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Synth Music Direct (UK)
Der Laborant is Gerd Wienekamp who is one half of the superb Rainbow
Serpent. If you are into that band this CD will be an absolute delight.
The closest comparison would be their album 'Voyager' but he certainly has
put his own individual stamp to the music. 'Excelsis Dei' begins as if you
are walking down a long corridor in some futuristic space ship, cosmic
shimmers and electric beeps on the edge of hearing surround you. Then deep
synth pads flesh out the sound and a feeling of openness prevails. A solo
Gregorian chant makes a brief appearance then more cosmic warblings come
to the surface. A lovely lead line plays underneath and the Gregorian
chant returns. I know that chants are becoming very over used in EM but
the subtlety and brevity of their introduction here is such that they act
as colour rather than the main focus. We are four minutes into the piece,
drifting beautifully, before the first sequence emerges. Its pace quickens
slightly and a rhythm is added. The effect is really quite stunning, not
blistering but amazingly successful. Had me moving around the room anyway.
Laid back dynamism! What a start to the CD! 'Gefallener Engel' makes use
of string stabs, cosmic effects and a very quirky rhythm to produce a
piece the like of which I certainly haven't heard before. Very inventive.
'Die Maschine' initially makes use of a beautiful solo lead line but it
isn't long before a superb sequence appears. As on the first track this is
devastatingly effective without resorting to going at a hundred miles per
hour. The sequence changes at just the right times and the lead lines are
pin sharp rather than aimless as can sometimes happen on this sort of
album. 'Kontakt' starts as a drifting piece but as we get five minutes in
the sequences start to bubble then an insistent beat drives things along
to its close. 'Lazarus' shows us how subtle Gerd Wienekamp can be. There
are some vocoded vocals very low in the mix that provide colour to the
synth pads. The sequence becomes very hypnotic and trance like. It is the
sort of thing that you just float to and let your mind wander. The final
track 'Verwandlungen' gets straight underway with a driving beat which
mutates and increases in pace at about the two minute mark. All is change
again after another couple of minutes as a rumbling sequence appears
underneath. This combination of rhythm and sequence continues to the end
of the track and finishes the album in a very pleasing fashion.
So to sum up, different to Rainbow Serpent but should still be greatly
enjoyed by all those into their music. (DL)
Dave Law, 1998
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