Tangerine Dream
Alpha Centauri

In the aftermath of Electronic Meditation, the first album by Tangerine Dream which, despite its title, was neither meditative nor electronic, the band disbanded. Edgar Froese was not fond of the record: he couldn't tolerate the experimentalism of Conrad Schnitzler and the protagonism of Klaus Schulze (who, according to him, should have limited himself to playing the drums). At that point, Schulze left Tangerine Dream and joined Ash Ra Tempel while Froese decided to reform the group. He contacted drummer Chris Franke, who was playing with Agitation Free. Schnitzler was replaced by Steve Schroyder (who would soon be dismissed due to his propensity for consuming large doses of LSD). With this new lineup, they released Alpha Centauri in 1971, a key record in the new European progressive rock music. It is where Edgar Froese’s ideas find full expression. The critics would speak, for the first time, of Cosmic Music.

The first track "Sunrise In The Third System," introduced by the mystical sound of an organ and a psychedelic guitar, is characterized by an ethereal and mystical atmosphere. The subsequent and epic "Fly And Collision Of Comas Sola" is a small masterpiece and is paradigmatic of the new course: the sounds of cosmic and stellar synths, church organ, and flute transport us into an epic, spatial, and timeless setting while the powerful drums played by Chris Franke dictate the rhythm until the finale where the sound explodes in uncontrolled delirium. It feels like witnessing an occult ritual officiated in a deconsecrated church on Alpha Centauri. But it is on the second side, where we find the long title track, that Tangerine Dream's music becomes expansive and meditative, tracing the future cosmic direction of their sound which would find full realization in the double LP Zeit. The reverberated organ of Steve Schroyder creates a cathartic and liquid sound over which avant-garde noise experimentation is layered, adopting the lessons of Karl Heinz Stockhausen. During the listening, one vividly feels the sensation of apparent immobility, something unprecedented until then: the mind travels to galaxies beyond time and space thanks also to the effect-laden guitar of Edgar Froese and the sound of the flute and VCS3 by guests Udo Dennebourg and Roland Paulick. The ending, with the narration by Dennebourg, adds a surreal and sci-fi touch to the ensemble, almost as if an apocalypse is imminent. This suite is a masterpiece of German Cosmic music, and one should also thank the fundamental work of sound engineer Dieter Dierks, an important figure in many German productions of the era.

In the subsequent CD reissues by Castle and Esoteric Recordings, it is possible to listen to the garage-rock single "Ultima Thule (Teils 1 & 2)" as a bonus track, recorded simultaneously with Zeit. The first part “Ultima Thule (Part 1)” features a literally possessed Froese: the fuzz of his guitar is so powerful and raw that it dwarfs all previous garage-rock: then the music becomes more liquid and dreamy thanks to the surreal sounds of Peter Baumann's organ reminiscent of the Pink Floyd of A Saucerful Of Secrets: we are faced with an incredible piece. “Ultima Thule (Part 2)” is instead more subdued and meditative.

Alpha Centauri is a timeless classic, very different from Electronic Meditation. For the first time, the synth sounds are in the foreground, and it is here that the language of German Cosmic Music is codified.