“This is a pretty nice compilation of very beautiful EM from RealTime which seeks to make a comeback”
1 Journey into Space 11:22
2 Chandra 6:25
3 Ethnic Moods 7:07
4 Panoptikum 7:25
5 Kilimanjaro 12:47
6 Lunar Habitat 5:47
7 Solar Walk 8:55
8 Up Up to the Sky 6:08
9 Zero Gravity Zone 8:34
10 Trigga me (brave Ol´Sequence) 6:08
11 Synchromatic 5:52
12 Lunar Dance 6:11
13 Swinging Amplitudes 12:02
14 Old is Gold 5:14
(DDL 110:04) (V.F.)
(New Berlin School)
And I who believed that RealTime had stopped its activities! You have to believe that not if I trust the words of Thomas Bock who works on new pieces of music at this very moment. In the meantime, the Bandcamp site for his musical project offers a compilation that surfaced discreetly 18 months ago. And it's with an ultra-simple front-artwork that the German musician invites fans of the Berlin School of the 90's to taste this very beautiful compilation which makes an overview of the 5 studio albums of this duo which was composed of Thomas Bock and Norbert Hensellek when Journey Into Space was released on SynGate in 2003.
And it begins with the title-track of this first album. Released in a shortened time envelope of 3 minutes, Journey into Space is adorned with a much more detailed sound panorama with a sound field which is also better defined. The information on the Bandcamp page of this compilation stipulates that each title is remixed and remastered. It's totally true! And for the lover of sounds, of these electronic equipment that give these dimensions so unique to music sculpted in the countless probabilities of synthesizers, this is significant. We love the sounds and these rhythmic ballets forged by the sequencers as well. On this compilation, the sequences are caramelized and sparkle with new freshness while the sound effects deepen a field of sounds' observation on structures of rhythms that have not changed.
It's also written that THE WORKS 2004-2018 contains 2 bonus titles; Synchromatic and Old is Gold. In addition to these 2 tracks composed in 2018, there is also an unreleased track, Kilimanjaro, which doesn't appear on any of RealTime's albums and which was composed in 2017 for the purposes of the compilation There is More… And I may have done lot of researches, I still haven't found where the title Panoptikum comes from! In the end, Thomas confirms that it's indeed an unreleased track, one of the many he has done, that was added recently since it was composed in December 2019.
And this first unedited title follows a very nice reset of Ethnic Moods from Magnificent Imaginations. Its tone is amplified while its decor is enlarged by a better division of sounds. So Panoptikum! It's pure RealTime with a structure with slightly jerky jumps. The rhythm is like that of a jogger in a robotic marathon that makes neurons dance in a cosmic setting. The tonal envelope is well constituted with attractive vocal effects, an agile veil of singing mist and percussive effects molded in elastic rubber. The upward rhythm of Kilimanjaro follows a little its tangent with a too fast pace to simulate a procession of hikers on the sides of this energizing mountain for spirituality. Minimalist and quite catchy, it's based on a combination of the sequencer and electronic percussions which sculpt a jerky flow. And this horde of climbers doesn't slow down this pace which rolls like a train of travelers towards the summits of this mythical mountain. The further we go, the more Thomas Bock injects a tonal fauna which plunges us into the metallic years of Tangerine Dream, in particular from the album Hyperborea era. Thereafter, we are entitled to a solid selection of revamped titles with outlines in the tones better detailed and more pronounced in sounds. Effects, sequences and a few percussive elements add even more charm to this very good compilation which is not compiled in order to make us sleep. And Synchromatic sticks to this vision with good electronic rock imbued with solos that seem very far versus the layers of celestial voices. There are also beautiful percussive elements. Stuff that has only its effect on me 😊! After a Swinging Amplitudes which is even more beautiful here, Old is Gold takes us back in time with a vintage tone. The rhythm is static with a line of oscillations which rolls in a whirlwind trapped by the enchanting vapors of the analog years. Vapors that lift airs and even solos in a sound envelope that detonates compared to the very contemporary and cybernetic tone of this compilation which offers you more than 100 minutes of a very beautiful EM.
Sylvain Lupari (April 6th, 2020) ****¼*
Available at RealTime Bandcamp