Electronic Music And Sound Design

Solar Promenades is a strong set of new age/space music tracks that are dreamy and melodic, but that also carry an undercurrent of mystery and darkness. Enterphase is made up of keyboardists Fred Becker and Jeff Filbert. On this release, they are joined by David Wright, Dean de Benedictis and John Dumitru, who contribute additional synth work and sound design. They make creative use of a massive arsenal of synths. Enterphase’s music recalls the sounds of classic space music and Berlin school electronica of the seventites. Their music has hints of early Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Mychael Danna, Steve Roach and Michael Stearns. Many of the tracks on Solar Promenades are gentle and contemplative. Enterphase makes extensive use of the bell-like sounds of the Yamaha DX7, along with slow, phasing strings, creating textures that change continually without jarring…

It's very difficult to recommend this release to any serious Tangerine Dream fan. Why? Simply because all of these tracks have been released before on other compilations of TD Eastgate/TDI releases, making this a compilation of other compilations. It's a tricky business, but that's what it is, business. There has been no further remastering of the sound - which was excellent in the first place - and the only thing that's really "new" here is the digipack and its design. It's also difficult to recommend this set to those new to TD, simply because there is so much other material that's more cohesive and more important than what's here, from Edgar Froese's various incarnations of the band.

"Regeneration Mode" is an album by the duo Chuck van Zyl and Peter D. Gulch (both known from the project The Nightcrawlers) filled with vintage, but most of all adventurous and future electronic music. It’s cosmic music pur sang, now and then briefly tapping in the heritage of the Berliner School style of the early '70’s while taking the listener out on a 60-minute atmospheric trip through the vast unknown. The highly cinematic outcome though is less traditional. A deep sense of mystery already announces itself on the strong, almost 30-minute album opener "Sector Zero Zero One". It’s a beautifully moulded sonic sci-fi story through dense soundscapes with quite some turns and twists along the ride.
The album continues with four shorter pieces that keep immersing in darkening, dense atmospheric moods…

It's very difficult to recommend this release to any serious Tangerine Dream fan. Why? Simply because all of these tracks have been released before on other compilations of TD Eastgate/TDI releases, making this a compilation of other compilations. It's a tricky business, but that's what it is, business. There has been no further remastering of the sound - which was excellent in the first place - and the only thing that's really "new" here is the digipack and its design. It's also difficult to recommend this set to those new to TD, simply because there is so much other material that's more cohesive and more important than what's here, from Edgar Froese's various incarnations of the band.