– General Description: Peter Baumann was a member (from 1971 to 1977) of the German band Tangerine Dream, who were the inventors of the Berlin School of electronic music. “Machines Of Desire”, his first solo album since 1983, has very simple melody lines and a very 70’s electronic sound. Nothing to shatter any compositional or sonic walls. Use of a keyboard in playing the synth sounds is obvious and, for me, distracting verging on clumsy. Predominant influence is the Wendy Carlos “Timesteps” track from the “A Clockwork Orange” soundtrack and that style of analog synth in general.
– FCC Compliant: YES
– Recommended Tracks: 3
– Track Reviews:
1. (5:55) - The Blue Dream - marching dirge, simple melody, cute in its simplicity
2. (5:38) - Searching in Vain - unadorned, calling and ethereal
3. (4:14) - Valley of the Gods - A Clockwork Orange cast a shadow over this piece
4. (3:57) - Echoes in the Cave - lots of reverb, transistor radio feel
5. (6:02) - Ordinary Wonder - double-time percussion overwhelms the bare, sustained melodic tones
6. (5:59) - Crossing the Abyss - a little creepy but fast-moving
7. (4:58) - Dancing in the Dark - plucking the harpsichord again in outer space
8. (6:26) - Dust to Dust - back to pounding rocks and listening to angels with Kubrick’s 2001