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Robert Schroeder — D.MO Vol. 4
(Spheric Music SMCD 2037, 1978/2017, CD)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2017-10-22

D.MO Vol. 4 Cover art

Robert Schroeder is a member of the second wave of Berlin school of electronic musicians hitting the scene in the late 70s. His first album was Harmonic Ascendant (1979) followed by Floating Music on Klaus Schulze’s Innovative Communications label. Unknown to most people is that Robert’s first album was really Harmonic Decadence and recorded at the same time as Harmonic Ascendant, but deemed too electronic by IC/WEA and therefore shelved to gather dust. Even Robert forgot about the album, until the last few years when he began searching his old tapes for his D.MO (aka demo) series of archived recordings. When Robert found the tapes he remastered the music and the results are now released as D.MO Vol. 4, two tracks (50 minutes) of floating, cyclic, sequencer-driven electronic music in style of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. “Harmonic Decadence Side A” is a cyclic rhythmic piece based an 8-note sequence in 4/4 time. Robert’s electronics slowly float around the sequence along with the chord changes. The sound is much like Michael Hoenig’s Departure from the Northern Wasteland that was also recorded in 1978. “Harmonic Decadence Side B” has a different atmosphere. This piece is built around a pulsing sequence with chord shifts and washes of electronics that grow on you. Overall, this music is very similar to other electronic music of the late 70s, which is to be expected from a musician’s initial entry into the realm. This reissue will surely please Robert’s fans as it provides insight into his early musical explorations.

Filed under: Archives, 2017 releases, 1978 recordings

Related artist(s): Robert Schroeder

 

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