E-Musikgruppe-Lux Ohr — Kometenbahn
Hailing from Finland, the various members have been active in various underground music scenes for some time. Kimi Kärki is the founder and guitarist of doom metal bands Reverend Bizarre and Lord Vicar as well as the psychedelic progressive band Orne. Ismo Virta leads a folk prog band called Kosmos and also makes up one half of dark ambient duo Dystopia with Pertti Grönholm. Jaakko Penttinen has a background in various punk bands such as Forca Macabra, but recently has been acknowledged for his ambient and space music projects such as Galactic Travellers with Ismo Virta and others.
‘Kometenbahn’, is a compilation of six original sonic sculptures inspired by German Kosmische Musik of the 1970s but also reimagines the sounds of eighties greats like Jean- Michel Jarre and Vangelis fused with modern ambient and techno beats
After the brief introductory ‘Prolog im Himmel’, things begin with the eleven and a half minute ‘Durch den Kosmischen Dunst’ which begins like ‘Autobahn’ era Kraftwerk with a slow pulse beat which is soon joined by a very JMJ sounding melody – think ‘Equinoxe’. Things slow down before the sequencers kick in and liven things up in a Tangerine Dream ‘Rubycon’ style. This is really nice piece; it has that classic Berlin School style but is also very contemporary.
Next is ‘Nachtgeist’, which as the name suggests is a slow moving, menacing piece of spooky electronica. This has a real early Kraftwerk feel and wouldn’t be out of place on ‘Radioactivity’ though the guitars are pretty modern and add a sense of intergalactic desert ambience before we come to ‘Sonnenwind’, where a cold lunar landscape of moog pulses and crystal shards float around our ears. Pete Namlooks ghost is here, along with the spirit of FAX label ambience.
Twelve minutes now remain and the first nine are given to ‘Sonnenaufgang’ where the sequencers again shift into high gear with a very rich Tangerine Dream like structure. Here the beats finally arrive and we are in classic up-tempo Krautrock territory but with a nod toward Detroit Techno – Kraftwerks ‘Airwaves’ coming to mind at certain points.
Finally we reach ‘Mythos’ which as the name might suggest is a slice of prime early Krautrock Kosmiche Musik. This sounds a lot like early Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream and really does recreate those classic sounds.
In conclusion then, this is an album for all fans of classic Kosmiche Krautrock and future synth music. It recreates both to equal effect and is a worthwhile listen if that’s what floats your spaceship