Back catalogue: Progressive Rock

Review: With roots in 1983's Stonehenge Free Festival, when brothers Ed and Roly Wynne joined forces with drummer Nick 'Tig' Van Gelder, bassist Eddie Myer, and keyboardist Joie Hinton to perform a six hour improvised jam session under the guise Bolshem People, Ozric Tentacles define the progressive rock-new age-ambient crossover story. Then they go on to write their own. It would be six years before they put a record out, 1989's Pungent Effulgent, preferring instead to keep things loose, open and, ultimately, unplanned. 12 months or so later, they emerged from Foel Studios in Powys, Wales, with the follow up - Erpland. A record that feels free, born in countless moments of spontaneous creativity, careering between free party dub and mind-melting (if overblown) electric guitar solos set against juggernaut metal rhythms. A remarkable beast.

Review: .You don't need to hear much on The YumYum Tree to understand how apt the story behind Ozric Tentacles is. A troupe which formed from an impromptu six-hour jam session which took place around a campfire during the 1983 Stonehenge free festival, the band name itself came about when an audience member asked guitarist and keyboardist Ed Wynne what the group - which included his brother Roly, Nick 'Tig' Van Gelder (later of Jamiroquai note) and Joie Hinton - were called. Originally dropping from the cosmos in 2009, The YumYum Tree is archetypal stuff from the outfit in question. Complex guitar solos taking us into the stratosphere, uptempo, highly commanding, cacophonic arrangements, star-gazing, mood-setting, deeply textured space rock, and moments of pure new age bliss. A journey to musical unknowns, captained by progressive rock visionaries.

Review: This new reissue of The Angel From The West Window by Tangerine Dream's showed the returned back to their electronic music roots in 2011. Departing from the mellower tones that characterized some of their 90s output, the band's latest album at the time delved into more challenging and orchestral electronic landscapes. The Angel of the West Window, inspired by the works of German author Gustav Meyrink, showcases a revitalised sound: pulsating sequencers, expansive synthesized textures, and evocative electric guitar solos dominate the album. Collaborating with Thorsten Quaeschning, Froese infuses the tracks with dynamic rhythmic foundations and ethereal electronic layers, creating an edgy and immersive sonic experience. Electric violin accents add a haunting depth to the compositions, enhancing their atmospheric quality. Standout tracks like 'The Mysterious Gift to Mankind' and 'Living in Eternity' highlight Tangerine Dream's ability to blend synthetic and organic elements seamlessly. The album's thematic richness and sensitive melodies evoke a cinematic scope, making it ideal for both introspective listening and atmospheric settings. Long-time fans have welcomed this resurgence, celebrating Tangerine Dream's return to form and their enduring influence on electronic music. Tangerine Dream's musical legacy and innovative spirit is part of electronic music history. Fans of their Virgin records output should really enjoy this album.

Review: If you're trying to work out where in Tangerine Dream's back catalogue Finnegans Wake fits, then good luck. According to our sources, this is "roughly the group's 125th release". So it's remarkable just how fresh and forward thinking the record sounds, given most people start running out of original ideas once they reach adulthood, let alone make it past the first two LPs. First released in 2011, eight tracks launch us towards the stratosphere on a rocket of synths and electric guitars, chords soaring ever higher as the background symphony of glitter and chime invoke images of stardust falling over an ocean of zodiacal light below. If that's too conceptual, then let's just say this is progressive kosmische Kraut at its most epic and bold. Just like the rest of their output, then.