Tangerine Dream - Mala Kunia mp3 album

Although the 'Eastgate Years' of Tangerine Dream have proved more generally popular with both casual and hardcore fans than the career low of the 1990s 'Seattle Years' era, it has to be said there has been a noticeable drop off in quality since the the 2005 - 2008 momentary creative renaissance. With an overwhelming number of albums, cupdiscs, 'Sonic Poems' and EPs coming out each year, most of them solo works by Edgar (with the occasional track from Thorsten to mix things up a little!), things grew somewhat stale in the final few years of the group, with tracks and even albums sounding somewhat interchangeable. In 2014, the band's final 'era' was announced as the 'Quantum Years' (the first time Edgar had chosen an era's name, rather than the fans) with a new lineup and sound. Featuring contemporary ambient IDM musician Ulrich Schnauss in the lineup, and removing the bulk of acoustic sounds - guitar, percussion, sax, flute, vocals - that have played a large part in the band's sound since 1990, Tangerine Dream once again returned to the 'synth trio' format that hadn't been in place since the mid '80s, with Hoshiko Yamane helping out on electric cello and violin.Sadly, the untimely death of Edgar in January 2015 cut this final phase of Tangerine Dream short, with only one proper release to its name. What makes Edgar's death that bit more tragic is the high quality of this cupdisc, an album to rival any of the group's best post-Schmoelling recordings. The two tracks Froese and Schnauss worked on together show a revitalised band once more, with the latter's dreamy, shoegaze-tinged electronic haze blending perfectly with the former's chunky sequences. 'Shadow and Sun' is a brooding, dramatic opener; 'Madagasmala' contrasts with a bright, nostalgic melody. Both are rich, beautiful electronica worthy of an contemporary synth musician. Thorsten closes with record with one of his strongest tracks to date, a cinematic piece with a punchy downtempo beat that could be the most modern sounding TD track ever.What makes this disc so special, however, is the quality of Edgar's solo tracks. Of the four, only 'Snake Men's Dance at Dawn' relies on the same synth presets he's been using since the '90s - and even then the piece is tightly constructed piece with a strong melody. Similarly, none of the four tracks has the same meandering feel of much of his solo work - 'set the sequencer running for eight minutes and throw in some seemingly random chord changes' being his modus operandi for some years now - instead being well composed pieces with memorable melodies. Crunchy digital textures, no doubt partially inspired by Schnauss himself, fill these pieces, with the trademark TD sequences sounding fresher and more vibrant than they have in years. Every track here is a winner, and that's something that hasn't happened for a long time.Usually, the 'cupdisc' series has existed to provide shorter releases (although at around 40 minutes, they have been the same length as most of the group's classic records!) that sit aside from the band's main canon of albums. Although Mala Kunia was intended as a preview for the first proper 'Quantum Years' album, it is labelled a 'Long Run Cupdisc', and running to 54 minutes it is enough of an album in its own right not to be dismissed in the way some of the more anonymous sounding cupdiscs maybe could. With Thorsten, Ulrich and Hoshiko completing the half-finished album they started with Edgar, it seems we'll get one more release from the 'Quantum Years' synth trio format, and if this disc is anything to go by, it's something to look forward to. Out of any context, Mala Kunia is a fantastic album of melodic electronic music. As the last thing Edgar released during his time with us, it's a remarkable way to go out, and that makes it a highlight of the long career of Tangerine Dream.

Well said. This release has interested me sonically for the reasons you aptly point out. TD is/was best as a collaborative band--not solo material under the TD name and that's what made the promise of the new trio so enticing.