Keller & Schonwalder & Friends The Annazaal Tapes

The “friends” helping out on four of the seven tracks and are no other than the Rainbow Serpent guys! ‘Ghost in the Machine’ starts with the felling of a tree then gentle pads and delicate tinkling notes. A flute sound provides the melody and we drift on peacefully into the next number ‘731’. A restrained tabla like rhythm momentarily attracts the attention but its presence is only fleeting and we get in to a chugging sequence with high hat accompaniment. The lead line is low in the mix letting the sequence take most of the honours. A second deep base sequence surges through. One lead line after another then takes its turn to grab the attention. Its the twenty Five minutes ‘Shapes’ next. It begins with strange noises and solar winds. A fast sequence bubbles to the surface, mutates beautifully, thickens and surges forward. A second sequence is brought into formation.

We are now in very Schulzian territory, think of ‘Body Love’ or even ‘Mirage’. At eight minutes some garbled vocoded voices can just be heard beneath the sequences as they ebb and flow. The sequences are constantly varying, coming and going throughout the rest of the track and keep the interest throughout. They die away to a dull throb and we float into the fifteen minute ‘Unter Kontrolle’ which is effectively like a part two of an over forty minute number. Flutey synth plays an enchanting melody over the deep pulsations. The first half is a very laid back and oozes atmosphere but is also gently rhythmic. The pace quickens slightly for the beginning of the second half but we then sink back in to lush pads and float to the end. ‘Fallen Angel’ begins with a musical box type melody which is then replaced by strange other worldly sounds. A swirling loop gradually becomes louder and more prominent. Things then get stranger still and a slow rhythm is added as we float into the next track ‘Speed’. Immediately the pace quickens as a sequence develops. At two and a half minutes another sequence is added but it is the lead that accompanies it that grabs the attention. Everything starts to intensify as the track lives up to its name and really starts to speed along. In contrast ‘Slowmotion’ is as you might expect a much more laid back affair made up of piano melody and swirling sounds, again Klaus Schulze came to mind. (DL)

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