Rainbow Serpent have been rather prolific of late but have still managed to keep up the quality. In fact if anything they go from strength to strength developing their style which takes Berlin School influences (particularly Klaus Schulze) making full use of modern production techniques but at the same time infusing them with a most definite 'feel' all of their own.
Ominous cosmic atmospherics chatter from the speakers as 'Pulse Trancemission' sets the scene for the journey to come. Appropriately a pulse beats out over ethereal pads. At seven minutes a strong sequence attracts the attention and develops brilliantly. A stunning Schulze type lead line vies for top billing and it becomes obvious that yet again Rainbow Serpent are not going to disappoint. The sound of the lead changes as we delve deeper into the track often disappearing altogether to let the sequence and underpinning melodic pads weave their spell. 'Part 1' follows smoothly on (this is effectively one continuous track) with a complex high register sequence taking over as the backbone of the track. More Schulzian leads are used to great effect. The four minute mark brings some great drum flourishes which come and go rather than providing a constant groove. It reminded me of 'Mirage',' Moondawn' and 'Body Love' all rolled into one but condensed down to just thirteen minutes, quite an achievement.
The pace quickens just after half way through as we hurtle towards 'Part 2'. A 'splashing' sequence maintains the quality from before and a rhythm falls into line beside it getting the foot tapping and the head nodding but at the same time the mood is on the melancholy side due to the very effective use of synth washes in the background. 'Part 3' has more strange atmospherics but almost immediately a nice beefy sequence fires up, a snare drum giving urgency. The sequence becomes even more thunderous and is complemented by another which is just as devastating. Wonderful stuff- crank up the volume and feel the house shake! 'Part 4' is a gentle bridging section giving us chance to get our breath back before 'Alien Nature'. Some strange vocoded effects are used which I assume are supposed to be in an alien language. This is OK but its repeated use does get a bit grating by the end. A stuttering rhythm is used well but even better is the swirling sequence, which comes in about a third of the way through the track. Though I would have liked it to have been a little higher in the mix.
'Part 5' begins with a high hat sequence but at around three minutes a bass line and sequence blast through. A minute later another sequence comes in and more Schulzian lead lines surge over the top finishing the album off energetically.
DAVID LAW (www.synthmusicdirect.com/rspulse.cfm)
Throughout 78 minutes of music, Rainbow Serpent project vivid unearthly sensations, thrusth out by hard sequencer rhythms, dreamy melodies and magical atmospheres. The strong connection of their music with the trend known as the "Berlin School" will appeal to the followers of this genre, yet at the same time, the plentiful traits of Trance present as well, make this CD available to a much wider potential audience. All in all, a fresh, dynamic work that is easy to listen to.
EDGAR KOGLER (www.amazings.com/reviews/review0738.html)
Rainbow Serpent is yet another in the recent glut of Berlin school enthusiasts. These two guys have lots of gear and a penchant for classic seventies synth sounds, blended into thematic works with more melody than most. This time, though, they have moved more toward the classic retro sound, with soft atmospherics and light sequencing. The titles are laid out a bit unusually, with "Pulse" being a 5-part track, but it is tracks two through five, and track seven. The first track, "Pulse Trancemission," floats in a sea of sound drifts and choirs, with a little light sequencing developing midway through.
The music fades at the end, with only the ominous choirs remaining as "Part 1" begins. This is a fairly impressive Klaus Schulze impression, as Moog-like leads play over an electronic pulse, and some great drumming very reminiscent of Harald Grosskopf's work with Schulze in the seventies and early eighties.
