AIR 3

In the ever expanding discography of Pete Namlook, the Air albums remain a trustworthy source for quality electronic music. Just like the Dark Side of The Moog series, they offer accessible music that meanders fluidly through the different styles that Namlook usually performs, varying between ambient, drone, progressive electronic, techno and ethnic influences.

Inauguration is a unique piece with dreamlike synth sounds weaving abstract cosmic patterns. Where have we heard this before? On Tangerine Dream's Zeit maybe? Namlook uses modern equipment and sounds though. Ethnic flutes crop up left and right, providing an tone similar to Gabriel's Passion. Some free-jazz drumming joins near the end.

Two lengthy compositions follow with slowly building ambiences. They can get a bit monotonous. Oui is the most engaging one, with Arabian percussion and occasional melodies with sampled ethnic instruments. Est-ce que L'amour fait mal is a nice and cool jazzy lounge music, but twice as long as called for. It features female spoken word samples in French, a typical feature in the Air series but a bit overdone here.

There's no Air album without classic Tangerine Dream inspired sequences. Give Space a Trance delivers exactly as promises and varies cosmic space drone with entrancing sequences (Rubycon-style). The second half introduces techno (jungle) beats and might be a bridge too far for non-techno audiences. It ends with a more melodic section, typically Namlook, where he matches the lush sound of 78-79 Tangerine Dream with the catchiness and stark minimal melodies of Kraftwerk. Fans of his Dark Side of the Moog series will love this.

Air III isn't the strongest album in the Air series but there's still plenty of gorgeous electronic music to please fans of Tangerine Dream and 90's elelectro/dance/techno/ambient!