DREAM MIXES 5 [AKA: DM V]

2.5 stars

Already the fifth volume of the "Dream Mixes" series. What "historical" compositions could possibly be revisited this time? And how many novelties? Well, believe it or not, whereas the precedent volumes featured some new material, all nine tracks from "DM V" are remixes! As the 1974-1984 albums studio and live material was quite reused in the previous opuses, Jerome Froese had dig up some TD's 80's soundtracks to find out something to remixed. Don't get me wrong, some of these movie scores are enjoyable, but they certainly did not meet the heights of the Baumann and Schomelling periods standards...

The ambient "The Return Of The Time" borrows parts from "Rubycon Part 1". A little deception, as the result is rather soft and never really lifts off. The intent of revisiting the golden-era material is great but... Why not a full reinterpretation of the originals, such as "Phaedra of Nottingham" or "Stratosfear '95"? All the next tracks will faithfully follow their source tune. "Flow Paths" sees a pleasant version of "Exit" enhanced with nice additions and sci-fi sonorities. "Scope Of Mind" is based on the first sequenced part of "Horizon", from the great "Poland" live double-album. The drums make this remix quite lively, although a bit lengthy. Same goes for "Meshwork", a revisit of "Flock" from "Das M'dchen auf der Treppe", more known reworked as "Flock Of Bluebirds" in the "Antique Dreams" compilation. Cool, but the rather non-melodic and repetitive original tune makes it difficult for a 6 minutes long remix to maintain interest. Now... Were there no better tune in the huge TANGERINE DREAM patrimony to choose than the black sheep of the icy synthetic 1982 album "White Eagle", a.k.a. "Midnight In Tula"? I can understand that this pre-video-game-ish melody was fun and kind of iconic in its own way back in the days, but the melody is quite irritating. "Code To Zero" is a little more bearable, mainly due to its retro-futuristic and robotic ambiance, sounding less dated. I admit I can stand more this remix than the original one, however it does not really change my general opinion about it.

Another curious choice is "Polar Circles", based on "Running Out Of Time" from 1989 "Miracle Mile" soundtrack. To be honest, the original track was not really worthwhile. This new track contains a few digressions, but it doesn't prevent the overall from sounding rather flat. On the contrary, with "Alien Sitcom", Jerome made a justified pick by digging up "Mojave End Title" from the good "Wavelength" soundtrack. Despite little messy moments, this intelligent remix also features nice rocking passages. "Hinterland" reuses "Horizon" again, this time the frenetically-sequenced ending part. Easily the most dynamic track of the disc with its big-beat drums, trance-like sections and some middle-eastern sonorities too. the ender, "Mombasa (Touareg Remix)", is simply based on... "Mombasa" from "Booster III", composed by Edgar Froese, and just released 1 year earlier. Definitely ambient and floating with its female vocalizations, this composition is enjoyable but not varied enough.

This fifth opus clearly shows the Dream Mixes formula beginning to falter. The choice of the source material is sometimes questionable and some worthwhile tracks are not fully reinterpreted. Nonetheless, the most important point is that, in 2010, the style is still stuck in the nineties, whereas the then current electronic music scene showed important evolutions during the 21st Century's first decade. TANGERINE DREAM's 1970-1984 material now deserves more modern reinterpretations.

Give it a try if you want, "DM V" has its moments after all, but I'd rather recommend Dream Mixes 3 or 4...

Dream Mixes V is so far the last album in what has proved to be a hugely listenable project of remixing TD's back catalogue. The first two releases were more oriented to the band's 90s output, whereas DMIII onwards saw the project revisit much older and more "classic" TD pieces. DMV is much less "danceable" and beat-oriented than previous DM releases (DMI being the most danceable of them all).

The album opens with "The Return of the Time" - a piece which is very loosely based on "Rubycon Part 1" from the 1975 album. This is not so much an actual remix as opposed to a track that uses samples. The track itself is somewhat ambient and flowing, and you can almost imagine a river running its course. A great chill-out track for those who prefer their chill-out musical on the cerebral side. 8.5/10.

