“Jerome Froese aimed here the anemic works of TDream in order to make its teeth and give a cold soul to a music that already lacked of it”
CDI (67:11)
1 Little Blond In The Park Of Attractions (Thai Dub) (7:17)
2 Rough Embrace (5:30)
3 Touchwood (Forest Mix) (7:00)
4 Jungle Journey (Reptile Mix) (6:20)
5 Virtually Fields (6:50)
6 Firetongues (Break Freak Mix) (6:18)
7 San Rocco (7:17)
8 Catwalk (Dress-up Mix) (7:49)
9 Changes of the Gods (7:19)
10 Bride in Cold Tears (Motown Monk Mix) (5:31)
CDII (51:02)
1 Touchwood (Radio Edit) (4:05)
2 Little Blond in the Park Of Attractions (Radio Edit) (4:12)
3 Catwalk (Black Ink Mix) (8:15)
4 Touchwood (Poison Byte Mix) (7:57) 5 Iowa (7:12) 6 Sojus (9:21)
TDI001CD (2 cd)
(CD 108:13) (V.F.)
(Techno, Electronica, EDM)
The albums of Tangerine Dream cling onto time. Originally released in 1995 on Miramar, with a horrible artwork, with a single CD version, DREAM MIXES ONE must had six lives. The latest one is on the German label Membran with a new name. I will talk here about the TDI edition, released 2 years after that of Miramar, which includes 1 additional CD for nearly one hour of new sounds and music. And I will amaze you! I, who was discovering DREAM MIXES ONE with chilly ears, was pleasantly surprised by the changes and creative visions that Jerome Froese brought to his father's music. Mainly imported from the albums Tyranny of Beauty, Rockoon, and Turn of the Tides, Jerome brings in this album a techno touch that goes pretty well, considering the origins of the titles selected. So, the challenge was not very dangerous since these albums are not what Tangerine Dream has produced of best in its Miramar years. The opportunity was perfect then to experiment on titles in search of nobility.
DREAM MIXES ONE includes 10 remixes and 6 novelties, some of which are not pitted worms! Title super soft and very melodious from the Tyranny of Beauty album, Little Blond in the Park of Attractions opens the techno hostilities. There is not much going on here! Jerome maintains the harmonious envelope of the title, adding heavy percussions, cotton-wool cymbals borrowed to the world of Jean-Michel Jarre and a strong bass line. A heavy rhythmic divided between the pure and hard tempo, and the honeyed harmonious approach of Little Blond in the Park of Attractions. If I am asked, I prefer this version to that of Tyranny of Beauty. Jerky keys in a very dance-floor tempo, Rough Embrace comes straight from the Jerome Froese factory with a solid rhythm drawn on a frenetic line of bass and arpeggios that parade in a jolt. Divided, the tempo embraces the frenetic dance-freaks with synth pads all the same quite ethereal. If you like that, let's say that Virtually Fields is in the same vein, albeit a bit more robust. I have a hard time understanding different mix names, like Forest Mix or Reptile Mix. What is the meaning of these mixes names? Aside from that, Touchwood (Forest Mix) presents a good introductory melodious line whereas the music goes for an unbridled rhythm with good percussions and sound effects in a Jarre style, while being riddled with good synth solos. I must admit that it gives its effect. The 2nd part is more in the dance-style with a good bass and good percussions that wrap Touchwood in a constant whirlwind of rhythms. I like Jungle Journey (Reptile Mix) with its heavy and languorous tempo that is structured around very good percussions. At this level, the play of percussions and the drum machine are very good in this album. If the guitars and synths are modest, the son has this gift to freeze his Dream cover versions by solid percussions and ingenious sound effects, while maintaining the light and harmonious structures of the original titles.
Thus, Firetongues (Break Freak Mix), Catwalk (Dress-up Mix) and Bride in Cold Tears (Motown Monk Mix) all enjoy the same techno approach with the presence of incendiary percussions and good bass lines that releasewild and unbridled rhythms. But that breathes a little better than the originals. San Rocco, another original title from Edgar's son, shows a Jerome Froese who looks for himself with a structural approach very close to the harmonies of the Dream with unleashed rhythms, a little like Iowa, where rubber pulsations, percussions played by an octopus, frantic chords and orchestral arrangements of the disco years fill a title that becomes too heavy and at the limits of insipidity. The kind of title that make spits the speakers so much the pulses are uncontrolled. Too much is like not enough! Another new track from Jerome; Changes of the Gods! A little less heavy and just as effective with a very ingenious game of percussions on a hiccupping structure. There are more weighted passages where the guitar solos marinate with accuracy in this ocean of wild rhythms. Another good title from Jerome's studio manipulations that seems strongly inspired by Jean-Michel Jarre's Waiting for Cousteau period. Inserted to promote THE DREAM MIXES' sales on the TDI label, CD 2 contains different mixes of already mixes versions of 4 tracks of the first CD. The rhythmic structures are a little different, but not really to write WoW! But it should not be forgotten that I start discovering Techno and other forms of Electronica. Of the two new tracks, Sojus catches most of my attention with good bongos' percussion that initiate a frenzied rhythmic line wrapped in good padded synth layers that go adrift over a galloping bass line. A long title where the perfumes and melodious approaches of Tangerine Dream's Miramar years are ubiquitous, but on furious rhythms that remove any ambiguity about the musical direction that wants to borrow Jerome Froese.
It's obvious that for purists, the collection of DREAM MIXES ONE can make you sweat and I understand that. On the other hand, Jerome Froese aimed for this first musical raid the anemic works of Tangerine Dream in order to make its teeth and give a more melodious and a strongly rhythmic vision to a music that already lacked essence and subtlety in its original concept.
Sylvain Lupari (22/09/10) *****