Epsilon in Malaysian Pale? What could that mean? Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. It’s also what the ze Germans use for the letter “y”. Even with that knowledge I can’t begin to fathom what exactly the title could possibly mean. Hey, that’s not a problem, though. It certainly sounds lushly exotic, like a neon blue beach bathed in the light of multiple suns and moons which is really what it’s all about anyway. Am I right?
This half hour long opus (give 4 or 5 minutes) is a wonderful fever dream as dreamt by visionary Berlinite Edgar Froese, the main brain behind by Tangerine Dream’s best; he’s also directly responsible for their dreadful but inevitable fall from grace (which oddly occured not too long after this album’s release). It’s a virtual jungle night flight over computer generated vistas and pixelized waves. It would make a great soundtrack for those hallucinatory Matrix adventures in William Gibson’s Neuromancer and Count Zero. I’m dead serious. Think about it. Corespond the two. Cool, iddinit?
As indicated in the subject header, this was released in 1975 right around the time Tangerine Dream was about to plummet into the depths of suckbucket new age (I still think Stratosfear is fairly decent in a nondemanding breakfast eating soundtrack kind of way). In sound alone it’s highly similar to Rubycon, which TD made around the same time: very relaxed, at the time-“modern”, gentle without being dickless. Know what I mean? In other words it’s great to crank this up on the stereo, take a few puffs, close the old peepers and just envision those neon blue tropical soundscapes which I mentioned above. Just don’t expect to have your fragile minds snapped in half. After all there can be only one Electronic Meditation, one Alpha Centauri and one Zeit. It’s better that way. Trust me.
Epsilon In Malaysian Pale is two seventeen minute long tracks: the title track and “Maroubra Bay”. Both have their distinct characters, but ubiquitous is mood. The title track is the more organic of the two. Froese paints the his magic landscape with a synthesized flute and strings underlining the chord structures in a very uplifting manner. It rises and falls just like the mountains which I’m sure Edgar had in mind during the writing process (or perhaps improvisatory process). The music soothes and coos, but then comes silence and, of course, a second movement of sorts. This time the phasing enters with the requisite arpegiated bass to simulate the ceaseless ocean waves (remember, it’s Malaysia). The flute keeps crafting melodies, changing moods and keeping things interesting. The third and final movement of the title track looses the arpegiated bass and calms things down with those signature TD string pads. The flute keeps working wonders. Over all a great track.
Maroubra Bay is my favorite. This is where the gold is on this album. Here’s where the trance is finally induced, that old TD style transcen-DANCE. As soon as those discordant horn synths come in, I know I’m in good hands. I just sit back. Tune in. Turn on. Drop out. (Etc. etc. ad nauseum) The real magic happens when the said synths lay into the two chord pattern (which I’m almost positive DJ Shadow sampled at some point) while bubble bass sprouts wings and takes off into the hazy sky. It lulls me into a beautiful coma each and every time. When all is said and done, Froese takes us down for a nice landing on the coast. The soul has been uplifited, mind relaxed. It’s just like a mini vacation.
You know it still boggles my mind that Tangerine Dream did the soundtrack for Risky Business. To be quite honest I have never pursued any of their work post Stratosfear. I simply wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face. When I think about their older catalog it’s only natural to assume that they had no other direction to go but downwards. This makes their great stuff all that greater. You know? I do recommend Epsilon In Malaysian Pale for fans of Phaedra and Rubycon, as well as Micheal Hoenig’s Departure From The Northern Wasteland. Take this album for what it is, though: a gorgeous piece of impressionism. Don’t expect to have your life changed.