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Tangerine Dream - Architecture In Motion
Tangerine Dream Architecture in Motion
Released: 1999
Label: Miramar
Cat. No.:
Total Time: 45:28


Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, April 2000

Loping rhythms and sharp percussion open Architecture In Motion (also known as What A Blast!), the soundtrack album composed by the Tangerine Dream duo of Edgar and Jerome Froese. Having not seen the film the music accompanies, I can't tell you how well it matches the visuals, but given the following two factors, I would venture to say fairly well. Because explosions are instantaneous and Tangerine Dream's music is far from brief, the footage must be in slow motion. Otherwise, you would expect a soundtrack by Metallica or the like.

There is the appearance of vocals on "Dream Sculpture," where the word "baby" seems to be repeated, or am I just hearing things? If not, these are high, angelic, choral voices so involved in the mix, it could be just a trick of sonics. Actually, it sounds more like either "hi baby" or "my baby" … or both. Of course, now that I've said, it's gonna sound like it. Around this, keyboards swirl about in eddies, while synth-percussion drives the track forward.

Percussive sounds are at the forefront for most of this album, much more so than in recent releases. Though it is unmistakably Tangerine Dream. String sounds flit in during "Last Trumpet On 23rd Street" - steel guitar it sounds like…oddly, no trumpet.

"Art Of Destruction" made me think of both Depeche Mode* and The Police. There a music refrain reminiscent of their "Synchronicity II." Depeche Mode's "I Just Can't Get Enough" also comes to mind as there are hints of a techno-like beat*, but these don't full coalesce into something solid, and instead spin off into keyboard washes and tightly turning eddies. This actually follows several different music motifs, making it difficult it sounds like any one thing - except maybe Tangerine Dream. At points it goes into a dance groove, a bit disco at times. (Again this month the phrase "Do The Hustle!" comes to mind). But, despite its rather grim title, it's quite a bouncy and fun tune.

A spacey Dream returns, somewhat, with "Timesquare (The Legendary N.Y. Brix Mix)" which is a remixed version of the track, which originally appeared on 1997's TimeSquare - Dream Mixes II. "Jungle Journey (The Bond Of Ages Mix)" closes out the album, and is a remix of a track originally found on 1994's Turn Of The Tides.

Overall, this is a good release, a bit punchier than Tangerine Dream been of late.

*yeh, I'm that familiar with their stuff…

More about Architecture In Motion:

Track Listing: Silver Screen (4:40) / Beauty Of The Blast (3:55) / Dream Sculpture (5:27) / Last Trumpet On 23rd Street (4:29) / Art Of Destruction (7:32) / Forced To Surrender (4:32) / Timesquare (9:46) / Jungle Journey (6:17)

Sound Clips: www.tangerinedream.de

Musicians:
Edgar and Jerome Froese -

Contact:

Website: www.tangerinedream.org
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Discography

  • Electronic Meditation (1970)
  • Alpha Centauri (1971)
  • Zeit (1972)
  • Atem (1973)
  • Phaedra (1974)
  • Rubycon (1975)
  • Ricochet (1975)
  • Stratosfear (1976)
  • Encore (1977)
  • Sorcerer (1977)
  • Cyclone (1978)
  • Force Majeure (1979)
  • Tangram (1980)
  • Quichotte (1980)
  • Tangerine Dream '70-'80 (1980)
       (4 LPs)
  • Exit (1981)
  • Thief (1981)
  • White Eagle (1982)
  • Logos - Live at the Dominion (1983)
  • Hyperborea (1983)
  • Wavelength (1983)
  • Risky Business (1983)
  • Firestarter (1984)
  • Flashpoint (1984)
  • Poland - The Warsaw concert (1984)
  • Heartbreakers (1985)
  • Legend (1985)
  • Le Parc (1985)
  • Dream Sequence (1985)
       (3 LPs)
  • Pergamon - Live at the Palast der Republik (1985)
  • In the Beginning (1986)
       (6 LPs)
  • Green Desert ()
       (recorded in 1973)
  • Underwater Sunlight (1986)
  • Near Dark (1987)
  • Three o'clock high (1987)
  • Shy People (1987)
  • The Collection (1987)
  • Tyger (1987)
  • Livemiles (1988)
  • Optical Race (1988)
  • Dead Solid Perfect (1988)
  • Miracle Mile (1989)
  • Lily on the Beach (1989)
  • Destination Berlin (1990)
  • Melrose (1990)
  • The Man Inside (1991)
  • Canyon Dreams (1991)
  • Rockoon (1992)
  • Deadly Care (1992)
  • Sorcerer (1993)
  • 220 Volt Live (1993)
  • Catch me if you can (1994)
  • Turn of the Tides (1994)
  • Tyranny of Beauty (1995)
  • Heartbreakers (1995 re-issue)
  • Flashpoint (1995 re-issue)
  • Legend (1995 re-issue)
  • Zoning (1995)
  • The Dream Mixes (1995)
  • The Dream Mixes (1996)
       (Special UK release)
  • Goblin's Club (1996)
  • Oasis Soundtrack (1997)
  • Tournado Live (1997)
  • TimeSquare - Dream Mixes II (1997)
  • The Keep (1997)
  • Ambient Monkeys (1998)
  • Atlantic Bridges(1998)
  • Atlantic Walls (1998)
  • Transsiberia (1998)
  • Dream Encores (1998)
  • Dream Mixes I (1998)
       (rerelease of the 2cd-edition)
  • Time Square Dream Mixes 2 (1998)
  • The Hollywood Years Vol. I (1998)
       (unreleased material)
  • The Hollywood Years Vol. II (1998)
       (unreleased material)
  • Quinoa (1998)
       (extended version of fanclub CD)
  • Tournado (1998)
       (live In 1997, second set of tour)
  • Valentine Wheels (1999)
       (live in 1997, first set of tour)
  • Sohoman (1999)
       (live in Sydney 1982)
  • Mars Polaris (1999)
  • What A Blast (1999)
       (except USA)
  • Architecture In Motion (1999)
       (What A Blast USA)
  • Sohoman (Live in Sydney 1982) (1999)
  • Valentine Wheels (1999) (live)
  • Tang-go (2000)
  • Soundmill Navigator (2000) (live)
  • Antique Dreams (2000) (comp)
  • The Seven Letters From Tibet (2000)
  • I-Box (2000)
  • Dream Mixes 3 - The Past Hundred Moons (2001)
  • Inferno (2002)
  • The Melrose Years (2003)
    (Re-recordings of Optical Race, Lily On The Beach and Melrose)
  • Mota Atma (2003)


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