A fellow expat, Christian Locke (Magicien Blanc) has come up with one of the best prog rock albums I’ve heard in a while. There are some cues from French and Italian prog bands from the 1970s and 1980s, some influence of bands of the Berlin school and Goblin, and it Continue Reading
Berlin School
Shane Beck & Michael Brückner – Extended Sigh
There’s little I can add to my dear friend, the Last American Poet, Shane Beck, and heir to the Berlin-School throne, Michael Brückner, so I will let the gentlemen speak for themselves. You can read further at this release’s Bandcamp site: In what turned out to be a spontaneous burst Continue Reading
Robert Scott Thompson – Night and Day
Our friend Robert Scott Thompson offers a gorgeously minimal take on the Berlin School of Electronic music, something the doctor ordered for today. RST is usually on-point with his long-form compositions, but this one sits perfectly in my ears today. Well done.
Shane Beck and Harald Bertram – Endless Love
We end 2022 and walk into 2023 with a shimmering, hopeful release. German composer Harald Bertram collaborates with the ‘Last American Poet’, Shane Beck in a collaboration of Berlin School-influenced electronics and poetry. A lovely release to end our year with.
Various Artists – Bureau B 2022
Bureau B has released so many incredible reissues that it has been hard to document all of them. Artists released this year include Martin Rev (of Suicide), Cluster, Dieter Moebius, Jimi Tenor and Faust among so many others. The label is incredibly prolific, and 2022 was another banner year for Continue Reading
Pete Swinton – The Book Of Chuang-Tzu, Ch. 18
Zhuang Zhou is the pinyin transliteration of Chuang Tzu, the Chinese taoist philospher who lived some time during the 4th century B.C. during the Warring States Period, and was part of a movement where Chinese philosophy enjoyed an explosive period of development. He is the subject of the album being Continue Reading
Robert Scott Thompson – Of Ice and Memory
Robert Scott Thompson is yet another friend of our blog who has graced our pages with a new single. From his Bandcamp site: An experimental track from the sessions for “From a Language of Light,” imagined for release near the close of 2022. Features Sarah Lock on vocals and percussion Continue Reading
Various Artists – REQUIEM: Klaus Schulze Tribute
This release, procured by Aural Films, is a tribute to Krautrock and Berlin-School legend Klaus Schulze, who passed away in April of 2022, and who would have been 75 years old today, far too young to have left us. From the compilation’s Bandcamp site: “Over a year ago, Jack Hertz Continue Reading
L’Aventure des Plantes – L’Aventure des Plantes
I can’t say where L’Aventure des Plantes are for sure, but their record label, Kotorosl Records, is from Barcelona, Spain. The music is highly influenced by Berlin School electronics, experimental music and ambient music, and they do honor to the genres.
Lauri-Dag Tüür – Waves Of Silent Whispers
Lauri-Dag Tüür appeared on my previous blog in 2020 with what I believe was his debut album, and he’s gotten better since. This album clocks in at a bit over 40 minutes, and it’s one of the better examples of Kosmische Musik I’ve heard in some time done by a Continue Reading