10.17.05 (MusicPortal.com) Castle Music is slated to release a new live album by TODD RUNDGREN in North America on November 15th and in Europe on November 21st. Entitled "Best Of Todd Rundgren - Live," and digitally remastered by Rundgren himself earlier this year, the album includes 13 songs culled from TODD RUNDGREN's archives over a variety of different tours from 1979 to 2004. The album also includes two recent live tracks recorded during 2004's "Todd Rundgren And The Liars" tour. The latter two songs include 'Soul Brother,' originally released on 2003's critically acclaimed "Liars" album, and a stunning rendition of George Harrison's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps.' Both songs will also be featured on the forthcoming "Todd Rundgren And The Liars - Live" long-form DVD released in the UK and the rest of Europe in early 2006. This is the first time Rundgren has personally hand-picked and digitally remastered songs from some of his most memorable live performances, and a must for all TODD RUNDGREN completists and a welcome introduction to new fans that are discovering his music for the very first time. "This is different from my earlier 'official' live albums in that the performances are from a variety of shows," Rundgren says. "Basically, it's a production conceit to make it sound like it's all from one show, but they're from various venues and time periods. We go back as far as the mid-80's and all the way up to the last year (2004) with The Liars. We started out with that concept so that the selection of material was tempered by that idea. It's sort of an unusual concept for a record...most of the time you just put out a whole live show. Here, some songs were recorded in small clubs while others were in a concert setting. The venues varied so much that it could be jarring going from one track to the next trying to adjust to the new acoustic space. To make it sound like a whole show we put audience response in between the cuts to make them all flow together. In choosing the material and placing it in a certain order, and even in giving it a little post equalization and texturization, I was going for something that sounded like a typical evening of live music." TODD RUNDGREN was born and raised in Philadelphia, and began playing guitar as a teenager, and went on to found and front THE NAZZ, the quintessential '60's cult group. In 1969, he left that band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the groundbreaking "Runt." But it was 1972's seminal "Something/Anything?" on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted TODD RUNDGREN into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him "Rock's New Wunderkind." It was followed by such landmark albums as "The Hermit Of Mink Hollow" and "A Wizard, A True Star," as well as such hit singles as 'I Saw The Light,' 'Hello It's Me,' 'Can We Still Be Friends,' and 'Bang The Drum.'

10.11.05 (MusicPortal.com) RICHIE HAWTIN's new mix album, "DE9: Transitions," is slated for release October 31st via Novamute Recordings. From tinkering with his father's electronic equipment to religously taping The Wizard's mix shows on local Detroit radio and trying to get to grips with pal John Acquaviva's small home studio, RICHIE HAWTIN is dreaming of the future yet again. More than 15 years after he began exploring new frontiers in Electronic Dance music, Hawtin is redefining the idea of what a DJ can be. From his stark Techno tracks on the Plus-8 label to the spectral Acid minimalism of his releases as Plastikman, Hawtin has always been, as he puts it, "searching for what's next." On "DE9: Transitions," RICHIE HAWTIN has made another quantum leap of the imagination. First off, the album has been created in 5.1 surround sound, using the latest recording techology to create an immersive sonic experience: 95 minutes of altered perception. Hawtin has used Abelton Live and DigiDesign ProTools software to strip apart then reassemble his component tracks to make completely new compositions, combining multiple elements simultaneously into a constantly shifting collage of sound. The third in the "DE9" series, which began in 1999 with the fiery, angular rhythms of "Decks, EFX & 909" (reflecting Hawtin's DJ sets using drum machines and effects as well as records), and continuing in 2001 with the kinetic loop frenzy of "DE9: Closer To The Edit," technique aside, "DE9: Transitions" is a powerful and compelling trip. Over that period, RICHIE HAWTIN has refined his use of advanced technology to liberate himself from the more mundane tasks that DJs have to perform, enabling him to produce something that's far more richly-textured than the sound of needle on spinning vinyl. "DJing is more about performance now, it's verging on a live show, and part of the progression towards that is moving further and further away from turntable technology and the idea of mechanically mixing two records together," he explains. "We used to spend so much effort on getting records to stay in time with each other. But once you stop having to worry about that, you can really start thinking about what sounds work together, and you can get deeper into the structure of the mix." Vinyl fundamentalists might, he agrees, regard that as heresy. Even the superstar DJs of the international party circuit who've largely abandoned vinyl for more easily-portable CDs have gone nowhere near this far. Hawtin, typically, sees it as an opportunity: "The progressive people are thinking, if computer technologies automate one task, what can I now do better or what new task can I focus my attention on?" he says. "That's the big question behind all the 'DE9' CDs: 'What can I do now with the technology and how can I push in a new direction to further the experimentation and heighten the experience?'" "DE9: Transitions" combines everything from original productions to unreleased tracks straight from the studios of... [full story]

10.05.05 (MusicPortal.com) Electronic music pioneer KLAUS SCHULZE will release his new album, entitled "Moonlake," on October 24th. The title refers to Schulze's love of the Austrian Moonlake and the monumental fascination radiated by the lake and its surrounding landscape, all of that perfectly reflected in the intensity and power of his latest work. "Moonlake" is nevertheless a typical KLAUS SCHULZE album, one that in the words of Schulze "unites tradition and vision." There is a noticeable focus on percussion on "Moonlake," which hasn't been found on Schulze's albums for some time. While rhythm was often used as an element to supplement the music on his earlier albums, it takes on a more dominant role on "Moonlake." The album also marks the debut of KLAUS SCHULZE playing a Mini-Moog (with distortion and wah-wah) in the studio for the first time. Previously, Schulze had only used the setup live on stage. Not surprisingly, that working environment gave KLAUS SCHULZE the necessary surge of adrenalin to create a vibrant and lively album that yields many surprises, such as the Ethnic elements found in the track 'Playmate In Paradise.' Schulze comments: "The ethnic element comes from Thomas Kagermann, better known in earlier times as Fiddle Michel. He actually comes from the folk scene. However, today he is very open to what I am doing. It's the counterpoint to conventional electronics, which allows you to expand considerably. When you are working exclusively in the electronic field, you often get caught in a box. By means of using uneven patterns perhaps, which are looped but have a groove in them, there are completely new moments and aspects." Apart from the first two tracks, 'Playmate In Paradise' and 'Artemis In Jubileo,' which were recorded live in the studio, there are also two actual live performances included on the "Moonlake" album. 'Same Thought Lion' and 'Mephisto' were both recorded in Poland on November 5th, 2003 during a concert in Posen for Gert Hof's huge light show, The edited tracks now available for the first time here. Just as with every other KLAUS SCHULZE album, "Moonlake" is a new venture, an experiment and a unique document of a musician who has followed his inner voice and intuition for decades - An artist who creates worlds which cannot be compared to anything else. Simply put, KLAUS SCHULZE has revolutionized Electronic music. In 1969, Schulze was the drummer for one of the early incarnations of TANGERINE DREAM for their debut album, "Electronic Meditation," released in 1970. That year, he left this group to form ASH RA TEMPEL with Manuel Gottsching, with whom he recorded that band's self-titled debut. In 1971, Schulze left to mount a solo career, beginning with "Irrlicht" in 1972. He has since had a prolific career, with more than 40 albums to his name. Since the 1980's, KLAUS SCHULZE has also been trying his hand at Dark Ambient music, incorporating elements of Jazz or Classical music, working with more contemporary Electronic Dance music such as Trance, or creating an Opera.

[Electronic News: September 2005]
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