“The mostly perfect hommage to Edgar Froese yet, Frontiers is a flawless album loaded of great musical memories”
1 Frontiers 1 13:53 2 Frontiers 2 6:57 3 Frontiers 3 6:03 4 Frontiers 4 7:41 5 Frontiers 5 6:49 Paul Lawler Music (DDL 41:25) (Berlin School) (V.F.)
The sequencer does not waste time! It spits rubber-covered leaps which flutter on the spot and hop from one ear to another, structuring one of those electronic rhythms which used to untie our neck from our shoulders in the late 70's. A nebulous haze flirts with this rhythm where get graft riffs and keyboard effects, while bright arpeggios adopt the rotational axis of the rhythm which leaps with more velocity when percussions add their rollings. In addition to the mists and effects, the synth articulates paradisiacal chants unique to the harmonic signature of Edgar Froese at this time. After a first phase of steady rhythm, Frontiers 1 slides towards an ambiospherical passage with this vision of nomads of the American deserts which seems to have obsessed a certain phase of creativity of our famous German musician. The riffs and jets of fog, synth solos whistled as in a post apocalyptic western, streamers of rhythms which shake back and forth between two shores of nothingness ... The range of Edgar Froese's musicality meets us between Ages and The Perth Tapes. This latest album by Paul Lawler is a tribute to the musical universe of the first solo albums from the founder of Tangerine Dream. And let me tell you that the one who kindly fooled the faithful of the German trio with his Arcane project, more precisely with the Max Richter era, has knitted a flawless album because FRONTIERS gathers all the sound and musical clichés of the legend Edgar Froese between the years 78-83. And Paul Lawler restores this universe with unprecedented precision, both in the structure of compositions and in the signature and sound aesthetic of Edgar. And when we talk about the first albums, the ambiospherical moments of albums such as Aqua and Epsilon in Malaysian Pale, except for the massive use of the Mellotron, are barely touched on this album. This history in charms continues with Frontiers 2! This title is a gem with its line of rhythm subdivided into an armada of solitary sections that are joined in a continuous movement, and with its imperfections. Notably with its percussion riffs! Jets of mist full of mysteries, nebulous stationary mist cushions, suspended Mellotron lines and floating decor with a zest of Mephistophelian add a to tonal texture which is closely aligned with Edgar Froese's best stories. Frontiers 3 teleports us in the Ages era with a lively rhythm and a creative Funky keyboard. The harmonies of the synth, the always inconsistent rhythm and ambiances torn between Flashpoint and The Keep make of Frontiers 4 a more contemporary title of the Froese universe, while Frontiers 5 possesses perfumes of Le Parc on structures of Stuntman. Who better than Paul Lawler to target a period in order to pay tribute to a pioneer Electronic Music of the 70's? FRONTIERS is a flawless album. Don't expect to hear remixes here or music which is slightly near of the original versions. No! Arcane goes for creativity by adding the weight of Edgar Froese's fantasies to structures that are unique to Arcane, but which are just as propitious to Edgar's vibes in those years when Tangerine Dream and his captain realized their best of their masterpieces. Superb! Sylvain Lupari (27/01/19) *****
Available at Paul Lawler Music Bandcamp