PETER BAUMANN
Phase By Phase ESOTERIC
The Tangerine Dreamer’s space odyssey from 70s electronica to 80s pop.
Romance ’76 was the first of the three solo albums Peter Baumann recorded for Virgin that comprise this box set, and his melodic synth-playing is immediately recognisable from Tangerine Dream. But Baumann’s own music ran along leaner, cleaner lines. He was adept at arranging, playing with space and incorporating subtle detail – gently pulsing and ticking rhythms, jazzy electric piano chords, and distant synth clouds. By contrast, side two of the original album forms a suite of sorts. Meadow Of Infinity Part 1incorporates members of the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Baumann’s father, Herbert, and the album concludes with the richly textured Part 2, with squelchy synthesiser bass and sweeter melodic top lines, and Mellotron adding a chilly grandeur.