Edgar Froese Epsilon in Malaysian Pale (Rerelease)

This is the first of a series of reissues of all the solo albums Edgar made for Virgin between 1974 and 1983, except for the interesting soundtrack 'Kamikaze 1989' and the compilation album 'Solo 1974-1979', which has never made it onto CD.

However this is most definitely NOT a simple reissue. For a start the CD has a new sleeve, and the original gatefold picture of Jerome has disappeared.

The music has been, "re-recorded and remixed" and is almost a minute longer than the original. Purists will be delighted to know however that this is not a "Dream Mixes" version either, and if anything this release improves upon the original which has influenced just about every musician in EM today.

So where do you start in reviewing such a seminal album? It has to be said that at first listen the differences are not that immediate, save for a noticeable improvement in sound quality. The title track remains a fantastic collage of sounds, an aural sounsdscape that has rarely been bettered. Here it is just amazing, benefiting from the wonders of modern technology and yet still sounding totally fresh and interesting.

'Maroubra Bay', for my money one of Edgar's finest pieces is however different. The piece starts with the sound of waves lapping on the shore, a motif that makes a regular appearance and returns at the end. It is very effective. Around the five minute mark that great sequencer sound kicks in, perhaps less noticeably than on the original, accompanied by washes of sound and rather intriguingly what sounds like a horn instrument of sorts! At eight minutes the sequencer becomes rather more prominent, and, make no mistake this is seriously good music. The last two minutes of this great track are a wonderful exercise in minimalism.