MOYLAND

A tale of fan-boys turning into the very image of their adoration pt. 3.

Now we come to an act I personally find inspiring, haunting, mysteriously gripping and everything Tangerine Dream were back in 1975.... and then some. Moyland is a combination of modular synth soundscapes and breezy mellotron washes. Then for my favourite part of the ride, the one that pops a cherry on top of your already delicious ice cream, - you get served with some aggressive sequencers that throb and heave like small electronic tap dancing mice on cough medicine. I personally think these rhythm segments are damn near perfect, and strangely enough those exact same snarling sequencer attacks were usually kept outside the studio, back in the heyday of TD. You'd have to buy a live album or attend one of their live shows to get these stuttering robotic blitzes. What they do, and what sets them apart from most rhythm devices, is adding to the music a somewhat fluent surface of sound that repeats itself in insanely fast paced patterns, bobbing and weaving ever so slightly according to the pitch and feel of the given musical surroundings. This is where you are able to spot the real and prodigal electronic artists, because what may seem like a walk in the park to the casual bystander, is indeed very difficult to attain. To get it right, and to be able to attack with the sequencers, can actually accomplish the same sort of vibe and motion as a lead guitar, a moog - a bleeping saxophone, - mind you we're talking when the instruments are used to express a certain sustained sound - a feel that when used in the right manner, absolutely sends shivers down my spine.

The first long track here sounds like a freeform composition that turned out brilliantly. It was recorded at Hampshire Jam 111, Liphook in 2004. I suppose the guys here, consisting of Marcel Engels, Frank van der Wel and analogue synthesizer maestro Ruud Heij, not really sure what they had achieved, listened to this recording after getting back to Amsterdam, and then over a cup of tea and a big grandpa doobie one of them went:

"Wuuuooooiiiiiiiiii!!!! Damn what a killer jam you guys!!! What the hell!!!?! Allright, if we take this down to the studio and maybe tweek a bit here and there, and wow man, I almost forgot - I've been thinking about doing this sort of WOW, I don't even.... but hey it's going to be great and y'know - just build upon what this vibe is giving off and make it into a floating continuous piece....What d'you say guys?"

And so they did, and what a piece... Divided into 5 parts, the big Moyland track here starts out very floating and airy without a trace of rhythm - just hovering in these slicing synth manoeuvres. When you finally start thinking you've bought an ambient record, that's when the bobbing bom-bom-bom-bom sequencer starts relegating its menacing bass foundation, and you know you're in for a magnificent ride. Yes, it reminds me of Tangerine Dream live anno 1975, but then again what's not to like about that? - Furthermore, you'll find far more hiding underneath all of these layers - ambient flickering sections of glacial synthesisers - the sudden altering of the sequencers midway that transforms into something infinitely more metallic sounding, yet at the same time infusing an unlikely humane touch to the proceedings, even if that sounds terribly contradictory in itself.

This is a fine place to start your journey in the prog electronic genre. Moyland mixes a brew of tumultuous electronic segments washing in over you like a polyphonic serenade of sound patterns. It's overwhelming at times, but never out of touch with that eternally soothing and esoteric image of the Berlin school of electronics. Entrancing stuff to say the least, and highly recommended to newcomers to the genre.

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