.
Maxxess (Max Schiefele) - electric and acoustic guitars, native synths
Axess (Axel Stupplich) - analog, digital and native synthesizers

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Artists: Axess
P: 2010
The Pyramid Peak keyboarder Axel Stupplich presents us a special jewel of electronic music: "Axess - Fusion" His previous album "Axess -Voices Of Dawn" already featured fine, dreamy-atmospherical sounds. Axess picks up this style. This time he has been inspired by astronomy, by the sun and its energy and by the night sky. In comparison to his previous album "Fusion" puts more weight on sequences. By this his new CD has turned into an excellent Berlin School album with sensitive melodies and sounds within a fantastic dreamy atmosphere.

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