Tangerine Dream
Hyperborea

Significant album in the vast discography of Tangerine Dream, "Hyperborea" marks the end of the so-called Virgin period of the German band (in English, The Virgin Years), a period of great renown and commercial success: indeed, this work is the last released under the famous label of Richard Branson and associates.

The Virgin Years began ten years earlier with the legendary "Phaedra" (preceded a few months by the very first Virgin-labeled album, the equally legendary "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield). With "Hyperborea" we are now in 1983, the lineup is the trio Froese, Franke, Schmoelling, and the pioneering phase has long been concluded.

"Hyperborea" is characterized by the almost constant presence of a great variety of rhythmic textures, made possible by the abundant use of sampled percussive sounds and the invention of rhythmic structures realized with an arpeggiator: all of this gives substance to the music, especially in the opening track "No Man's Land" and in the short "Cinnamon Road", both characterized by lively and spirited themes. The title track is instead placid and solemn, in fact divided into two distinct parts: in the first, it presents one of the most unusual themes ever heard from Edgar Froese's group, an austere and mysterious melody entrusted to a synth with a dark and full-bodied tone.

Hyperborea: for the ancient Greeks, it was the region beyond from where the north wind blows, a cold and perfect land where the sun shines twenty-four hours a day. We see a glimpse of it in the cover image and we hear its sound throughout the album, including in the extensive "Sphinx Lightning" (almost 20 minutes), one of those long meditative suites that made Tangerine Dream famous in the '70s. Here, after an introduction of well-marked notes, it almost feels like returning to the times of "Rubycon" with a sequencer phrase that gradually occupies the entire sound space: an episode of about 5 minutes that leaves one breathless for the effectiveness of the sound arrangement and the skillful rhythmic filigree; it is followed by a peaceful transition episode before returning to a powerful percussive loop that concludes the track.

This album can break through to those who love a traditional approach in electronic music. It contains many of the typical stylistic elements of Tangerine Dream along with some sparks of novelty. "Hyperborea" is certainly one of their representative works.