An updated take on some classic tracks
Steve Benner | Lancaster, UK | 05/16/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Tangerine Dream "Dream Mixes" project continues with "DM V" this fifth volume of reworkings of the band's earlier material, although it is perhaps a little misleading calling this disc a Tangerine Dream release. Despite being credited to both Edgar and Jerome Froese, in reality only the final track of the disc carries anything of Edgar's fingerprints -- 'Mombasa (Touareg Remix)' is the composer's own remix of his opening solo track from the 2009 "Booster III" collection. All of the other remixes on "DM V" are solely the result of Jerome's work on early (1974 - 1989) Tangerine Dream tracks, all of which have the original music more or less discernible at some point within them.
The most deeply buried of the originals is the brief inclusion of a snatch of "Rubycon" as an inner layer to 'The Return of Time', largely swallowed by a newly minted percussion pulse and swathe of electronic textures. Other tracks, however, offer substantial re-presentations of clearly recognisable original thematic materials, in bold but entirely appropriate new ways, such as the title track from the 1981 album "Exit" as 'Flow Paths', section 1 of 'Horizon' (from the 1985 album "Poland") as 'Scope of Mind', 'Midnight in Tula' (from "White Eagle", 1982) in 'Code to Zero', or 'Alien Sitcom', which started life as 'Mojave [End Credit]' from the hard to find movie sound track album, "Wavelength", of 1984. Others go even further in doing little more than beefing up or extending the originals: 'Meshwork' is an expansion of 'Das Mädchen auf der Treppe'; 'Polar Circles' is recognisable as 'Running Out of Time' from "Miracle Mile" (1989); 'Hinterland' is a heavyweight remix of the final section of 'Horizon' and is easily the best thing on the disc.
Throughout this release, Jerome demonstrates the same sense of musicality, innately greater than his father's, that features in his solo releases "Neptunes" and "Shiver Me Timbers". His remixes here genuinely do grow the originals to new heights, with additional interesting things to say and with treatments that enhance and modernise without detracting or debasing the originals, unlike earlier attempts at the same thing by Edgar in such releases as "Tangents: 1973-1983". (Although I have to say that the the final track here does suggest that the old man is indeed finally learning something from his son.)
All in all, I would say that this release should please new and old Tangerine Dream fans alike and is definitely one for the shopping list.
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