Of the many now-legendary artists to emerge from the Krautrock movement, few anticipated the rise of modern electronic music with the same prescience as Popol Vuh -- the first German band to employ a Moog synthesizer, their work not only anticipated the emergence of ambient, but also proved pioneering in its absorption of worldbeat textures. At... [+] Read More

Of the many now-legendary artists to emerge from the Krautrock movement, few anticipated the rise of modern electronic music with the same prescience as Popol Vuh -- the first German band to employ a Moog synthesizer, their work not only anticipated the emergence of ambient, but also proved pioneering in its absorption of worldbeat textures. At much the same time Popol Vuh was formed in Munich in 1969, another group, of Norwegian descent, adopted the same name, an endless source of confusion in the years to follow; both were inspired by the holy book of Guatemala's Quiche Indians, and according to Mayan researchers the title roughly translates as "meeting place." Keyboardist Florian Fricke was deeply immersed in Mayan myth at the time he formed the group with synth player Frank Fiedler and percussionist Holger Trulzsch, and his interests were reflected in the spiritual themes of their 1970 debut, Affenstunde.

The follow-up two years later, In den Garten Pharaos, was Popol Vuh's creative breakthrough, an intensely meditative work fusing ambient textures with organic percussion. In its wake, however, Fricke converted to Christianity, a move which sparked a rejection of electronics in favor of traditional ethnic instrumentation including guitars, oboe and tamboura; he then tapped korean soprano Djong Yun to lend vocals to 1972's lovely Hosianna Mantra. Fricke next teamed with onetime Amon Duul II drummer Daniel Fichelscher for the next Popol Vuh LP, Seligpreisung; its follow-up, 1975's Einjager und Siebenjager, remains widely considered among the group's most stunning efforts. That same year, they began a lengthy creative partnership with the celebrated filmmaker Werner Herzog which yielded soundtracks for features including Aguirre, Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo and Nosferatu.

Throughout the latter half of the 1970s, Popol Vuh's fascination with global sounds and instruments continued, with the prominence of sitars, tablas and tamboura percussion on LPs like 1977's Herz aus Glas and 1979's Die Nacht der Seele: Tantric Songs earning their latter-day sound descriptions like "raga rock." In 1978, Fricke founded the Working Group for Creative Singing and also became a member of the Breathing Therapy Society, travelling the world to lecture on both subjects; ultimately, his outside passions began to overshadow his work in Popol Vuh, and as the 1980s dawned the group began losing steam, calling it quits after 1983's excellent Agape Agape. After reuniting two years later for Spirit of Peace, Fricke again reassembled Popol Vuh for the 1997 LP Shepherd's Symphony. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Suzanne Ciani was one of the first and finest woman artists to make a name for herself in the world of electronic music. Ciani earned a Masters degree in composition from the University of California at Berkeley, where she studied with electronic pioneers Max Matthews, John Chowning, and Don Buchla. In 1975 she moved to New York, where she got... [+] Read More

Suzanne Ciani was one of the first and finest woman artists to make a name for herself in the world of electronic music. Ciani earned a Masters degree in composition from the University of California at Berkeley, where she studied with electronic pioneers Max Matthews, John Chowning, and Don Buchla. In 1975 she moved to New York, where she got involved in the Soho art scene, and also worked with minimalist Philip Glass. She began to hit the big time with the establishment of Ciani Musica, Inc., one of the foremost commercial production companies in the country. Ciani later expanded into film scoring and gained recognition for her work on Lily Tomlin's The Incredible Shrinking Woman as well as the award-winning feature documentary Mother Teresa. Ciani's career as a recording artist, however, took a more indirect route. Her 1982 Japanese release Seven Waves became an underground hit, prompting its American release by Private Music in 1984. Then Velocity of Love came along, which, with its intriguing synthesizer work balanced by strong melodies and pop sensibilities, helped define contemporary instrumental music and the burgeoning genre of new age. Ciani recorded steadily for Private through the 1980s and into the next decade, issuing the Grammy-winning Hotel Luna ('86), Neverland ('88), History of My Heart ('89), and the 1990 solo piano Pianissimo. In 1994 Ciani established the Seventh Wave imprint, and issued the orchestral album Dream Suite. Two years later Pianissimo II apppeared, followed by a live album in 1997. The title track of the 1999 album Turning featured vocals from Chyi-yu. Ciani took a break after third installment in her Pianissimo solo piano series, released in 2001. But she returned four years later with the ambitious studio effort Silver Ship. ~ Linda Kohanov, All Music Guide [-] Hide

California's David Arkenstone blends global, cinematic, and rock elements into his new age sonic tapestries. A music lover since the age of ten, when he moved to California from Chicago, Arkenstone has immersed himself in all kinds of music, and played keyboard and guitar in numerous bands from his youth.

