Progressive electronic
Favourite progressive electronic tracks from 2020/2022
The progressive electronic sub genre is dedicated to intricate, moving, cerebral, intrusive electronic experiences that get involved in dark ambient, post-industrial, surreal or impressionist soundscapes territories.
Tangerine Dream // Raum & Recurring Dreams
TD’s Raum (2022) is a warm, eerie soundscape experience that leaves pleasant, harmonious feelings.
The spirit of Edgar Froese, founder and continuous member - deceased in 2015 - lives heavily in this album.
Composed and produced with full access to Edgar Froese’s Cubase arrangements (and Otari Tape Archive with recordings from 1977-2013), Thorsten Quaeschning, Hoshiko Yamane and Paul Frick deliver late-night real time compositions combined with classic studio productions, sequencer driven haunting soundscapes alternate with anthemic warm synthesizers.
With Recurring Dreams, the 2020 line-up of Tangerine Dream pay homage to the band's timeless beginnings, featuring all generations of synths and sequencers, added layers and new arrangements, applying Froese's new quantum dream to these highly influential tracks.
Breidablik // Alduorka
Once again Morten Nielsen Birkeland aka Breidablik delivers another great masterpiece of Berlin School of Electronic Music.
In Alduorka (2022) we find dark ambient music, mostly electronic, but not without some more organic bass, guitars, flute and drums. Elements of space rock and psych join hands for a cerebral and cinematic journey.
Orka II the track we added to the mix has drums, bass line, chordal structure in the style, perhaps, of Klaus Schulze or Harald Großkopf. Wonderful weave, pace, sound palette, and melodies.
Javier Miranda // Strange Imperfections
“Only a year after finding his way onto the musical playground as a solo artist, the Galician musician Javier Miranda returns with his sophomore release, which finds him once again merging the world of Berlin School progressive electronic with myriad musical forms intertwine and hypnotize the listener with a set of seven tracks that capture the essence of a classic vinyl era album with a running time of just over 42 minutes.
Opening - lots of brilliantly treated sounds give this track a very dystopian, futuristic, Blade Runner 2049 feel. Even the old-time upright piano that breaks up the synthesizer party in the second minute feels as if it could be old-man Deckard playing an out-of-tune piano in his antiquated hotel.
The Days of Our Lives - slow, simple and melodic, this song opens with some slowly developed layers of synths that cast their beautifully hypnotic spell on us -until the three minute mark, that is, when programmed techno drums with their bullet-ripping bass pedal burst onto the scene and begin to dominate in an almost humorous A-HA-like way.”
- siLLy puPPy, PROGARCHIVES
Richard Barbieri // Chosen Spells
“Predominantly known from his contributions to Japan and their follow-up Rain Tree Crow, as well as the many-sided rock band Porcupine Tree, Richard Barbieri indeed is a big player in prog terms. From time to time you will also detect him playing keyboards and/or synthesizer on albums produced by related bands respectively musicians.
Brilliant atmosphere, equipped with Luca Calabrese's nice trumpet input the melancholic dreamy Flare 2 is provided close to a Rain Tree Crow mood. Later though the track is entering the uptempo stage, while showcasing drummer Kjell Severinsson and Axel Crone (bass) serving some real groove.”
- Rivertree, PROGARCHIVES
“Under a Spell - with intensive percussion work, glittering orientations for an upcoming battle to take place, Barbieri sets all of the ideas into a safety net, not knowing when the explosion is about to hit.”
- Zachary Nathanson, ECHOES AND DUST
Brian & Roger Eno // Mixing Colours
“The ambient icon and his younger brother, reveal the results of an intimate musical conversation.
Given Brian Eno’s experimental bona fides, there’s something uncharacteristically low-key, and even rather sweet, about this collaboration with his younger brother. Roger Eno, a well-known pianist in his own right, calls it “a back-and-forth conversation,” one that goes back 15 years: He would record musical sketches on his MIDI keyboard, then pass them on to Brian to manipulate.
With stylistic and atmospheric surprises in short supply, Mixing Colours relies on melody to do the heavy lifting. There are some beautiful moments: The second half of “Celeste” has a gorgeous, rolling refrain that topples about like a boat in the breeze, its movements reminiscent of Pep Llopis’ Mediterranean classic Poiemusia La Nau Dels Argonautes.”
- Ben Cardew, PITCHFORK
TRACKLIST
Opening - Javier Miranda // Strange Imperfection . 2021
Celeste - Brian & Roger Eno // Mixing Colors . 2020
Flare 2 - Richard Barbieri // Chosen Spells . 2021
Awake When Shadows Walk - Robert Rich // Offering to The Morning Fog . 2020
Beethoven 250 - A Winged Victory For The Sullen // @0 EP2 . 2021
Los Santos City Map - Tangerine Dream // Recurring Dreams . 2020
Orka II - Breidablik // Alduorka . 2022
Continuum - Tangerine Dream // Raum . 2022
Under A Spell - Richard Barbieri // Chosen Spells . 2021
The Days of Our Lives - Javier Miranda // Strange Imperfection . 2021
Ultramarine - Brian & Roger Eno // Mixing Colors . 2020
