ACI

Pseudonym of a keyboardist, who was said to be either Michael Gerlach, future keyboardist of Eloy or an unknown H. Van Aaken, the man who wrote most of the album ''Tiefenrausch'', released in 1982 on Harvest.Whoever he was, his album features some great guests like Rufus Zuphall's and Kraan's drummer Udo Dahmen and bassist Dieter Petereit, who previously played with New Triumvirat.Other contrbutors were Armin Biermann and Peter Schneider on Moog synth and Peter Broicher on guitar.''Tiefenrausch'' was recorded in two different sessions at Tonstudio Langendreer and at EMI Studio II.

Very much a product of its time, ''Tiefenrausch'' is an album full of rhythmic electronics and synthetic beats, which sometimes obtains some of the cosmic touch of early Kraut-Electronic bands, but most of the time runs through the emerging synthesizer music of the 80's.An obscure mix of spacey keyboards, New Wave atmospheres, Electronic Music and Synth Pop with questionable results, containing spacious soundscapes, some VANGELIS' symphonic flashes, lots of accesible electronic tunes and, most of all, a JEAN-MICHEL JARRE-like tendency towards hypnotic and atmospheric synthetic music.Despite the presence of a bunch of contributors, this is all about synths and drums, the later sounding a bit too robotic, with only a few electric shadows in a PINK FLOYD vein and the bass actually being buried under the display of synthesizers.This is moving away from the German school of Electronics and becoming a trend of the 80's, as about half of the pieces could be listed in a New Wave/Synth Pop album, the other are more into Kraut/Electronic Music with trippy images and lots of outlandish keyboard distortions.

Not among the best albums of the genre.Too many period sounds, but also some references to the classic German EM stylings.For dedicated fans of the style.

A C I - "TIEFENRAUSCH" is probably one of more unknow progressive electronic rock bands from Germany . I think is due to countless German prog acts in the style. However, although certainly they bring to their music influences the sound from another German bands , such as KRAFTWERK, TANGERINE DREAM etc... They receive another strong influences from French keyboardist JEAN MICHAEL JARRE and their pop/ dance style and ( in smaller intensity) from Greek VANGELIS with his more new age and symphonic style. In spite this work aren't a weak release, the music be very far from the creativity from another great releases of the same style... such as VANGELIS's "Spiral" KRAFTWERK's "Trans-Europe express" and "Autobanh" and TANGERINE DREAM's "Cyclone" ( some of my favorites in the style). My rate is 3 stars !!!

Have you ever wanted to dance listening to atmospheric prog? So take this: Tiefenrausch, the underground one-shot from the german band ACI. An enjoyable mix of sci-fi disco, prog electronic, space ambient and krautrock. The band focus on spacey synth settings.

The album starts with the happy Reise. The second track, Tiefenrausch, is a prog disco. So we have the dancing Deutsche Welle, one of their best moves, with robotic vocals and a catchy bassline. Sonnestrahl is the last song from the A side. It's a thriller song and it closes the side in a very adventurous prog way.

The B side starts with the futuristic Drachenflug, a mood for an abduction and exploration into a new dimension. Impuls is a very trippy' ambiental song. It's disco time again, and the robotic voice (so cool) strikes back in Umlaufbahn. The bassline make the music catchy once more. And the last song of the night, Ellipse, seems to be a theme for an oldschool sci-fi cheesy movie, and I like it.

They reach the prog essence of make the listener trip and develop a plot line just listening to the song. I will never underestimate the disco music tag (in a prog way) again.