SOUNDS OF NEW SOMA

Alexander Djelassi & Dirk Raupach aka Sounds of New Soma - La Grande Bellezza (2017), an eleven track album, track by track.

1. Bundesgartenschau '71- A kind of retro Hippie/Krautrock piece which promises much but stays short of delivering some new twist, to this quiet traveled road ***

2. Der Grüne Pilz-A kind of modern theater like piece with its over abused cliches included which seems to aim impressionable "cultured" listeners who can actually pay for bs.*

3. Einheit Des Lichtes- So to play it safe or at least play, TD´s & Klaus Schulze idiom appears (what a unsurprising surprise!) with contrasts between melodic like sequences and the addition of some noises to somehow rest solemnity or make it a less obvious rip off, but the cheap noises attained with Casio like mini keyboards is so predictable that the joke falls apart and the show loses charm.**/*

4. Garten Des Lichtes- Probably the second most original track, which somehow showcases both the unlimited possibilities and the quiet limited range of original musical language this work has shown so far of course if you add such elements in single piece dont expect the seas to part- ***

5. Das Weiße Rauschen-A noisy, a la Keith Fullerton (but without the thrill), track, extremely pretentious and ultimately senseless (unless you wanna punish your Ma). **

6. Spandau- A funky 80´s like Jazz piece (sax included) which borrows some cliches and ends up losing ground. **

7. Wahn- May well be how SONS will actually sound devoid of lent musical languages, it is not astounding nor enticing but at least it is original. ***/*

8. Schwurbel- Another piece to enjoy rather than endure, but the flaw still there. When good not original, when not no good. (**** For this album´s standards for the rest of the world of electronic music ***).

9. Schönheit- A hollow guitar sound leads the way to a quiet cliched "Western" movie like soundtrack which may well be taken to outer space not for the first time and certainly not for its last, but this recreation will hardly outstand among a zillion of the same idea compositions (miles away from Lanois & Eno´s recreations). **/*

10. Wurmloch- An unoriginal blend between the Berlin school methods and Pink Floyd´s musical language which aims so high that it runs out of clangs, bangs and crashes to get there successfully or at least naturally. **

11. Duftnote- And as to reedem their past failures, Sounds of New Soma, builds a dreamy, nostalgic, church like organ piece which is both good & original but you know how the saying goes .**/*

My high expectations were "graveyard" buried with the actual results. **/*

Your Manuscript Is Good and Original, But What is Original Is Not Good; What Is Good Is Not Original.- "attributed, not found."

As the album title unmistakeably signifies, this was recorded live at the Green Mushroom Festival ... hey, you want to know where and when this event may have occured? Well, I couldn't find any information about the named location. So this will be a joke, a fake. Forgivable of course, as it is common courtesy all around the German (neo) krautrock related scene. I mean the intention to hoax a bit, to challenge the listener, to play with anagrams concerning album respectively track titles ... and so on. The first track Schein is more than indicative then, no surprise really. This german word has multiple meanings, but I would translate it to 'Pseudo' here in a strict sense.

Somebody is introducing the 'festival' with a distorted voice. And initially it all sounds like a concert intro including sound check. A live in the studio expedition though most likely, as I also can't recognize any reaction coming from an audience. While regularly serving a kosmische blend of electronics and krautrock on their common studio albums, the show is more characterized by a mesmerizing space rock procedure. This predominantly due to the inclusion of guest drummer Armin Schopper, who will contribute the obligatory mid-tempo groove. Furthermore the guitars are more relevant as usual in contrast to the electronics.

SOUNDS OF NEW SOMA are serving a wonderful floating atmosphere, spacey, laid back. Somewhat hypnotic, very nice. Managing guitar, bass and synthesizer goodies Alexander Djelassi and Dirk Raupach are representing the core. 'Other psychedelic astronauts' are introduced as well, something else to speculate about if you will. Weinende Eidechsen even sees them partially leaving into heavy territories with slicing guitars and powerful drumming. Backed by electronic loops Projektionen on the other hand won't need percussion, is close to Tangerine Dream. A proper album if you intend to relax and slip away into an alternative dimension for some time.

'Moebius Tunnel' is the second full-fledged appearance from this German duo consisting of Alex Djelassi and Dirk Raupach. While trying to make a step forward with the new album the result is a combination of structured attitude either, and spontaneity on the other hand. Six excursions are given, all of them are earning attributes like dreamy, trippy, spacey with ease. Above all the sound quality is top, due to the fact that Eroc (ex-Grobschnitt) was involved when it comes to the mix and mastering.

When starting to listen you'll immediately experience that synthesizers are their main tools again. Partially equipped with samples the first two tracks are nicely meandering ambient/space exemplars. But you definitely can't say that they are reduced to a pure electronic act. Alex additionally plays bass and guitar on Subraumverzerrung then, and even drums are on the mix here. Stech / Apfel delivers a slight indo/raga feel by way of variation.

A bit surprising actually, with Morgengebet they even succeed to offer a real space rock highlight, including drums serving a nice groove. 'Moebius Tunnel' is a relaxed trip which will appeal to electronic fans as well as kraut rock lovers. The cover art has been contributed by artist Mark Reiser, who is known for his work for Hawkwind and Nik Turner. Available on vinyl, compact disc and digital download in the first instance you can give it a try on their bandcamp page.

SOUNDS OF NEW SOMA are a German duo consisting of Alexander Djelassi and Dirk Raupach. Both are handling nearly all the basic instruments, as there are guitar, bass ... and the complete synthesizer stuff of course. Drums however do not play a role here, at least not on this recordings, since they are underway on atmospheric, dreamy and transcendental paths most likely. Furthermore the SOUNDS OF NEW SOMA members are open-minded enough to cooperate with diverse other musicians. Thus it was a real surprise for me when I recently discovered that they have recorded a split album in collaboration with the Israelian formation Backnee Horn.

Tonzonen Records have released 'Beyond The Acid Dream' in 2014 on vinyl and compact disc format. Four songs are given, easily proportioned on both sides, which feature typical cosmic sounds, stylistically enclosing progressive electronics in the majority, as well as some kraut and space. The album's distinctiveness is manifested through the saxophone attendance by Andreas Lessenich for example, who adds a jazzy note to some songs. Mysterious recitatives are another special contribution. The very inspired Traumfänger convinces me much, during ten minutes they are preparing a fantastic ambiance.

This album, mastererd by Ex-Grobschnitt member Eroc by the way, needs some rounds. In the first instance I could not accept the saxophone for example, the instrument sounded misplaced somehow. But in the meanwhile I had to revert, it's clear that this exactly represents the difference though, the uniqueness within the sound ... so much the more then seems to force the question, why Andreas is not listed as a full member. Anyway, SOUNDS OF NEW SOMA is a promising new project, Alexander and Dirk are offering a lot of inspiration and innovation. So what do you think about a joint venture with Camera next? We will see ...