SOUNDMILL NAVIGATOR

"Soundmill Navigator" consists in a concert captured in 1976 at Berlin Philharmonics, featuring the classic 70's lineup Froese/Franke/Baumann. For this release, the material has been reworked with overdubs. The sound is reminiscent of Ricochet and Stratosfear albums, but manages to bring something new.

The performance, as other many other ones of this period, is composed of one long 40 minutes epic synthetizer driven piece. Soundmill Navigator begins by setting a dark atmosphere, then goes on to build sonic textures, evoking geometric shapes changing, and finishes with a psyhedelic - trippy sequence.

The reason why I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is the poor base sound quality. The original concert without the overdubs can now be found on "Bootleg Box Set 1". Anyway, a very good and unique live offering by the pioneers of progressive electronic!

I guess that some old fans must have been finding their ways into their new repertoire in the nineties. This might explain why TD released this live set from the vaults.

The superb trio from the seventies (Edgar, Chris & Peter) is featured and the music was captured in the middle seventies and the result is of course at the heights of expectations. At least, this is my feeling.

As usual, this live performance was almost improvised and contains fantastic ambient and spacey landscapes as the band was used to in these days. Wonderful atmospheres, magical simplicity, tremendous beauty. This is what you get with "Soundmill Navigator". Almost (only?) forty-two minutes of very good music from these giants.

After such a lots average to good albums released in the past decade, such a lost item could only fill the hearts of devoted fans. OK: the commercial "manoeuvre" is doubtful. OK: the timing is rather short and could have been filled with some other TD moments. OK.

But since the piece is delivered as such, one has to take it as it is. And I can tell you that it quite pleasant. It is not as atmospheric nor melodic as "Rubycon". It includes some fine electronic beats around mid-time and at no moment did I feel the faintest moment of boredom while listening to this lengthy track.

I have received this album with lots of emotion and fever. Should you feel the same while listening to it! You'll be rewarded for sure although the second part is probably less interesting and more predictable except the last five minutes which are absolutely splendid. It reminds me a lot the fantastic "Indian Summer" available on the great "Green Desert".

You know my profound addiction to TD. I rate this album with four stars.