EBERHARD SCHOENER

Although the original Harvest LP will try to convince you this isn't Gregorian music, it really is. The notes even try to tell you this is more like Gamelan, but that more applies to Bali-Agung, where he did explore Indonesian gamelan with German electronic. Here he explores Gregorian chants with his brand of electronic music. Now one might think this is some sort of proto-Enigma, but to me if someone tried something proto-Enigma in 1977, they would have likely added a disco beat, and Eberhard Schoener naturally stayed as far from that as possible. What you get is choral singing, male and female, frequently in Gregorian chant style with Schoener providing synths and Mellotron. The music doesn't go at a particularly fast pace, but I am rather surprised to see Andy Summers showing what he's made of on guitar, because I never seen him do that in The Police (which happens that all three would soon play for Schoener for the album Flashback, and Sting and Andy on the original Video-Magic). I get reminded a bit of what Tangerine Dream may have sounded like in 1977 had they continued the direction they were doing on the Ohr label (i.e. Alpha Centauri, Zeit, Atem), but with that added on Gregorian chanting. To me, I find this more interesting than Enigma's MCMXC a.D. as there's no annoying dance beats to get in the way (although I did like the samples of Aphrodite's Child's 666 on MCMXC a.D.) and it's done in a truly wonderful progressive electronic context. As it's clear from what I've heard from this guy was that he never repeated himself, and the albums that I own only proves that, from the droning meditation sound of Meditations to the Gregorian chants of this one (Trance-Formation) to the Police going full-on Mellotron-heavy prog (Video- Magic) and the gamelan of Bali-Agung, it's clear he didn't want to stagnate. Certainly Trance-Formation is one of his better albums and worth having.

I'm glad I have discovered Eberhard Schoener. For many I'm sure the name came up from Police fans as he did record a couple of albums in the late '70s with the Police boys (Sting included). In 1974 he released Meditation, which is far from the albums he did with the Police. Here the album concentrates on weird eerie drones. To my ears this sounds like how Tangerine Dream's Zeit would have ended up like if geared for inner space rather than outer space. I also get reminded a bit of Popol Vuh circa Affenstunde. This album was obviously meant for meditation, but this isn't some insipid New Age meditation album, anyone who prefers that type of music will find this rather unsettling. It seems that Eberhard Schoener keeps doing something very different from album to album from the Police trying prog (Flashback, Video-Magic), to gamelan (Bali-Agung) to church music (Trance-Formation) all in a strange electronic setting, and of course this album. If you enjoy Zeit or Affenstunde, give this a try

A lot of ethno-fusion Krautrock albums you run across explore the usual Indian route using sitar and tabla with the usual rock and electronic gear you expect from Krautrock. What Eberhard Schoener does here is very different and explore Balinesian styles in a rather experimental electronic, Krautrock fashion. You get treated with plenty of synthesizers and Mellotron with Balinesian chanting and gamelan. It's amazing how well he Incorporated a traditional Balinesian ensemble with his electronic gear. I would expect lots of misunderstandings given I imagine it would be difficult for a traditional musical ensemble to understand the world of electronic music which is the polar opposite of traditional, but somehow it works. Imagine early Tangerine Dream flirting with Indonesian styles of music and this is what you get. Really worth your time and worth having.

Fourteen years before Enigma, ever curious musician/composer Eberhard Schoener was exploring the possibilities of melding electronic beats with liturgically (and ethnically) derived vocal themes. But Schoener, never willing to sit with one idea when he can throw in a handful, also covers ambient electronica and analogue space drift in this cohesive 1977 album. The composer plays moog, organ, piano and mellotron while the tasty guitar cutting through the keys is courtesy of Andy Summers (Police). It may seem an unlikely collaboration, but Summers is a skilled and versatile guitarist whose presence here adds much to the music. A transporting and satisfying album.

I found a copy of this at CD & Game Exchange in Eugene, Oregon many years ago, and was rather surprised to see it's the true original, not some compilation that consists of material from this album as well as Flashback (to bring home the Police connection). This is a rather strange album. Two thirds of the Police are here with Sting and Andy Summers, but not Stewart Copeland. Evert Fraterman fills in Copeland's shoes, with the addition of sax player Olaf Kubler, who I know from Passport's debut album Doldinger, as well as Can's Landed.

This is a strange one. The Police guys try their hands at progressive rock with interesting results. Sting's voice isn't meant for this kind of music. "Speech Behind Speech" is a slow piece with Mellotron all over the place and Sting providing the vocals. You will never mistake this for the Police. "Natural High" at least is a bit more Police-like, but done in proggy fashion, complete with Mellotron. "Octagon" is a nice instrumental piece with Andy Summers providing some nice guitar work, done in prog fashion. The rest of the album shows varying style that I don't feel is totally cohesive. This really isn't a lot Police gem or a prog gem, but a fascinating listen, and if you fancy what the Police might sound like doing prog with a Mellotron, you should give it a listen. It's not the kind of album you'll probably listen to all the time.

