OVERNIGHT SENSATION

SONIQ THEATER is the moniker chosen by German keyboardist and composer Alfred Mueller for his solo efforts. Since his first solo album in 2000 he has, one exception aside, issued a new album each and every year. "Overnight Sensation" is his twelfth production to date, and was released in January 2012.

Soniq Theater continues his annual musical escapades in a fine manner with "Overnight Sensation". On this occasion we're dealing with an album I surmise will find its key audience amongst those who enjoy the likes of Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre, as well as amongst those who fancy the most accessible parts of Tangerine Dreams back catalogue. While not directly comparable to either of them, the compositions share some features with them that I surmise will make most of an impact to that particular audience.

'Overnight Sensation' was the 12th album by Alfred Mueller under the Soniq Theater name, and as with the majority of his solo albums is one where he provided all of the instrumentation himself. Again, here is an album where the influences of Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis are readily apparent although Alfred is much more than a mere copyist. He has an incredible work rate, usually releasing an album each year, and there is no doubt that this is one of the highlights of his career. I do feel that if he could bring in some additional musicians (such as a live drummer in particular) then there would be an additional facet to his work, but even as it is there is a great deal here to enjoy. The music is layered and complex yet with a simplistic almost na've approach which allows the listener to really get into the album very quickly indeed. It is approachable and welcoming, drawing the listener into Alfred's world. While the recordings are only available on CD-R these do not reflect the quality of what is contained within and yet again this is an album of his that is definitely worth much more investigation. www.soniqtheater.de