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COSMIC GROUND LIVE

Cosmic Ground

Progressive Electronic


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Cosmic Ground Cosmic Ground Live album cover
4.00 | 5 ratings | 2 reviews | 20% 5 stars

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Live, released in 2017

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Dark Enck (20:16)
2. Cairo Grind (19:14)
3. Unground I (19:20)
4. Unground II (18:57)
5. Anomaly* (16:54)

Total time: 94:41

* bonus track for digital download only

Line-up / Musicians

- Dirk Jan Müller / modular systems, mellotron, Roland RS-202, Roland system 1, nord wave/electro
- Horst 'Sunhair' Porkert / Roland SH-101, moog sub-37, minikorg, effects

Releases information

2LP Adansonia Records AR017 (2017 Germany)
CD/Digital Download Sunhair Music (2017 Germany)

recorded October 2016 at E-Live Festival in Oirshot, De Enck
and November 2016 at the 9th Psychedelic Network Festival in Würzburg, Cairo

Thanks to rivertree for the addition
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COSMIC GROUND Cosmic Ground Live ratings distribution


4.00
(5 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(20%)
20%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(60%)
60%
Good, but non-essential (20%)
20%
Collectors/fans only (0%)
0%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

COSMIC GROUND Cosmic Ground Live reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Aussie-Byrd-Brother
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Recorded over two dates in October and November 2016 and taken from performances in both Cairo and the Netherlands, `Live' sees Electric Orange keyboardist Dirk Jan Müller presenting a series of immersive Berlin School-modelled prog-electronic instrumentals in a concert setting, joined on additional synths by Horst Porkert of Sunhair Records. Like the last two Cosmic Ground studio albums, `Live' is comprised of four side-long pieces that slowly unfold and delicately reveal their intricacies, and while the early Seventies works of Tangerine Dream are the starting point as always, Dirk and company move beyond that as lengthy unhurried atmospheres and welcome surprises emerge throughout the set and take the pieces in fresh directions, with many stretches fusing both modern and vintage sounds effortlessly.

Opening with quietly mournful and groaning Mellotron mystery, `Dark Enck' evolves into a heavy and dense pure Berlin School drift that rumbles with jangling machine-driven tension and echoing cavernous vibrations. `Cairo Grind' quickly builds in tempo to thrum with rapid skittering sequencer trickles and pattering beats that almost take on a relentless trance-like urgency.

At its core, `Unground I' is a slowly unfolding drone with a constant sustaining hum to its backing behind placid synth caresses, but there's emerging traces of unease flitting around throughout, and it ultimately dissolves into more dangerous sequencer-laced tension in the second half. `Unground II' comes the closest to a purely ambient piece with serene lulling synth washes and fuzzy unfurling electronic trickles teeming with life, and it makes for a more soothing, hypnotic and embracing finale.

`Live' maintains the same high standard of the three (to date) Cosmic Ground studio albums, and it captures beautifully the energy and momentum that the live environment offers. Some may find nothing particularly new here, but take the time to look past the surface similarities to Tangerine Dream, give it plenty of repeated plays and dig a little deeper, and you'll discover a hugely rewarding live document from an intelligent modern progressive-electronic artist in Müller.

Four stars.

Review by Rivertree
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / Band Submissions
4 stars COSMIC GROUND marks a progressive electronic studio and solo project actually. And so for one or two it may be a big surprise to notice, that on both occasions, from where this live recordings are taken, Dirk Jan Müller moreover will be accompanied by Horst Porkert on synths, who is also known for driving the German Sunhair label. Everything sounds harmonic, so much for the start. You should notice, I never had a considerable relation to pure electronic live concerts. There is a die hard fan base given of course, regarding The Netherlands too. So they once participated at E-Live Festival in Oirschot, a venue with reputation. At least the first song can be clearly associated to this gig.

Five improvisations are available in total, where Anomaly seems to be a bonus, solely when it comes to the digital download option. The rest is ideally designed for a double vinyl release. Adansonia Records have taken this task again. Dark Enck and Unground I (hey, ridiculous, I'm always reading 'Underground') are similiar in execution. The very start goes to the melancholic mellotron. Though this is sooner or later evolving into an extended partition of somewhat rhythmic sequencer loops. A very hypnotic affair in both cases. Sounding like accompanied by tribal percussion Cairo Grind in principle continues on this path.

With Unground II it's all changing to a more key driven sound. It feels like I'm underway in deeper and darker realms now, like undertaking a deep-sea expedition and being faced with odd creatures hereby. You may really sense the water pressure in some way. Man! What an atmosphere! Have you ever been to an oceanographic museum? Perfectly matching background music, especially when arriving at the darkest and deepest ground. This album mirrors a well made, mostly relaxed and laid back performance, spiked with common references to Klaus Schulze respectively Tangerine Dream. Not an everyday case of course ... when you're in the mood to release yourself for some time, and this ideally supported by headphones, a wonderful experience is guaranteed. As Dirk turns out to be a master of building suspense levels.

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