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Review by Travis Briggs Gert Emmens represents a unique creative force in today's sometimes frustratingly derivative and stagnant EM scene. His soundscapes, while clearly inspired by the Berlin School, also showcase Emmens' soaring melodic sensibility and outstanding sound palette, which manages to sound polished and pristine while still retaining all of the character and richness of the analog aesthetic. Although Emmens flirts with the now tragically overdone Rubycon style, the prevailing tone of his music always serves to distinguish him from that rather pedestrian infatuation with rehashing the past. Ominous drones and metallic reverberations introduce the tour de force title track, but Emmens quickly disrupts the atmospherics with a brooding mid-'70's Tangerine Dream sequence. As the nearly 20-minute piece evolves, Emmens incorporates many traditional Berlin School elements such as apocalyptic choirs and wistful mellotron flutes. However, the song's most memorable moments are provided by his signature innovations on the basic retro architecture, which take the form of lush, expansive pads and transcendent, evocative melodies of a caliber not often found in the Berlin School genre. The next piece, "Gaspra", besides featuring euphoric sequencing and subdued yet uplifting orchestral melodies, brilliantly embodies the essence of Emmens' style by evoking a sense of free-spirited grandeur. Certainly this distinctive "cosmic groove" formula is complemented by the inclusion of mellow synthetic percussion, which accentuates the listeners' sense of being enveloped and propelled by empowering astral energy currents. "Alien Matter" follows, and refreshingly juxtaposes the previous track with its decidedly enigmatic persona. This impression is conveyed by the piece's myriad of discordant sequences, all overlaid by various otherworldly synth washes and unnerving, atonal melodies. "Elektra World" initially features alluring yet subtly insidious melodies underpinned by spectral choirs and quasi-rhythmic sequencer glurps. This section then segues into more traditional Berlin School territory, although the distinctive Emmens' touch maintains an underlying presence throughout the piece's duration. Overall, although it's certainly not a distasteful track by any means, I found "Elektra World" to be the least successful on the album simply due to generic sequence construction. Fortunately, the closing track "The Voyage of Voyager 1" more than compensates with its delicately riveting sequences and majestic, rapturous lead lines. Emmens' heightens the exhilaration still further by employing a very CS-80-like sound during some of his inspired solos, which Vangelis fans may recognize from such seminal albums as Spiral and China. Overall, it's the highlight of the album. Wanderer of Time was my first aural excursion into the thrilling and accomplished realm of Gert Emmens' soundscapes, and I have since been inspired to purchase 2 more of his albums, such was my enthusiasm for his music. Anyone interested in Berlin School inspired material that captures the spirit of the glory days without resorting to mere mimicry should check out Gert Emmens, and particularly Wanderer of Time, immediately. |
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