I was having doubts about Moogfest from the start, but now that the final line-up is solidifying, it’s clear that this is not a celebration of the Moog, its history and the music it spawned. It’s just another hipster alt-rock festival along the lines of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Bonaroo, Coachella, etc. Nothing wrong…
Category: Reviews & Commentary
Reviews & Commentary
All is Neu Again- Michael Rother & Hallogallo Live
Michael Rother Plays the Music of Neu, Harmonia and Michael RotherNEU! MARCHES BACK It was a mesmerizing evening of non-stop driving groove and ecstatic electric guitar when Michael Rother brought in his Hallogallo 2010 group to Philadelphia last night at International House. Michael Rother was a founding member of the German electro-groove duo called Neu!…
Reviews & Commentary
Two Essential Lisa Gerrard CDs (+3)
Lisa Gerrard – The Sound of the Spirit: One of 20 Icons of Echoes. Lisa Gerard was the possessed vocalist with Dead Can Dance, the enigmatic group that channeled a world of sound through their electro-ethnic arrangements and the incantatory voice of Gerrard. Gerrard sings in a hybrid supralingua that sounds like a real language,…
Reviews & Commentary
Klaus Schulze Turns 63
A Sultan of Synthesizers 63 isn’t a very significant birthday, but any time we can celebrate the music of Klaus Schulze, we should do it. Born August 4, 1947, Klaus Schulze remains the John Coltrane of electronic music. It’s been nearly four decades since his solo debut, Irrlicht, and he continues creating CD length…
Reviews & Commentary
Robert Rich’s Ambient Dreams for Your iPod/iPhone.
Robert Rich enters the Echoes Chamber and launches the ultimate Ambient soundscape App. There’s been a lot of Robert Rich on Echoes this year. He was one of 20 Icons of Echoes. His album Ylang was a CD of the Month. He played live on the show this year and he’ll be featured tonight, July…
Reviews & Commentary
5 Best Mark Dwane CDs
A Journey through the music of #16 among 20 Icons of Echoes. While so many electronic musicians have headed off into the drone zone of sonic abstraction, Mark Dwane is an artist who still believes in the power of melody, the grandeur of a big crescendo and the stories held within a dramatic turn. His…
Reviews & Commentary
MOOGFest
MOOGfest, a festival celebrating the invention of Robert Moog will be taking place October 29-31 in Asheville, NC. It’s being produced by the same people who produce Bonnaroo and the early line-up suggests it might be a little more mainstream than I’d like. Hopefully they’ll expand their musical horizons a bit. Good opportunity to have…
Reviews & Commentary
Nels Cline Singers Scream
The Nels Cline Singers, who don’t really sing, ignite Johnny Brenda’s On a day when Philadelphia hit 103 degrees, the guitar of Nels Cline often sounded like it had been left to bake on the sun heated sidewalk, emitting the squawks, squeals and crunch of fried circuits and melted strings screaming in agony. Nels Cline,…
Reviews & Commentary
5 Best from Afro Celt Sound System.
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https://media.blubrry.com/echoespodcast/echoes.org/podcasts/EchoesPodcast-Afrocelts-Icons.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS#15 of 20 Icons of Echoes: Afro Celt Sound System Afro Celt Sound System are one of the defining exponents of world fusion and their sound magic is as potent now as it was nearly 15 years ago when they released their debut album. It’s not hard picking…
Reviews & Commentary
Last Thoughts & Merit Awards for NEARfest 2010
Another NEARfest is over, and a festival I avoided for its first 6 years because it seemed too retro and nostalgic has become an annual event for me in the last six years. NEARfest 2010 was one of the best, a great mix of old and new, nostalgic reunions and edgy directions. A tip of…