Artist : Riechmann
Title : Wunderbar (1978)
Genre : Electronic
Year : 2009
Date : 10/2009
Bitrate : VBR kbps
Tracks : 06
Label : Bureau B
Source : Vinyl
Encoder : Lame 3.97
Length : 35:03 min
Size : 49,4 MB
Tracklist:
----------
01.wunderbar 05:46
02.abendlicht 04:27
03.weltweit 07:04
04.silberland 07:47
05.himmelblau 08:48
06.traumzeit 01:11
-------
35:03 min
The Bureau B release of Wolfgang
RiechmannÆs Wunderbar unearths an
absolute gem of German electronic music.
This album, however, is beautiful and
tragic in equal measure, as Wolfgang
Riechmann fell victim to a knife attack
just three weeks before the LP went on
sale.
He was stabbed in the chest in a chance
encounter with a drunk in DⁿsseldorfÆs
Altstadt, the perpetrator ôletting off
steamö after a dispute with the landlord
of his local pub, as he later recounted
in court.
Wolfgang RiechmannÆs career as a
musician did go all the way back to
1969, which was roughly when when he met
Michael Rother (NEU!, Harmonia) and
Wolfgang Flⁿr (Kraftwerk), who would be
his colleagues in the Spirits of Sound
group. Later on he played with Ph÷nix,
before going on to record two albums
with Streetmark, who enjoyed great
popularity at the time. From November
1977 onwards, he devoted his full
attention to the Wunderbar LP.
On his first and, regrettably, last
recordings as a solo artist, Riechmann
was in an eclectic mood. Distant echoes
of the so-called Berlin School
(Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and the
like) can be detected on Wunderbar, as
well as the clear influence of the so-
called Dⁿsseldorf School (NEU!,
Kraftwerk, La Dⁿsseldorf). Not that
Riechmann was attempting to copy their
styles in any way.
Whilst contemporary influences need not
be denied, Wunderbar hints at the
direction he would take in terms of
sound and composition, reflecting a
powerful, independent musicianÆs
personality, one which would have caused
quite a stir, had it been given the
chance to unfold.
This unmistakably optimistic music is
characterized by simple sequencer and
drum patterns, with Riechmann adding his
own highly individual layers of harmony.
And then there are the melodies: simple,
sometimes to the point of being
simplistic, but never naive. ╗Wunderbar½
is modern, electronic pop, in a league
with Kraftwerk and NEU!.
Bureau B is set to release the album on
CD and vinyl, both featuring rare
photographs and liner notes by Asmus
Tietchens, one of the original pioneers
of electronic music.
http://www.bureau-b.com