Eberhard Schoener has done better albums, Meditation (1973) and Bali-Agong (1976) are albums I find much better, although I'm hardly familiar with everything he's done.

Eggs & Liquorice

Ever thought about bringing all of your synthesizers to Bali and collaborating with the local tribe's musicians? Well that's sorta what happened on Bali-Agúng. You can call it whatever you want to - weird, insane, cuckoo, but you gotta hand it to the man, this is without a doubt one of the most progressive records you'll ever come across. Progressive meaning to push forth already existing music into new unexplored venues, making it develop it's own language and expression.

This album is unsurpassed in a lot of areas, and I guess that's down to the risks involved with pairing something as bonkers and stylistically far from each other as progressive electronic and endemic Balinese music. You won't find anything remotely like it out there, that's for damn sure! Schoener here collaborates with the Gamelan Orchestra Of Saba And Pinda Of Agúng Raka, who weave their alien tribal sounds in between the main man's lush ambient soundscapes.

Schoener plays the moog along with his trusty mellotron, and whether he emphasises smooth liquidy ambiances, or creates lavishing counterpointing effects in the face of the surrounding proto world music, the outcome always manages to feel both serene and strangely alluring. Be advised though, these two unlikely bed mates only rarely collide and when they finally do, it really does leave a bizarre impression.

Supported by drummer Pete York and Siegfried Schwab on guitar, the more electronic laden sections from Schoener sometimes take on this semi-acoustic quality that complements the cornucopia of colours coming from the swinging Balinese orchestra.

Did I forget to mention the rare moments where this record dives into space rock - or that you additionally get some exotic and insanely original vocals from real life Ketjak singers? Maybe I also neglected to mention the last track Gong-Gede, that throws Gamelan metallophones together with sticky bubbly electronics and some unhinged drumming - all of which somehow gets channelled into one seemingly together tune by way of some rather prodigal studio montage work.

The fact of the matter is, that Schoener never jammed with the Balinese people. He travelled all over the Eastern continent making field recordings of whatever intriguing obscure music mysteries he came across. The end result amounts to one of the strangest, and for some reason uplifting, albums you're ever likely to stumble over. This is basically the essence of Florian Fricke's esoteric notion behind Popol Vuh, only conveyed in a completely different manner.

It's been too many years since listening to this album (which I should borrow again from library), but I have some positive memories of it. Ehm... did I really once confuse this musician with Eberhard Weber, a famous jazz bassist? *Blushes* But hey, this album has also terrific bass playing (by Hansi Ströer) and at the time of my mistake I probably knew Weber only from Kate Bush's album The Dreaming. Mistake forgiven-?

This album was released on the -IC- label which has introduced me to countless Electronic/New Instrumental Music artists during a couple of decades. I recommend that label to all friends of the genre: their output is never lame New Age but (mostly German), more or less "Kosmische", electro-acoustic music, sometimes with suitable pop elements. Schoener is rather eclectic within the genre: he uses on this album a chamber orchestra and two different choirs (boys' and monks', the latter bringing a strong Gregorian flavour), and the player list includes e.g. Andy Summers on guitar. The composer-keyboardist himself has a background in classical music.

This music is trance-like, hypnotic, deep and exciting. Sound is excellent and crisp, all the details embracing the listener's ears. Two tracks out of five last over 12 minutes. Recommended if you like artists like Klaus Schulze or Dead Can Dance.

Eberhard Schoener made a name in classical music as a sound arranger and director. Early in his career he distinguished himself through a handful of challenging electronic-experimental albums devoted to long "evanescent" driven synthscapes, contemporary ethno-ritual-theatrical performances. His most notorious effort is the mesmeric Bali-Agung recorded one year before. Signed on the legendary Innovative Communication, Trance-Formation follows the path defined by Bali-Agung but put the emphasise on religious motives, providing abundant human-liturgical-epiphanic choirs sustained by unusual hypno-pulsating arpeggios (1. Falling in trance), subtle synth moves and harsh psych guitars. Shape Of Things To Come provides eerie sound textures closed to the kosmische peacefulness of Schulze, The Cosmic Jokers but always with a heavy religious inflected accent. Sign of emotions is a more conventional-standardised space rockin track but according to me this it is the most powerful piece on this album, utterly meditative and fragile beauty. The self title track features atonal-weird experiments based on organ chords. Trance-Formation remains a multidirectional-versatile kosmische rock album, a bit fashionable but a nice listening experience.