MARIO SCHÖNWÄLDER : The Eye of the Chameleon (DDL on Manikin Records)
This release from 2011 is a reissue of a classic album from 1989 and features 71 minutes of engaging electronic music.
Crisp electronics and synthetic rhythms generate sprightly tuneage.
While a certain amount of texturals are employed to create celestial backdrops, the majority of the electronics are triggered by keyboards. These keys establish engaging sequences which are then looped and set to run while additional riffs embellish the flow into a melody of animated fashion. Meanwhile, other riffs pepper the music with non-repetitive chords, giving the dreamy melodies a spry disposition.
The keyboard notes are often so crisp as to glitter with their own radiance. This lends an alluring luster to the tunes.
The rhythms are nicely blended into the flow, not obtrusive, but neither buried to the point of being subliminal. These tempos flavor the tuneage with a suitable degree of pep, coaxing things into a buoyant state of charm. Sometimes, instead of occupying a layer of their own, the beats function as auxiliary notes in the structure, enhancing their hidden nature.
These compositions possess a unique characteristic: they are dreamy while achieving a peppy sensibility. This blend of relaxing and perky elements results in a strange fusion, for neither the relaxation nor the peppiness conquer the music. Their balance is a bewitching appeal.
MARIO SCHÖNWÄLDER : Hypnotic Beats (DDL on Manikin Records)
This release from 2011 is a reissue of a classic album from 1990 and features 72 minutes of retro electronic music.
Berlin School electronics blend with synthetic rhythms to generate engaging tuneage.
Luscious electronics unfurl sequences of mesmerizing beauty. Additional layers of keyboard patterns slide into the mix, fleshing things out into quite attractive compositions. Possessing a vibrant vigor, the electronics craft melodies that float with a regal posture. Haunting airs are achieved as the electronics shine with a richness that is augmented by a bouncy flair.
Keyboard notes add a refreshing twinkle to the fluid electronic pastiche.
Snappy beats contribute spry rhythms that offer tasty locomotion to the flowing tunes. Besides establishing bewitching propulsion, these tempos bestow this music with a witty charm. But don't expect "techno" tuneage; these tunes explore a mode of contemporary electronic music whose rhythms lend a cerebral buoyancy to undulating passages of ever-evolving melodic sequences. The range of beats include crisp impacts, rolling tempos, and occasional momentous crashes.
These compositions harken the listener back to a period when electronic music was undergoing a flourish of retro sounds, with new musicians emulating the styles of classic Seventies European electronic composers. SchönwälderŐs early work utilizes a peppy temperament which enlivens the liquid songs. While several somber passages exist, the tunes invariably succumb to a sense of contagious celebration.
The first track (which is 22 minutes long) was recorded live.
BROEKHUIS, SCHÖNWÄLDER & FRIENDS: Spherical Bodies (DDL on Manikin Records)
This release from 2011 is a reissue of a classic album from 1994 and features 77 minutes of celestial electronic music.
Schönwälder plays electronics. His "friends" are: Lutz Schmiedel (on guitar), Sun-Ja Willis (on voice) and Bas Broekhuis (on drums).
A tasty fusion of electronics, rhythms, and guitar producing delightful space music.
The electronics generate delicate texturals that linger as celestial backdrops. Nimble keyboards deliver a plethora of smooth riffs that slide throughout the songs, mixing crisp punctuations with dramatic chords. Generally possessing airy definition, these riffs achieve a twinkling charm as they blend with each other.
The guitar contributes a cosmic flavor to the tuneage with astral chords wafting amid the flow, generating a gentle edginess. In one instance, acoustic strumming lends an organic presence in contrast to the spacey milieu, only to revert to electric guitar stylings that border on funk.
The drums provide solid rhythms rich with natural beats, but artificial percussion is also present, embellishing the tempos with their eccentric beats. The rhythms often imbue the tunes with a smoldering puissance that remains strategically understated.
Only one track features vocals in the form of whispers.
The compositions are relaxed and designed to evoke spacey vistas of drifting sonics tempered by fluid electronics which are seasoned by bouncy tempos. Melodic passages abound, dreamy and pacific, yet exhibiting a latent potency. These serene melodies evolve into complex structures, often reaching pinnacles of gloriously peaceful euphoria.
SCHÖNWÄLDER, BROEKHUIS, & MULLER: Memories in Space (DDL on Manikin Records)This release from 2011 is a reissue of a classic album from 1994 and features 79 minutes of vibrant electronic music.
This live album blends together music from a variety of gigs, including Koln 1993, Gelsenkirchen 1993, Eindhoven 1994, and Berlin 1994. Featured are some live versions of songs from the respective musicians' solo releases.
Space guitar is added to the fusion of slippery electronics and insistent percussion.
Mario Schönwälder's electronics exhibit a retro fluidity while adopting a character of their own through the novel use of classic sounds. Pulsations flourish amid a bevy of keyboard-generated riffs, resulting in an attractive sonic thickness. Patterns are established, then looped to create streaming foundations upon which additional riffs are generated and applied.
Bas Broekhuis' rhythms abound in this music, pounding away with dedicated fever, and spicing everything with tempos of compulsive influence. A sense of impending grandeur is relentless imparted, although this authority remains immersed in the mix.
While only appearing in two of the five "songs," Dirk Jan Muller's guitar offers a vibrant presence. Chords are compressed into rolling structures that glitter with astral charisma.
These compositions are brilliant examples of a modern expression of retro stylings. The melodies flow with a luminous quality. The rhythms provide a passionate edginess, drenching passages with a dramatic puissance. Consequently, this trancey music ripples with a strength that commands attention while moderating a state of zoning out with the fluid melodies.
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