The music finds a mood and stays there, which may require patience from some listeners, while others will find this a perfectly enjoyable sonic space to ponder. Synth strings soar in to begin "Part 2," and the pulse becomes very-like Schulze's "Totem." Seems like everyone is using this bit these days, but as long as they keep finding different ways of interpreting Schulze's 1973 classic, I don't mind. The strings dominate this gentle drifter, and nicely so. Throughout, the music remains light and airy, favouring sequencers over actual beats in most cases. A notable exception is the techno-heavy, vocoder-laden "Alien Nature," which doesn't seem to fit very well. A spastic, irregular beat lasts throughout the 14-minute track. Thankfully, things return to more familiar Teutonics as "Part 5" closes the proceedings. This is a builder, thanks again to some effective drumming to increase the intensity. It could easily pass for a Ron Boots track, similar in feel to his "Current" CD. A good way to finish.
PHIL DERBY (www.groove.nl/cd/2/29228.html)
This album surprised me a lot. Knowing the other albums of Rainbow Serpent, I listen to this album. It disappoint me. OK, they still had managed their good quality, but I didn't really find their own style back in the music. Maybe because they used a lot of modern techniques for this album.
We will describe every track seperatly. The first track is very smoothly, with after a few minutes some extra drummelodys to the CD. The atmosphere in this CD is going higher and higher by the leads who where used. And when the track reaches the end, the music is already rolled down to some smooth melody.
Part 2, has some nice 'splashing effects', but after this effect, the melody lines are tapping the foot and the head togheter.
Then we came too the strange sounds of Part 3. Here we hear some impatient drum melodys, which gave the track a devasting sound..
Part 4 is the most gentle tracks on this CD. After the previous 'House' track, this is a song to have a breatch break. And this neccessary, if you want to listen to the next track 'Alien nature'.
Now we are at the next track. This track have some melodys in it, just like some talking, whispering voices. Maybe Rainbow Serpent want to simulate some alien language here ?
The last track, is the most energetically track on the CD. It start with a soft sequence and after a few minutes some bass line blast through the melody. And again a minute later, another melodyline appears in between.
I hope their next album will again off the high musicquality of the previous ones.
SVEN CIPIDO (www11.ewebcity.com/electron/serpentrainbow/page10.html)
Eine richtig schön altmodische CD gibt’s aus dem Hause Manikin. Das Duo Rainbow Serpents führt uns zurück zu den Anfängen der elektronischen Musik, als Musiker und Bands wie Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze oder auch Jean-Michel Jarre noch Pioniere für ein Instrument waren, welches später die komplette Musikszene revolutionieren sollte, dem Synthizeizer. Die Musik der Rainbow Serpents orientiert sich an diesen Anfängen und will auch gar nicht modern klingen, sondern stellt eher eine liebevolle Hommage an die damalige Zeit dar. 7 Stücke, teilweise bis zu 15 Minuten lang (auch das war nicht ungewöhnlich) zeigen dem Hörer die ganzen Vorzüge der klassischen Elektronik und wissen durchgängig zu überzeugen. Auch das Herausheben eines Tracks möchte ich mir verkneifen, die CD am Stück ergibt ein Gesamtbild, das man nicht einzeln kritisieren sollte. Noch dazu gibt es fast 80 Minuten Musik fürs Geld.
(www.klangfeld.de/rezensionen/0600/rrainbowserpent.html)
Aus der Tiefe des Weltraums schwebt rhythmisch der Puls in meine Ohren. Die unendliche kalte Weite trägt mich....
Ja das ist ein Album für den entspannten Flug nach innen. In sieben meist sehr langen Tracks kann man bei geschlossenen Augen Welten entdecken. Musikalisch liegen Rainbow Serpent dabei auf einer Linie der Tangerine Dream der 70er. Das ist in diesem Fall aber ein Kompliment. Es wird nicht kopiert, sondern es wird der Stil benutzt. Und davon bin ich sehr angetan.
Es gibt auch keine schroffen Kurswechsel. Man kann mit dem (T)Raum-schiff hervorragend in Hörgalaxien vordringen, die noch nie ein Unterbewusstsein durchflogen hat! Einsteigen!
KURT MITZKATIS (www.germanrock.de/r/rainbow_serpent/plattenkritik.htm) |