Up next is Flow Paths, which is a remix from "Exit", originally released on the album of the same name in 1981. This track is indeed a full-on remix (and so are most of the tracks on the rest of the album), as the melody is present throughout. Flow Paths is a fine track, that alters the melody a little in the right way but retains the essence of the original - which is a great track. 8.0/10

This is then followed by Scope of Mind, which is one of two remixes from Poland's closing track "Horizon" (released 1984). It is based on the second section. This is perhaps one of the greatest tracks, as it does indeed have an epic feel (or "scope") to it. This is a somewhat recurring theme for this album - tracks that have a sort of epic and grandiose feel to them. This track works exceedingly well, with its semi-laid-back sequences and overall sense of purpose to it. 10.0/10.

Meshwork, on the other hand, ups the ante with a frenetic and upbeat sequence-driven melody. It is based on the lesser-known track Flock from TD's soundtrack to the episode of the German television show Tatort "Das Mädchen auf der Treppe". I really like the sequence on this track, it scratches my brain in all the right ways. It doesn't really alter the original much, just extends it and adds some new sounds. 9.0/10

Code to Zero is based on the divisive "Midnight in Tula" from 1982's White Eagle. It alters the original to a reasonable extent, remaining true to the original but also significantly different enough to provide a different listening experience. The sequence no longer sounds quite so retro-videogame-esque (not that this was something that bothered me - I am one of the people who likes the original), and instead sounds more befitting of a more modern video game title. 8.5/10

Polar Circles is another track based on a less well-known piece, this time being based on "Running Out of Time" from the 1989 soundtrack to the movie "Miracle Mile". It is another more laid-back and relaxed track, but still has a solid momentum going and is also befitting of a chillout session. 8.5/10

This is then followed by what is in my opinion another of the greatest tracks on the album, Alien Sitcom. Again, it is based on a more obscure soundtrack number, "Mojave End Title" from 1983's Wavelength. This is another track that has a grandiose feel to it, and it is incredibly effective. It has many great chord patterns and sequences that build as the piece goes on from a more minimal start to where, later on in the piece, the full-scale sounds are unleashed and all the grandeur is revealed. 10.0/10.

The last track to not be a bonus track is Hinterland, the second track based on "Horizon" from Poland. This is another track with a frenetic and fast pace, and is based on the final section. Also another fine track, and a faithful rendition of Horizon's closing section. 8.0/10

The first of the bonus tracks is D.I.T.S., which is based on "Dolls in the Shadow" from the 1990 album "Melrose". This alters the original by adding in a substantial amount of guitar sounds akin to Jerome Froese's guitartronica albums, which works really nicely. As a side note, this track's remix date differs from the rest of the album, stemming from 2008 and not 2010. 9.0/10.

The second bonus track is Sun's Son Seal, Part Three, which is based on "Sun's Son Seal, Part One", and "Sun's Son Seal, Part Two", from Purgatorio (2004), part of the operatic Dante trilogy. This track, however, is not operatic at all. It features some almost ominous and cinematic-sounding synth chord progressions and has a far more of a trance- beat feel to it than the rest of the album. 9.0/10.

The third bonus track is Wasteland Methods, based on "Mojave Plan", another track from 1982's "White Eagle". This is another of the best tracks on the album, utilising different sections of the original piece for a track which is almost half the length but works just as well, if not slightly better. Again, Wasteland Methods feels more beat- oriented than the rest of the album (perhaps this is why Wasteland Methods and the previous track are bonus tracks, as they contrasted too much with the overall sound of the rest of the album). 10.0/10.

The album closes with the final bonus track, Cognition. This is not a remix of any previous Tangerine Dream piece, but is rather an original piece. In contrast with ANY other track on the album, Cognition has no beat whatsoever, and is more of an ambient soundscape track, with one sound/chord flowing nicely into the next. This is the most chilled-out track on the album, and works well as an ending. 8.5/10.

In conclusion, DMV is an excellent and competent closing chapter of one of the most interesting and rewarding series of albums in TD's history. 5/5.