DREAM MIXES 4

this is the last new c d i will ever buy from tangerine dream . all the tracks were filled with the same awful drumbeat and all so rushed , do they not realise 99 % of all tang fans yern for those long , slow building tunes ,poor

The latest in TD's series of remix albums,"DM4" is the best of them. The first was too rushed and not taken seriously enough,with the second and third they had realised that this concept was not just something to play around with for fun in between the "proper" TD albums,but a whole new avenue of creative expression in itself. Which leads us to "DM4",the pinnacle (so far!) of the DM series. Unlike the previous ones,all the tracks,while separate,are linked in a long,uninterrupted chain,creating a concept like feel to the album,reminiscent of TD albums of yore. It makes for a more interesting listening experience and gives the whole thing a cohesion that,while excellent in their own right,the first three DM's lack. As with the preceding three,"DM4" consists of older TD music,all the way back to the early 70's in some cases,given a remix and rearranging treatment to such a degree that all these tracks,while based on previously released material,have been altered to such an extent that it's true to say that this is brand new music in it's own right. I may be in a minority of one here,but in some cases these reworkings makes the music much better than it was in it's original state. "Meta Morph Magic" is a case in point. The original,"Thru Metamorphic Rocks" from the "Force Majeure" album from 1979 I have never really cared much for,finding it needlessly experimental. On "DM4" they have "firmed it up",stripped off those unecessary experimental doodlings and highlighted the qualities that the track undoubtedly has which I always thought was obscured on the original. Another inventive reworking of the TD back catalogue is the new version of "Ricochet",called "Rebound 03",a clever reworking of the title too!, with it's variation of the piano intro from the second part of "Ricochet". Like the previous ones,"DM4" is packed to the gills with percussion,played by Jerome Froese who has turned out to be a quite excellent drummer and his percussive contribution to the DM series is one of it's major strengths. He plays a beautiful acoustic guitar too on the arguably best track,the closing (and longest number) "The Metropolitan Sphere" and also the odd electric guitar parts here and there throughout this electronic soundscape. "DM4" for me is up there with the very best of TD's work and I would have no hesitation to recommend this to anyone wanting to get a taste of TD at their best.

The last CD of TD's Dreammixes. In my opinion Edgar en Jerome Froese took a wrong step when they created the dreammixes. This CD and the previous albums are nice for listening in a car but not good enough for HiFi equipment. When you like the famous TD sound AND a lot of drumbeats you should buy this CD. But still I think this is the best dreammix in the serie.

Mixes old with new

Fourth release of the "Dream Mixes" series, "DM 4" is overall a pleasant volume, accompanied this time by a few surprises. First, there is a certain amount of new material, sometimes supporting TANGERINE DREAM's "historical" compositions, but sometimes the opposite happens. Second, the tracks form a single 70 minutes long piece, which is appreciable. Third, like in the glorious days, the artwork features a photography by Monique Froese. Finally, and most interesting, the music ventures in some unusual "TD-remixing" territories.

The two first tunes are new compositions. "Losing The Perspective" is a short ambient spoken introduction, while "World Of The Day" can remind "Pilots of Ether Belt" from the good "Mars Polaris" at times, but is unfortunately not as inspired. "Perplex Parts" reuses themes from the "Tangram" album, with some cool additions. "Cosmic Merriment" is a whole new track that discretely borrows parts from the 3 first pieces of "Zeit", the DREAM's most radical and least melodic offering! These are "Birth Of Liquid Plejades", "Nebulous Dawn" and "Origin Of Supernatural Probabilities". Audacious and even more unexpected, as "Zeit" is Jerome's least favorite TD album. So, what does it sound like in 2003? Well, kind of trip-hop-y by moments... Not bad but a fully assumed revisit of these early iconic dark ambient/drone adventures in the 21st century should have been more interesting. Then comes the best passage of the record, "Messenger". Finally, a version of "Rising Runner Missed By Endless Sender" without Steve Joliffe's useless vocalizations... as it is fully instrumental. Although its nineties' big-beat drums are a bit caricatural and repetitive, this remix remains very nice.

With a few samples from "Ricochet", "Rebound 03" distillates a mysterious ambiance... Not unpleasant but overall too lengthy. "Floating Higher" is an enjoyable tune on the basis "Love On A Real Train" from "Risky Business", while "From Kiev With Love" is a cool and punchy rearrangement of "Kiew Mission" with a peaceful ending. I had great expectations for "Meta Morph Magic", the shortened remixed version of "Thru Metamorphic Rocks". This is in fact a little lazy and deceiving. Here, the raw original ramshackle is just reused... The sonority was groundbreaking in 1979, in 2003 it should have deserved a proper reworked and clean sound. The album ends with its longer track "The Metropolitan Sphere". With its surprising short acoustic opening, this new composition is calm and polite but not really remarkable.

"DM 4" features more novelties and digressions from the original material than "Dream Mixes 3" as well as some risk taking. This is one of the few Dream Mixes volume to revisit TD's "progressive rock" period (1978-1979) and, to a lesser extent, "Zeit". Furthermore, new material form nearly one third of the disc. However, the quality is not as homogeneous, as the novelties and revisits are uneven. Not mentioning the big-beat / drum'n'bass sonorities, at least, 5 years late...

Nonetheless, despite rather flat moments and lengthy passages, this fourth compilation do have good ideas, a few surprises and different ambiances. If you enjoyed "Dream Mixes 3" and "Mars Polaris", give it a listen.