Raum

Raum is Tangerine Dreams second studio full-length since founder Edgar Froese died in 2015, though the group has additionally released several live albums and EPs. For this recording, Thorsten Quaeschning, Hoshiko Yamane, and recent addition Paul Frick (of Brandt Brauer Frick) were given access to Froeses archive of Cubase arrangements and tape recordings dating back to the 1970s, so like their previous studio album, 2017s Quantum Gate, hes still present in spirit. Notably absent is Ulrich Schnauss, who joined the band in 2014, yet curiously enough, the album often sounds more like his own work than Tangerine Dreams -- glimmering opener "Continuum" and the downtempo crawl "Youre Always on Time" are both easy to mistake for Schnauss, or contemporaries such as Tycho. Raums centerpiece is the 19-minute "In 256 Zeichen." Following a nebulous intro, Yamanes mesmerizing violin loops emerge, and they become swept away in a current of percolating synths and intricate beats. The horizon clears for a stunning burst of light, which gives way to the albums sweetest, most hopeful melodies. While moments like this are a thrilling blend of old and new, one of the records best tracks is much more in line with vintage Tangerine Dream. "Along the Canal" is filled with jittery arpeggios and flute-like synth trails, and like the bands mid-70s work, it feels like its being shaped by human hands in real time rather than meticulously programmed. "Raum" is the albums other epic, and its somewhere in between 90s ambient techno and space rock, with lush synth pads accompanied by distorted leads that come close to sounding like soaring guitars. The rhythmic pulsations and arpeggios build up without fully locking into a beat pattern, and after it feels like the band is pausing to avoid the risk of burnout, wisps of synth and violin textures begin to seep in, and the track momentarily returns to full bloom. As Tangerine Dreams influence seemed more prominent throughout electronic music during the 2010s than it had since the groups heyday, the existing lineup produced the bands most inspired work in ages. Raum feels a little bit more like a transitional work than the unexpectedly solid Quantum Gate, but that album seemed like more of an overt revisit of the bands classic sound, while Raum finds them taking more chances and exploring fresh ideas. ~ Paul Simpson