It was when he discovered... [+] Read More

California's David Arkenstone blends global, cinematic, and rock elements into his new age sonic tapestries. A music lover since the age of ten, when he moved to California from Chicago, Arkenstone has immersed himself in all kinds of music, and played keyboard and guitar in numerous bands from his youth.

It was when he discovered the lush arrangements and exotic approach of Kitaro that Arkenstone ventured into new age music. The increasing synergy between computer technology and musical instruments also inspired him; most of his works were created partly or entirely on his Macintosh along with synthesizers and guitars. This blend of electro-acoustic textures is showcased on albums like 1998's Book of Days, and works from his other project, Troika. Arkenstone returned in mid-2000 with Caravan of Light. Frontier followed a year later. In 2002, Arkenstone had two Grammy nominations and several Billboard new age smash hits under his belt. The legacy continued with the releases of Sketches From An American Journey in June 2002 and Atlantis in September 2004. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Celebrated as the European electronic music community's premier ambassador, composer Jean-Michel Jarre elevated the synthesizer to new peaks of popularity during the 1970s, in the process emerging as an international superstar renowned for his dazzling concert spectacles. The son of the famed film composer Maurice Jarre, he was born August 24,... [+] Read More

Celebrated as the European electronic music community's premier ambassador, composer Jean-Michel Jarre elevated the synthesizer to new peaks of popularity during the 1970s, in the process emerging as an international superstar renowned for his dazzling concert spectacles. The son of the famed film composer Maurice Jarre, he was born August 24, 1948, in Lyon, France, and began studying piano at the age of five. Abandoning classical music as a youth, Jarre became enamored of jazz before forming a rock band called Mystere IV; in 1968, he became a pupil of the musique concrète pioneer Pierre Schaeffer, joining Groupe de Recherches Musicales. His early experiments in electro-acoustic music yielded the 1971 single "La Cage"; the full-length Deserted Palace followed a year later.

Jarre's early works were largely unsuccessful, and gave little indication of the work to follow. As he struggled to find his own voice, he wrote for a variety of singers, including Françoise Hardy, and also composed for films. Seeking to push electronic music away from its minimalist foundations as well as the formal abstractions of its most experimental practitioners, he slowly developed the orchestrated melodicism of his 1977 breakthrough effort, Oxygène, an enormous commercial hit that reached the number two spot on the U.K. pop charts. The follow-up, 1978's Equinoxe, was also a smash, and a year later Jarre held the first in a series of massive open-air concerts at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, the estimated one million spectators on hand earning him a place in The Guinness Book of World Records.

Only in the wake of 1981's Les Chants Magnétiques (Magnetic Fields) did Jarre mount a proper tour, traveling to China with a staggering amount of stage equipment in tow; the five performances, performed backed by some 35 traditional instrumentalists, later generated the LP Concerts in China. Released in 1983, Music for Supermarkets instantly became one of the most collectible albums in history -- recorded for an art exhibit, only one copy was ever pressed, selling at a charity auction for close to $10,000. The master was then incinerated, guaranteeing the record's rarity. Jarre's next proper release was 1984's Zoolook, which failed to connect with audiences with the same success as its predecessors.

A two-year hiatus followed before he resurfaced on April 5, 1986, with an extravagant live performance in Houston celebrating NASA's silver anniversary; in addition to the over one million in attendance, it was also broadcast on global television. Rendez-Vous appeared a few weeks later, and after another highly visual live date in Lyon, France, Jarre assembled the best material from the two events as the 1987 concert LP Cities in Concert: Houston/Lyon. Revolutions, featuring the legendary Shadows guitarist Hank B. Marvin, followed in 1988, and a year later a third concert LP, dubbed simply Jarre Live, hit stores. After 1990's En Attendant Cousteau (Waiting for Cousteau), Jarre mounted his biggest live experience yet, with an attendance of over two and a half million fans converging on Paris to see him perform in honor of Bastille Day.

