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review by Bill Binkelman Pioneering new age musician Deuter is in his fourth decade of making music! That is an awesome accomplishment (in any genre) and it's doubly impressive given the artist's long string of superb recordings. I can't remember the last time a Deuter recording failed to impress me. His latest, Earth Blue, doesn't break that streak. These tracks were composed for the Volkswagen Autostadt, which as near as I can tell from the liner notes, is somewhat like a contemporary museum/exhibition hall (located in Wolfsburg, Germany) dedicated to various human "themes" present in our modern world. One of these themes is mobility and Deuter was selected to create music for the exhibition due to his ability to express the relationship between movement and stillness in his compositions. (By the way, the pictures of the Autostadt in the album liner notes make it appear to be a fascinating and beautiful place to visit). Earth Blue encompasses several styles from drifting ambient soundscapes to more mainstream accessible new age selections on which Deuter plays his characteristic recorder and guitar as well as his keyboards. Personally, I enjoyed the ambient pieces here more but simply because they are all so outstanding! "The Source," which opens the album, is like falling into a deep soft bed of bliss, surrounded by flowing hushed choirs and cascading synth bell tones and reverberating chimes. "White" is aglow with twinkling electronic keyboards and gentle echoed piano. Even hardcore ambient fans may come to love these first two selections. Another great ambient number is "Balance." Struck bowls resonate deeply amidst arrhythmic starshowers of synthesizers and the subtle use of whirring drones and Vangelis-like synth horns blend with an occasional Asian instrumentality. The mixture of electronics and organics reminded somewhat of Al Gromer Khan, a comparison I can also make because some of Deuter's tonalities on this track are in an unexpected (for him) minor key. Another favorite song of mine is yet another example of Deuter at his most minimal. "Abendschatten" takes echoed piano played in an improvisational (i.e. non-structured from a composition standpoint) manner on top of a series of patient synthesizer washes and textures. This track is simply divine; it is serene without any trace of sugar or sweetness. There are also more typical Deuter new age music selections here, too. "Earth Light" features the artist's gently lilting recorder played against slowly undulating keyboards with the eventual addition of strummed guitar, sparkling shimmering synth bells, and mild shaker rhythms. "Pradera" builds into a lively rhythmic celebratory number from its opening mixture of birdsong and sedate guitar (the guitar work here is highly reminiscent of Bruce BecVar, having that same sparkling tonal characteristic). The album closes with the title track, on which Deuter is joined by violinist Annette Cantor as the two reprise musical themes heard on "Earth Light" albeit in a somewhat more subdued yet still life-affirming style than the earlier track. Despite the presence of some overt new age numbers on Earth Blue, this is easily the closest Deuter has come to releasing a "conventional" ambient album in years, as far as I'm concerned. Yet, even when he is emphasizing textures and washes more than notes and chords, his new age fans will also, I think, hear much which they will appreciate. Somehow, Deuter has managed to craft an album that should please both camps. This should come as no surprise when you think about it. Deuter has been recording fantastic music since 1971. That kind of quality and longevity speaks volumes about his artistic and personal integrity, not to mention his talent. Earth Blue is yet another example of his excellence and his deserved stature as one of the founding artists in these genres. Recommended. |
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