Tangerine Dream – Particles

When Edgar Froese, the founder of Tangerine Dream died in 2015, many including myself wondered if that was the end of this pioneering band.  Happily it isn’t and the band are about to release a new album, their first since the death of Froese.
I don’t think any band has been as prolific as Tangerine Dream – they’re released over 100 albums in their career, a simply staggering amount, even allowing for the fact the band was formed 50 years ago, as that’s still an average of two releases per year.  They’ve also been a very influential band as pioneers in electronic music, so while it would have been understandable if the band had died along with Edgar Froese, it would also have been a shame.  The key question is whether the band are able to live up to the standards set by Edgar Froese.
That is something that is sure to be debated by fans for a long time, but while I’ve listened to a number of their albums, I’m by no means an expert on the band.

I think this is an album that Tangerine Dream fans are going to enjoy.  It’s actually more of a two part release – the first CD is new material and includes the mammoth 29 minute track “4.00 pm session”, while the second CD is a live disc with a mix of new material and classic older material.

Tangerine Dream are certainly not a band for the casual prog fan – they’re more of a hardcore prog fan kind of band, and to get the most out of their music you really need to listen to it while doing nothing else – this isn’t music to have on in the background, it’s music you need to listen carefully to.

Only time will tell if Tangerine Dream have what it takes to thrive without Edgar Froese, but this release certainly suggests their chances are good.

“Particles” will be released n 26th June 2017

Track listing:

Disc 1:

1. 4.00pm session
2. Stranger things
3. Rubycon

Disc 2:

1. Mothers of rain
2. Power of the rainbow serpent
3. White eagle
4. Dolphin dance
5. Shadow and sun