Timesquare [Import]

Tangerine Dream | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Tangerine Dream Intl
• ASIN: B00000G6A6
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #407,234 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Mobocaster

2. Jungle Jacula

3. Towards The Evening Star (Blue Gravity Mix)

4. Digital Sister

5. Pixel Pirates

6. Culpa Levis

7. Timesquare

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered reissue of 1998 fanclub compilationfeaturing one remix & six new recordings. Seven trackstotal. 1998 TDI Music release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous release!, August 10, 2000

By 

Steve Benner "Stonegnome" (Lancaster, UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Timesquare (Audio CD)

After the relentless dance beat of the earlier "Dream Mixes Vol. 1", I was a little apprehensive about this release, given its subtitle of "Dream Mixes 2". I have to say, though, that the result here turns out to be a very pleasant surprise, being more varied and much more interesting musically than the earlier volume. It has to be said too, that the treatments given to the material here are both more introspective and retrospective than on "Dream Mixes I". Whilst the principal source for the themes on this disc would seem to be `Towards the evening star' from "Goblins Club", long-standing fans of the group will find themselves hearing many familiar tantalising snatches from much of the material built into the fabric of the tracks on this disc. And, no doubt, will have hours of fun (and frustration) trying to identify the original sources!

In general, though, this music seems to be not so much reworking of existing tracks in a remix sense, but more a revisiting of material from a wide range of Dream's recording history, with a view to dusting some of it off and looking at it anew in a fresh light. In fact, I could believe that Jerome - for he seems to be the main force behind this disc - had gone into the studio with a bunch of his and his dad's old tapes and decided to knock them into something more distinctly his own. Everything is presented in a shiny, new and thoroughly up-to-date form, too, although there is easily more new than recycled material here.

Also evident is a new maturity of musical style for the Froese father and son duo. Although the beat remains strong and fast (especially in the early tracks), the music of this album encompasses a wider range of rhythms and timbres than previously, and is sonically more adventurous and rewards closer listening much more than many of their earlier releases. And all, it would seem, without any help from any guest musicians at all (there are none credited, at any rate).

`Pixel Pirates', in particular, is more daring than anything Tangerine Dream have released in many a long year and is hopefully indicative of a fascinating new direction for the group. The track's almost acousmatic opening is absolutely fabulous, and its continued development and varied treatments fully live up to the promise of that opening. `Culpa Levis' is another little stunner, with some gorgeous (uncredited) female vocals, singing an almost bluesy, Moorish-sounding line which blends perfectly into the whole. The same voice is used as samples in other of the tracks on the disc and lends a nice feel of unity to the music, without any hint of sameness, or loss of overall variety.

Generally, though, there are altogether too many good ingredients making up this disc to list them all. It has great drumming aplenty, of course, but you'll also find strong tunes, as well as synthesiser and sampler voicings better than TD have been inclined to use since Paul Haslinger left the band in 1990. There is also excellent use made of outboard processing, as well as more adventurous computer sound-processing in evidence for the first time. The most important ingredient has to be that of variety, though, which here makes a long overdue return to Tangerine Dream's output. Definitely the best TD album for a long time, let's hope that there are more like this one to come!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of TD's most solid releases of the 90's, December 23, 2002

By 

Travis Briggs (Boulder, CO USA

Boulder, CO USA Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Timesquare (Audio CD)

For TD's second Dream Mixes project, they clearly accessed all of their creative abilities and funneled them fully into this release. Timesquare has a very polished and intricate feel that was lacking from their previous Dream Mixes. My personal favorite tracks are 'Mobocaster', 'Jungle Jacula', and 'Timesquare'. What I love most about this album is the fact that TD clearly integrate trance and techno rhythms and beats into this album, but they never satisfy themselves with overlaying these beats with just one rif that repeats for several minutes. This denial of the absortion into the monotony of techno music really gives this album a transcendant quality. Please, by all means, get this album! If you are an old TD fan that has since forsaken them, give this release a chance to redeem them for you!

4.0 out of 5 stars Grudgingly good, January 7, 2001

By 

J. Lyda (Raleigh, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Timesquare (Audio CD)

I love Dream Mixes, putting it somewhere near the top of my list of favorite TD. I purchased TimeSquare, which I had never even heard of, based on another review (see below.) On first listening I was at a loss. The music seemed simplistic and stripped down. Having just purchased Great Wall of China, which has some lavish 'tidal' sound washes, TimeSquare sounded...well...simple and a predictable. I thought perhaps this was Jerome's influence (the music is a bit more 'techno' and jerky) or perhaps the mystery of human taste: One man's pain is another man's pleasure.

Fortunately, I couldn't send in my review that first week. After awhile something began to click and I found more and more of the tracks to become interesting. Now, I find most of this album to be well worth a listen. The construction is really crafty, and most of the tracks are worth hearing again and again. There is something different about it (Jerome's lead?) just the same it is tight as a drum and should be of interest to most TD fans.