Leviathan Rhode Kill Panzer Different Light Halo Savage Messiah Rise and Shine Turbine Leaving

product info

All tracks recorded at Distant Sun Studio from November 2001 till June 2002. Redshift are: James Goddard - Rhodes Piano Rob Jenkins - Fender Guitar Julian Shreeve - Arp Synthesizer Mark Shreeve - Moog Synthesizer

review

Track 1 - Leviathan Dark and abstract with big Moog pulsations. This is a good overture for the emotional feel of this album, representative of the tracks to come. The production is spacious and crystal-clear, yet still deep and bassy. Melodies are hinted at, but not very explicit. Track 2 - Rhode Kill A short electric-piano piece. Well measured and immaculately produced, as ever. Mellotron and electric organ float about while thunder crashes punctuate. This one has really grown on me. Track 3 - Panzer Uptempo and mental. An android cop chasing a cyber-criminal on a turbo-pod through the alleyways of a dark, dystopian future city. Or something. Fun, in a serious sort of way. Track 4 - Different Light A short abstract piece which is placed very firmly in FSOL territory. In fact, it bears a striking resemblence to 'Ill Flower' from Lifeforms. Dark. Track 5 - Halo The scene: Berlin, 1976. An alternate reality. {knock on door} KS: "Jean-Michel ! Baby ! How ya doin' ?" JMJ: "Got mah joystick workin', Klaus mah man !" KS: "Hey, hey. Wanna hear what I'm workin' on ?" JMJ: "Nice one." {They enter the studio. KS hits 'play'. A storm of bell-like Moog arpeggios fills the room.} JMJ: "Whoa ! I'm there, dude." {10 minutes pass} JMJ: "{yawn} It doesn't change much, does it ?" KS: "Hehehe. Well, you're the pop-meister. I cater for hippies and weirdos." JMJ: "You know, I'm working on a piece just now called Oxygene I which could do with this backing. Fancy a collaboration ?" KS: "That'd be cool, but I think we'd lose both our audiences if we put our name to it." JMJ: "Hmmm. Maybe you're right. What about if we got someone else to release it ?" KS: "Someone unknown - a Brit, perhaps." {KS holds his face steady for 3 seconds, then explodes in mirth. Both clutch their sides.} JMJ: "A Brit ? WTF do they know about EM ?" KS: "That's what's so great about the idea. Let's do it." ...and 26 years on, it saw the light of day. Track 6 - Savage Messiah An uptempo number something like 'Panzer', but for some reason, this doesn't quite move me the same way. Track 7 - Rise and Shine Starts out desolate, with wind effects and those Rubycon opening bell sounds. This then develops into a quite unsettling abstract piece, all deep space and alien. Great stuff ! The Rhodes work towards the end puts me in mind of The Doors' Riders on the Storm, which fits the emotions well. Track 8 - Turbine Menacing Machine Musik at its best. Very abstract, rivalling Node for sheer phear factor. Excellent post-production work. They've managed to inject real attitude into this one, where they failed (IMO) in previous attempts to do the Node thing. Track 9 - Leaving This track Mysteriously Resembles something, but I can't quite put my finger on it. The emotional content says 'Jarre' to me, rather than 'Froese', however. Summary: Down-Time never really gelled for me as an album - it was always a collection of tracks on one disc. However, with this disc, they've produced something with the consistency of Ether, the darkness of the first album, and incorporating a diverse range of influences from the best EM of the past 30 years. At the moment, I think it's their best work, but it'll be interesting to see if it still knocks Ether off the top spot a few months down the line. 2002. Grant Middleton

review

Pretty average Progressive guitar/synth music. I'm still waiting for a band or artists do actually try something different instead of rehashing the past. I guess if they did then we wouldn't call it "EM" any longer? 2004. Tommy May / USA

review

People that know me, know that I am not easy to please, at least what music is concerned. EM can easily enter a self made trap, like large portions of classical Music in which we keep on imitating the old masters. Thus stopping any development, any creativity, drowning the very spirit of discovery which brought us so much comfort and advancement. The Track "HALO" however is a piece which may, on a superficial glance, seem to pay tribute to the old masters, but I have another feeling to it. It is purely inspirering. I can feel the spirit inside it. It is a great track which even though may have ended a bit more unpredictable, still, as far as I am concerned, belongs to the very best Berlin School stuff that I have heard so far. 2004. Andreas Akwara / Germany