Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
Nov 27, 19:04 by SoftkritikThe name Tangerine Dream has firmly placed itself in the history books of Electronic music and anybody remotely interested in Ambient/Experimental/Electronic music will no doubt have come across this classic German band’s name.
They formed in Berlin, Germany in 1967 with the original line up of Edgar Froese, Konrad Schnitzler & Klaus Shulze. Early style of Tangerine Dream, found on their first 5 albums, was linked to British Psychedelia and Avant-Garde music rather than Rock music. It was categorized as Space Music or Krautrock. After various line up changes the band eventually consisted of Edgar Froese, Chris Franke & Peter Baumann. It was with this formation that Tangerine Dream signed to Virgin Records receiving a 5 year deal that came with total artistic freedom. Their first album for Virgin Records, “Phaedra” (1974), indicated that the band had taken a new direction as did the following album, “Rubycon” (1975). Both of these albums are now considered milestones in Electronic/Ambient music. Their use of analogue sequencers was unprecedented and in fact “Phaedra” was the first album ever to use such equipment. Nowadays software sequencers are a most common musical tool and every computer kid on the block uses them to make music. Back in 1974 though, they were only available as rare and expensive hardware. Both these albums were a commercial success and “Rubycon” itself reached an amazing #12 in the UK album charts, amazing when you consider it’s pioneering form of Experimental Ambient music.
The beautiful blue-green cover of “Rubycon”, at least on my vinyl version, depicts a photographed drop of water, frozen in time as it makes impact. Musically “Rubycon” consists of only 2 tracks that run at just over 17 minutes each, making this a pretty short album even by mid 70’s standards. According to my somewhat unscientific searches on the internet the album has a theme of either the Sea or Space? Not sure which? And as you listen to this music I’m sure either of these themes could very easily apply.
Part 1 opens fairly loosely structurally, and there is a feel of spaciousness & peace interrupted only by light sounding chimes/bells mixed in with other impressionistic, high-pitched melodies, glissandos & synthesizers. All in a style slightly reminiscent of Debussy. After this short intro a chord is struck and the mood decidedly changes, releasing mimic sea-gulls and typical Ambient (New Age wasn’t invented) washes amidst human voices (Mellotron). The music has movement similair to the sea touching a shoreline, dynamics swell back and forth as the choir like sounds move from soft to loud. After another pause the track shifts mode as a sequenced bass (moog?) slowly starts it’s epic journey through this musical movement, initially in 2/4 time then elegantly switching to a steady 6/8 time, initially accompanied by strings then later heavy chorus sounding electric piano improvisations, organs and beautiful oboe like melodies that sound distinctively eastern. A definite crescendo is reached as the sequenced bass is modulated and also seems to double it’s tempo as it once more jumps back to 2/4 but finishing in 6/8 time. Piano chords, come crashing against the groove and percussive elements (presumably Franke) add a real driving power to this segment. A wonderful dismantling of the whole rhythmic force in Part 1 is achieved as the sequence is finally brought to a halt and the music returns to it’s initial space & mood from the intro. The last sound in part 1 is the prepared piano (guessing) that fades out sounding so wonderfully psychedelic and rather reminiscent of Pink Floyd in “Meddle”.
Part 2 has a completely different atmosphere and shows another side, a darker side, to Tangerine Dream’s Ambient Electronica. Black clouds move in very low and forboding along the horizon, they threaten to engulf the whole landscape that you are standing in. This is what the harmonies & clusters of thick, colliding Mellotron chords sound like to me. I have always been fascinated by these chords. Having seen the film “ 2001 a Space Oddysey” quite a few times I immediately related them to Ligeti’s music from that film. This could indeed be perfect music for a horror movie. Surely it must be one of the first ever Dark Ambient pieces? Again the sequenced synthesizer plays a central part in giving movement to the music as it once again changes it’s mood to a more up-tempo, rhythmic style while simultaneously adding syncopations, time signature/pitch changes as slow attack sounds move in and out of the sonic collage. Simple yet exotic melodies played by an organ, add to the tension. The bass stops at it’s final destination and once more a sense of space spreads itself. And as the final chord is struck, ocean sounds (synths?) and sad flute melodies intertwine bringing a devine serenity to this album’s last movement. A slightly more sinister mood underlies the blissful harmony as dissonant chords once more threaten to destroy this scenery of peace . The closing scene modulates between these two states of being while simultaneously diminishing in volume until the flute & music gradually fade away….
Anybody interested in synthesizers, particularily analogue synthesizers, should most certainly listen to this classic album, by many considered their finest. Some of the synthesizers used include a VCS3, Double Moog, Arp 2600 & Mellotron. Tangerine Dream went on to make a few more albums with this line up before Peter Baumann eventually left the band. I’ve listened to “Rubycon” many times during the years and it’s a great album, alright maybe not in my top 10, but still a very fascinating journey into early Electronica.
It’s quite astonishing that the music on “Rubycon” still sounds so interesting and fresh despite the fact that it’s over 30 years old and have since then heard hoards of newer Electronic music (Boards of Canada, Plastikman, FSOL, Orbital, Shpongle, Röjksopp, etc). Also I have yet to hear it on CD! Admittedly Trance has perhaps made us all rather blasé and tired of 1/16 th arpeggiated synth lines that squeal with resonance through an 18db/octave filter? Perhaps this is a prejudice that many people have of Electronic Music? Thankfully “Rubycon” has none of that. While it may demand your complete listening attention (at least a few times) it will in the end more than likely reward you with a fine listening experience of classic Experimental- Ambient music.
Released on Virgin
See also: Tangerine Dream website