ROBERT SCHROEDER

Robert Schroeder could be thought as an apprentice of KLAUS SCHULZE, whose electronic music label Innovative Communication released most of his albums from the debut Harmonic Ascendant (1979) to Pegasus (1989). Since the latter, Schroeder has made only three albums in this millenium; in the 80's he released one album each year except in 1986. This third album, produced and mixed by Schulze, consists of four tracks and features four guest musicians (on guitar, bass and drums).

'Mosaique' (12:03) proceeds gradually in a Schulzean way but repeats angular and sharp synth sounds I'm not fond of. Somehow I'm thinking of Jarre's album Zoolook (1984). Charly Büchel's electric guitar part is angrily distorted, like the one at the end of Pink Floyd's 'Keep Talking'. 'Utopia' begins with repeated synth patterns and the same pig-sounding guitar, but the 6-minute piece turns out to be quite progressive.

The shortest piece 'Aix-la-Chapelle' (4:25) features two drummers giving the music a feeling of a military march. A fairly nice, unexpected "surprise track", although the repeated synth melody remains rather boring. This far I'm personally not very impressed by the album. The preceding ratings without reviews suggest it to be better than the two earlier albums. Well, perhaps this one has more progressive rock elements attached to electronic music. The final track 'Computervoice' (12:33) is a good example of this fusion and for all its sonic dynamics it's the obvious highlight. In its latter half, the synths have airiness and moody melodicism, which is not much the case on other tracks of much colder nature. This is an excellent track but since I'm not so keen on the first two pieces featuring that pig-guitar, I have to stick to three stars.

*FIRST REVIEW OF THIS ALBUM*

Last year German electronic musician Robert Schroeder celebrated his 40th year in music, since his debut album entitled Harmonic Ascendant (on Klaus Schulze his famous IC label) from 1979. In 2019 the label Spheric Music also released his 40th album entitled Fata Morgana, in 40 years, incredible! And more to celebrate, that Fata Morgana album gained a second spot on the annual German electronic music awards at the Schalwelle for Album Of The Year, well done.

On his new album C'est Magique, #41, Schroeder presents lots of dreamy electronic landscapes featuring the usual spacy beeps and bleeps, soaring strings, slow synthesizer flights, blended with subtle percussion, like in the long title track that opens this CD. Magnetic Stream delivers fine work on the sequencer, the music reminds me of Tangerine Dream and JM Jarre. Sprititual Spice and Misterious Science contain laidback Mellotron choirs. I am very pleased with Black Magic its fat and spacy synthesizer flights and the bombastic orchestrations, fueled by a hypnotizing beat. Mystic Dawn is another example of Robert and his ambient musical landscapes, with the spacy sounds, soaring strings and dreamy synthesizer runs. The track Glowing Energy is the most dynamic one on this CD featuring a mid-tempo with a fat and catchy sequencer, blended with spacy synthesizer runs and soaring strings, very compelling electronic music. The album ends with the special trademarks of Robert Schroeder in Secret Elements: a slow tight beat, beeps and bleeps, then soaring strings join, again beeps and bleeps, a hypnotizing atmosphere and finally slow synthesizer flights.

To me this successor of Fata Morgana sounds more elaborate and captivating, if you like cosmic electronic music this is a fine one.

My rating: 3,5 star.

This review was previously published on the website of Background Magazine, the oldest Dutch progrock source.

German composer and musician Robert SCHROEDER has been a feature in the electronic music scene since the late 1970's, and he has created music ranging from Berlin School electronic progressive music to EDM and ambient / new age oriented escapades over the years. He has been a productive artist as well, with several dozen albums to his name. In fact, "C'est Magique", released through the label Spheric Music earlier this year, is his 41st studio album.

Those aware of Robert Schroeder's works will probably know what they can expect on any new album he releases at this point, and as I am unaccustomed to his previous 40 albums I cannot honestly make any comparisons towards the past here. For those who do not know the catalogue of Schroeder, I'd describe this most recent album as one residing inside an ambient cosmic music tradition, with recurring details reminding of more universally known artists such as Tangerine Dream and Vangelis, and with a very occasional nod in the direction of 80's techno.

Robert Schroeder is a German electronic music artist who debuted in 1979. Most of his albums were released in the Innovative Communication label founded by Klaus Schulze. (-IC- used to introduce me dozens of electronic artists in the early 90's when I explored the genre.) Scroeder may not be among the most famous - or the proggiest - artists of the genre, but he was pretty prolific in the 80's. I guess this one, his seventh album, is quite representative of his style.

The music is rather melodic and moody - and sonically it's easy to guess as a child of its time, ie. of the 80's. The synth sound per se is slightly cold and ripped down compared to such masters as Vangelis and Schulze, but at least some of the compositions have a certain emotional warmth in them. If you happen to know Ed Starink, a more forgotten 80's electro artist, Schroeder is like a warmer and less hollow equivalent to him. The tracks are shortish and close to a "song structure" even if they naturally are instrumentals. As an exception, 'Glucksgedanken' here features nice female vocals. Three other guests add acoustic guitar throughout the relatively short album.

