Search - Richard Burmer :: Bhakti Point

A forgotten 80s new age/electronic classic from the late RIC

Jeffery K. Matheus | Indianapolis, IN United States | 02/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of electronic instrumental music ever since I checked a cassette of Tangerine Dream's "Encore" out of the local Public Libarary in the early 80s. From there I discovered other synth-masters like Kitaro and Vangelis, and soon became an avid collecter of this musical genre...But it is now 2007, and I am only just now discovering the music of Richard Burmer, a talented synthesist/composer who produced five studio albums during the popular boom in "new age music" in the mid/late 1980's...Wow, have I been missing out before now!...Coincidentally, I discovered Burmer's music in the very same place I discovered TD's over 25 years ago - at the Public Library. This particular CD, "Bhakti Point", is the first taste of his music that I found. Now that I have read up a bit on Burmer's work, I know that "Bhakti Point" is generally considered to be among his finest works, and is a great to place to start for those who are unfamilar with his brief musical legacy. Burmer's music, which is created (almost) excluively with keyboards, is on the more melodic, structured side of new age/electronic music, and should have a special appeal to fans of like-minded artists such as Kitaro, Vangelis, and Gandalf. Burmer obviously had a great ear for synth sounds, and his pieces are heavily layered with beautiful, majestic electronic tones. Much of this album was created using an Emulator 2 and a Roland JX-3P (popular synthesizer equiptment during the 80s new age boom), yet it doesn't sound at all dated. Also, while many releases in this genre are critisized for having a "sameness" of sound from track to track, Burmer was an inventive enough composer & arranger that each track here has a personality of it's own - but the pieces still manage to blend together as a unified whole...Unfortunately, Richard Burmer passed away in September of 2006, and seemed to be inactive musically for many years predeeding his death. Luckily, he did leave behind an excellent catalog of memorable tunes that stand as a tribute to his creativity and talent. That music is just waiting to be discovered by new listeners - if you are a fan of electronic sounds, don't let Richard Burmer's legacy pass you by!"

Ambience With Melody, Romance, and Drama

Moldyoldie | Motown, USA | 03/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Perusing the Amazon listing of available albums from Richard Burmer has me scratching my head as to why so much of his output is so "unavailable" or exclusively priced. Of those electronic new age "space music" artists who came to pseudo-prominence in the '80s - Steve Roach, Kevin Braheny, Patrick O'Hearn, Jonn Serrie, Vangelis, et al. - Burmer had the most developed sense of traditional musicality without sounding cryptic nor "poppish". One can count on an album that will transport the listener to other times, places, and dimensions while treating the ears to beautiful melodies and compellingly exotic arrangements with both romance and drama; this is more than just background music!



Bhakti Point and On the Third Extreme are the two Burmer albums I own and revisit quite often. If you can find them at a reasonable price, I would wholeheartedly suggest you try them for a worthwhile excursion into very accessible electronic new age music."

Bhakti Point

Jim Cain | Burbank, CA USA | 09/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was on the far side of middle age when KTWV first arrived in Los Angeles two decades ago and started playing New Age music. One of the "songs" that introduced me to this interesting electronic 'stuff' was Richard Burmer's Bhakti Point. I found it an amazing piece of music and bought the album on tape (and later a CD.) I find it almost hypnotic and it can conjure up a variety of images--a nighttime sled ride across frozen hills in the arctic; the dawn of creation, when creatures first crawled out of primordial mud--or Burmer's own interpretation: Bhakti Point is a special place that one's mind escapes to. Whatever it brings to a listener's imagination, I think it is a marvelous piece of music and I have never tired of hearing it."