By Jim Rowland
Hot on the heels of last month’s ‘50 Years Of Phaedra: At The Barbican’ release, electronic legends Tangerine Dream release another archive live album this month in the shape of ‘Sessions IV’, with this lengthy platter having a strong improvisational flavour to it.
In their imperial years of the 1970s, Tangerine Dream’s live concerts were an electronic exploration, improvised and different every night, with little or no relationship to their hit albums. These tracks, dating back to 2018, show the modern incarnation of TD following similar lines, with the four lengthy tracks here all chosen as outstanding improvisations from shows during that period.
Clocking in at just under the 80 minute mark, technically there’s just three tracks making up this set, with ‘Four Degrees Parallax’, recorded at a festival in Pisa, Italy, split into parts one and two. In addition, ‘Persepsjontransformasjon’ was recorded two months earlier in Oslo, Norway, with ‘Gothenburg 2018’ recorded just the following night in Gothenburg, Sweden.
You’d be forgiven for not even realising these tracks are live improvisations, with each one flowing beautifully between soothing ambient atmospherics and meditative sequenced rhythms and soundscapes.
Released on double translucent green vinyl, ‘Sessions IV’ sounds pretty much like classic Tangerine Dream of old and if you’re into them or this type of electronic music is a highly rewarding listen.
Definitely one to kick back, relax, turn the lights down low and immerse yourself.
- ‘Sessions IV‘ will be released on Friday (20 February).