Surely not any masterpiece of the genre, hardly even Schroeder's best work, but an accessible and easily consumed example of the melodic electronic music from the 80's. Best tracks are the mentioned one with vocals plus the title track and serene & romantic 'Love Symphony' (it's less than 3 minutes, despite its grandiose title!).

Initially starting out as an electronic engineer, German artist Robert Schröder devoted himself fully to music by 1978, resulting in his fascinating debut album `Harmonic Ascendant' a year later. Despite the album sharing sounds in common with other artists working in what became known as the Berlin School style of vintage Seventies electronic music, his debut is remarkably original and fully formed with a distinctive voice all its own. In addition to subtle influences of Klaus Schulze (who's producing credit here will likely be an instant point of note for many listeners), if anything Mike Oldfield's `Tubular Bells' is a gentle inspiration as well, as Schroeder incorporates a diverse range of instruments such as acoustic guitar, piano and cello into his lush drifting soundscapes, creating a very grounded musical environment compared to his cosmic-bound compatriots.

It's a couple of minutes before the side-long title track `Harmonic Ascendant' even reveals its electronics, instead opening with a gently melancholic piano and guest contributor Udo Mattusch's acoustic guitar theme. Slowly but surely electronic veils carefully begin to lift in prominence, almost taking in a wistful classical symphonic elegance, guest Wolfgang Tiepold's cello groaning sadly to life as synths waver in quivering, aching ecstasy. The cello begins to prance stirringly, delicate subdued sequencer trickles seeping in as the piece begins to grow in drama and presence, with a trilling little Moog tease in the final moments followed by a Rick Wright-like sombre yet warm solo piano close both welcome surprises to end on.

The second side holds two unrelated extended pieces, yet both are initially built around similar mumbling Vocoder recitations that take on a vague hypnotic quality. Whirring and buoyant synth washes and fizzing ripples unfold around those robotic rambles in `Future Passing By', eventually joined by a commanding Mellotron choir rising in heavenly majesty. Confident cascading synth caresses spiral over `The Day After X', ringing sequencer chimes and upfront hypnotic soloing duelling back and forth in between a maddening Vocoder psalm.

While the first side is the superior of the two, this is still a fully-inspired, dazzling release (and that beautiful cover painting from Swami Deva Anubaddha looks especially enticing on vinyl), made even more impressive by its minimal approach and careful subtlety. `Harmonic Ascendant' achieves a fascinating unison between electronic and acoustic elements that makes it truly stand out amongst the colder, deep-space explorations more commonly found in the vintage era of the progressive-electronic genre, and Berlin School followers looking for a unique interpretation of the style should investigate this one immediately.

Four stars.

Second album released by Robert Schroeder for Innovative Communication but no real suprises (contrary to what I could experiment on his first). Floating music is a pleasant listening, it pursues on the path traced by Harmonic Ascendant. As you can imagine this album is closed to cosmic sci-fi soundscapes released by Klaus Schulze. Consequently it features minimal, repetitive patterns that support ethereal, melodic synth moves. The first side represents a sensual, sometimes cloudy electronic voyage throw time and space. the kosmische soundscapes deliver some serene, deep introspective moments that really remind the best electronic epics from Schulze at the same period. The good point is that this album is not monolithic at all, it constantly provides changing ambiences and textures. It also reminds me Tangerine Dream but I almost prefer this one to TD's last Virgin years. The bad point is that the instrumentation sounds really dated because of the abundance of analog synth materials. It doesn't have the grandiose dark aura of Klaus Schulze's early primitive experimentations for the genre (Irrlicht, Cyborg) or the exceptional sonic intensity of the two first Cluster (always from Germany). Side 2 is an other intergalactic trip, including drums and placid electronics. Sleepy, dreamy and abstract synthesisers excursions. An honest album recommened for those who are into classic German kosmiche music.

Robert Schroeder is a talented and inspired german electronic composer whose career has strong connections with analogue synth sequences and spacey, spherical soundscapes produced by Klaus Schulze during the second half of the seventies. If we compared it with the best essays from K.Schulze's classic period, Harmonic Ascendant figures as a major work, pushing the cosmic synthesizer trippiness to an other level of experimentation and emotion. Harmonic Ascendant is not as majestic and as visceral than early TD and Schulze but clearly better than anything produced by these two masters after the 70's. The title track is among the most ravishing pieces released in the universe of kosmische psychedelica and early ambient environnemental music. This is a cloudy, melancholic electronic epic composed for stringed instruments (intimate, warm minimal acoustic guitars) and eerie keyboards. The atmosphere is emotionaly brilliant and produces the best effect on the listener. Future passing by delivers a celestial electronic ambience with vocoders, and sacred like synth choir (a relative similar experience is delivered in the Andreas Grosser & Klaus Schulze's collaboration for Babel). If we can judge by the rest of the album, The day after X is a rather convential electronic synth composition for minimal patterns and asceptic new agey synth waves. Generally less monotonous, less schyzo and more colourful than Schulze's efforts from the same period. Highly recommended, in particular for fans of 70s classic analog synth eccentricities (Klaus Schulze, Michael Hoenig, Rolf Torstel among others). Without any doubts the best release from this cult german musician.