The decade to follow proved surprisingly quiet, however, and apart from the occasional live appearance Jarre was largely removed from the limelight; finally, in 1997 he issued Oxygène 7-13, updating his concepts for a new musical era. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Constance Demby is one of the few representatives of the New Age movement (in both her music and her personal philosophies) who consistently creates artistic, highly expressive compositions. Demby was trained in classical music as a child, and her artistic spirit led her to also master several other art forms; at the University of Michigan, she... [+] Read More

Constance Demby is one of the few representatives of the New Age movement (in both her music and her personal philosophies) who consistently creates artistic, highly expressive compositions. Demby was trained in classical music as a child, and her artistic spirit led her to also master several other art forms; at the University of Michigan, she studied painting, sculpture, and music. It was her work as a sculptor that led her to new dimensions of sound. As she was torching a sheet of metal, it roared thunderously, and thus was born the Sonic Steel Instruments: the Whale Sail and the Space Bass, enormous bowed instruments with deep archetypal resonances.

As an innovator in the world of sound, Demby learned a number of ethnic instruments and found ways to use them inventively. She cofounded a unique multimedia group, Central Maine Power Sound & Light, which toured the East Coast from 1971 to 1976 with their "Space Mass" program and other groundbreaking light/sound and planetarium shows.

In the late '70s, Demby began to investigate the spiritual life by following a discipline that was focused on the inner light and the inner sound, or Surat Shabd Yoga. She found a special affinity for the hammered dulcimer and discovered that her "prayers would turn into song." These devotional songs formed the basis of her first album, Skies Above Skies.

In 1980, Demby, a fifth generation Californian, returned to Marin County north of San Francisco, where she received a warm reception and played concerts to overflow audiences. Here, she founded her own record company, Sound Currents, and released Sunborne, an ambitious five-part tone poem that featured her Sonic Steel instruments, world percussion, synthesizers, hammered dulcimer, and vocals.

The mid-eighties brought changes in recording technology with the advent of digital sampled sounds; Demby embraced this electronic revolution to compose contemporary space music using a full range of symphonic instruments, pipe organ, and choral voices. Tapping into her spiritual guidance, she brought through, track by track, Novus Magnificat, the album that many call the most important New Age recording of all time. This album, released in 1986, was one of the first releases on the Hearts of Space record label. Her other albums with Hearts of Space include the devotional Sacred Space Music, the celebratory Set Free, and Aeterna, the emotionally cathartic sequel to Novus Magnificat.

Demby says of the artistry and spiritual impact of her music: "Novus Magnificat reached 'up and out' to catch a galactic beam through space. Aeterna is down and into the heart, here and now. Now our society is in the thick of it, and if people do not handle their feelings, we are in trouble. My music is emotional, but it is always redemptive. If my music stirs things up and takes you down into your feelings, it will then transmute, take you up and out again and redeem. If the listener approaches music with 'active listening,' or with full absorption, and if the music has spiritual commitment and depth, then music can blow your mind. It will make you weep. And you will wonder breathlessly,'God, what was that? It did something to me!'"

In 2000, after release of a few private label albums, Demby moved from Southern California to Barcelona, Spain, relishing the openness of its people for music and the arts. ~ Carol Wright, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Jean Michel Jarre, son of film composer Maurice Jarre, is one of the true pioneers of electronic music. Oxygene is one of the original e-music albums. It has withstood the test of time and the evolution of digital electronica. Jarre's compositional style and his rhythmic instincts were his strong points in 1976. While his popularity has... [+] Read More

Jean Michel Jarre, son of film composer Maurice Jarre, is one of the true pioneers of electronic music. Oxygene is one of the original e-music albums. It has withstood the test of time and the evolution of digital electronica. Jarre's compositional style and his rhythmic instincts were his strong points in 1976. While his popularity has escalated exponentially over the years, he never quite achieved the quality of this amazing recording. The innocence and freshness provide most of its charm. Jarre's techniques and ability provide the rest. This epic CD will appeal to fans of Tonto's Expanding HeadBand, Tangerine Dream, Synergy, Kraftwerk, and Klaus Schulze. ~ Jim Brenholts, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Kit Watkins has been at the forefront of keyboard oriented music for a very long time. In the mid-'70s, he fronted the progressive rock band Happy The Man, which is currently enjoying a renaissance of sorts. With this new release, Watkins again emerges as one of the most talented of keyboard maestros. SunStruck is really two releases in one. The... [+] Read More

