LASERSCAPE

The second half of the 80's were definitely not the best for German electronic artists. Most of them turned towards new-age or ambient, not always successfully. And what about YOU? Well, "Laserscape" is an unequal mixture of ambient music with reminiscences of the Berlin school approach and a touch of new-age. There are only a few moments with heavy-psych pulsating sequences and upbeats typical of the band.

The tracks were in fact recorded in 1985 as a soundtrack for German designer Horst H. Baumann's open-air laser performances.

The opener "Passing Landscapes" sets the tone by displaying an aerial intriguing atmosphere. "Can You Tell Me Where I Am" is clearly the best track of the record, as it's the one that most resembles YOU's previous material. Consisting in a quick sequence and cool drums over a melancholic soft synthesizer melody, this passage is quite nice and catchy. Back to ambient with "Changing Rooms", the longest composition of the disc. Apart from bizarre sounds and slight oriental sonorities, nothing really happens in 13 minutes.

"Travelling Hologram" incorporates various string instruments. Original but not featuring many changes, this threatening piece sounds more like a thriller movie soundtrack. The surprising "Scanned Noises" is in fact not especially noisy. Its pretty delicate acoustic guitar play contrasts with the menacing electronic mood. Interesting. Not much to say about the anecdotal repetitive "Curious Phenomena Part I". Part II concludes the record with long mysterious synthesizer textures.

The 21 minutes bonus track "Laserscape/Live" is a recording of the Philips Laserscape Krefeld show on August 31st, 1985, that was broadcasted by Berlin's SFB radio station.

YOU went adventurous and experimental for this 1986 album. It has its moments, but the music is definitely not the trippy style of "Electric Day" or "Time-Code". However, the German duo avoided the cheesy new-age temptation, which is a good point. "Laserscape" was conceived as a soundtrack, so it may require to be heard with the corresponding laser shows to be fully appreciated.

If you're into ambient electronic music with experimentations, you can give it a try.

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