Kit Watkins has been at the forefront of keyboard oriented music for a very long time. In the mid-'70s, he fronted the progressive rock band Happy The Man, which is currently enjoying a renaissance of sorts. With this new release, Watkins again emerges as one of the most talented of keyboard maestros. SunStruck is really two releases in one. The first half is uptempo, driving, with stellar rhythms and accessible melodies, evoking Watkins's sense of his own past. The second half is remarkably different, not merely dabbling, but rather mastering the genre of space music. What has always separated Kit Watkins from his contemporaries is his unique synthesizer voicings. Besides using keyboards to mimic acoustic instruments, he creates electronic sounds full of breath and life, showing the grace of imperfection, reflecting the fragility of humanity, rather than striving for the absolute consistency available from electronic instruments. SunStruck re-establishes Kit Watkins as a leader in his field, a place his fans know he never really left. ~ Backroads Music/Heartbeats, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Valley in the Clouds, David Arkenstone's Narada debut, established the new age composer's effortless blend of worldly, contemporary instrumental, and conventional pop/rock textures, and laid the foundation for his successful career. The nine electronic soundscapes of Clouds seem guided by a restless desire to keep things interesting. Not... [+] Read More

Valley in the Clouds, David Arkenstone's Narada debut, established the new age composer's effortless blend of worldly, contemporary instrumental, and conventional pop/rock textures, and laid the foundation for his successful career. The nine electronic soundscapes of Clouds seem guided by a restless desire to keep things interesting. Not too interesting, mind you -- this is, after all, new age, and it's built for relaxation. But "Stepping Stars" begins as a series of synthesizer washes, with two half-formed melodies fluttering by each other, only to transform itself with another melody halfway through. The third part unites the song's drifting sections and makes it much more than a simple keyboard experiment. The same goes for the title track, where a breathy flute adds exotic depth to the track's loping rhythm. While Arkenstone's building blocks will be common to new age listeners -- swirling synths, world music references, and light, insistent percussion -- it's in the way he arranges his songs that make them his own. "Eastern Dream" incorporates harp and violin, while "Rain"'s pattering keyboard lines travel over and across one other, suggesting the hypnotizing quality of a morning thundershower. Valley in the Clouds ends with more nature-noise atmospherics, bringing in triumphant keys and percussion for the rousing "Lost Temple." The album is a solid debut that's definitely lush and relaxing, but never boring. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The solo debut from the leader of Tangerine Dream is a set of four synthesizer pieces, free-form and pastoral. The lengthy title track is quite naturalistic, organized around a series of synth bubbles and water sounds, while "NGC 891" reflects Froese's interest in space rock. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

The solo debut from the leader of Tangerine Dream is a set of four synthesizer pieces, free-form and pastoral. The lengthy title track is quite naturalistic, organized around a series of synth bubbles and water sounds, while "NGC 891" reflects Froese's interest in space rock. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Suzanne Ciani's landmark 1984 release Velocity of Love established the noted electronic composer in the U.S. and became one of instrumental/new age radio's early success stories. Together with Vangelis, who contributed keyboards to "Lay Down Beside Me," "Malibuzios," and "History of My Heart," Ciani created a formless, diaphanous record that... [+] Read More

Suzanne Ciani's landmark 1984 release Velocity of Love established the noted electronic composer in the U.S. and became one of instrumental/new age radio's early success stories. Together with Vangelis, who contributed keyboards to "Lay Down Beside Me," "Malibuzios," and "History of My Heart," Ciani created a formless, diaphanous record that nevertheless seemed guided by real emotion. There were the subtle pop melodies that flitted about beneath the synthesized surface, certainly. But it was difficult not to hear the album's influential title track and miss the wave of wistful sadness that curled around its brittle melody. It was a deceptively simple piano line that suggested the theme music of some unknown 1970s character drama, the kind where autumn leaves constantly blow through open curtains for effect. At the same time, the song's pulsating bank of synthesizers united its classic qualities with the futuristic tendencies and two-dimensional rayon sheen of the 1980s. While some of its later compositions were a bit overwrought, teetering under the weight of their own keyboard wizardry, Velocity of Love is still essential for any fan of Ciani or the formative days of contemporary instrumental music. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide [-] Hide