This was possibly this Austrian multi-instrumentalist's finest hour on the 80’s, and it was (and still is) a top selling album and one of the few import titles to ever reach four-figure sales status at CDS!  Gandalf could be considered to be the Austrian equivalent of Mike Oldfield with his multi-tracked music filled with the sound of, synths, Mellotron, organ and other keyboards, guitars (acoustic and electric), basses, drums, percussion and other acoustic instruments.  It was in the late 80's that Gandalf brought together all the finest components of a unique style he had been developing over five great albums for WEA, and this record was the culmination of all the finest features drawn from each of these earlier pioneering LP's - a mighty debut release for CBS in 1988 and a truly remarkable album. The opening string chords signal the quality of what is to come on this great piece of progressive, symphonic rock, as they swirl and swell across the soundstage, developing into a very lovely and truly original Gandalf theme with a classic melody line. Complete with heavenly choirs, the wondrous symphonic music flows into track 2 and wow! - The man flies off into one of the most dynamic multi-instrumental themes he has ever has ever produced, delivering a fantastic electric guitar solo at it’s peak over a huge backdrop of swelling string synths with sequencers filling out the sound to massive proportions – fantastic stuff - and these are only the first two tracks!  The rest of the CD is filled with typically colourful sound-paintings, with melody flowing from every corner. Layer upon layer of majestic keyboards join more sparkling guitar work with percussion and rhythms adding extra colour to some tracks. Yes, there's not a bad minute on this album - it's still a magnificent hour of music with the added bonus that the CD costs two thirds of retail price it was when it was at it's sales peak!  Every home should have one!

116877
Weight: 150.00 g

This classic was out of print for some time, but we now have it available again. Hoenig served his time in the early 70’s with the excellent ‘Synth’/‘Kraut’ crossover band Agitation Free (all their albums, including the magnificently cosmic ‘Last’ are stocked here at CD Services) and briefly played alongside Chris Franke & Edgar Froese in Tangerine Dream for a ‘live’ tour. They never actually recorded any albums under this line-up, but when you listen to this CD, you feel you are listening to the album that would have ensued had this particular trio recorded such a studio project. Essentially, it’s a story of sequencers – classic, warm-sounding, strong, analogue, 70’s sequencers – but here there is a sense of atmosphere that is more akin to a cross between early Schulze and solo Froese. The twenty-minute title track opens with two minutes of a slowly building, layered soundscape setting, with swirling analogue synth cloud formations forming a misty foreground for a lead sequencer rhythm to begin. A gorgeous keyboard melody line glides over the top, and the piece strengthens, adding more melodies and rhythms as it goes, sounding for all the world like a slightly stripped down version of classic 70’s Tangerine Dream, even to the extent that you’ll swear that you’ve heard some of this music before on a TD album. The track proceeds to build, voyage and develop within this framework, and the twenty minutes passes so quickly that you simply want to relive the whole experience again as it finishes. This is as fine a piece of 70’s classic electronic music as you’ll find today! The following near eleven minutes of ‘Hanging Garden Transfer’ uses string-synths, polyrhythmic sequencers, swirling leads and effects to create a quite awesome slice of analogue magic that flies and cascades to perfection for the whole of its running time, with what sounds like the sound of a real organ undercurrent adding to the feel of the piece. By contrast, the six-minute ‘Voices Of Where’ is an overtly cosmic track, but the simplicity and feel of the piece is what makes it so special. It is really only just a few layers, but the soundscapes created are just so beautiful, yet so effective; they are almost ‘dark’ in their atmospheric content, yet so evocative of those heady days of the space-synth 70’s, as it circulates and drifts through your head. The track ends on a sample of repeated voices and rumbling bass synths, then it’s on to the final four-minute track ‘Sun And Moon’, which opens with an ascending synth lead line that leads to the introduction of a strong sequencer rhythm, followed by a soaring dual lead keyboard melody line that is almost romantic in nature, before the sequencers eventually take over and drive the track to a perfect conclusion as further organ-like sounds gather from below to add to the existing framework. ‘Departure’ is an unheralded 70’s classic – An electronic music album without a wasted second anywhere, and if you don’t own this, well, you really are missing out.

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Weight: 150.00 g

One of the best melodic synth/ambient CD's ever! After a supremely majestic opening of soaring synths, richly patterned, heaven-bound, flowing multi-keyboard layers for ‘Tears In The Rain’, everything dies down to a beautiful echo as a deep bass synth rumbles round a cavernous soundstage. A gorgeous synth layer appears, accompanied by cascading/rippling textures, giving a truly awesome feeling of sheer magic. This is melodic music with only just a hint of a real tune, but it's supremely atmospheric with delightful sequencer rhythms and a booming undercurrent that gives the sounds a 3-dimensional quality. The opening string-synth section of ‘Look Into The Abyss’ is also extremely beautiful, with heaven sent Vangelis-style keyboards and piano textures that could have come straight out of the 'Bladerunner' soundtrack! It’s full of deep textures and flowing soundscapes that are almost classical at times - A magical nine minutes that completely takes your breath away! This music is certain to have you in raptures if this brand of majestic, melodic synthscape is your scene. Later on, mesmerising synth layers and strong, but crystalline sequencer rhythms, form a dynamic mix that becomes a very Edgar Froese-styled track. Then its back to gentle synth rhythms, choral layers and a developing cosmic passage that soars along with distant female voices and rich keyboard sounds, all combining to form a massively evocative soundscape that has you positively transfixed.  After 11 'empty' tracks lasting a total of four seconds a piece, the album leads us into the wondrous sounds of a 'hidden' track; #19 (officially there are only 8 over the fifty-six minute plating time) which is another absolutely magical slice of Vangelis-inspired symphonic genius, featuring the most beautiful piano and synth passage you will possibly ever hear - enough to reduce even the hardest among you to misty-eyed, dribbling wrecks of blubber as you witness some of the most heartfelt instrumental synth/piano music ever recorded. This is an ideal disc for "Ambient" fans that want a bit more in the way of melody for a change, and equally, it is a magnificent addition to a Tangerine Dream or Vangelis fans collection too!

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Weight: 150.00 g

This is another from the selected band of import titles to hit the magic four-figure sales status at CDS since it's release on CD back in 1988. It is possibly the finest of all the more 'romantic' titles ever to hit our synth catalogues, with it's combination of melodic and rhythmic, self-penned tracks. The curious thing about this album was that it was a best-seller even before a short review was ever published in a CD Services catalogue, because in those days we used to tell E.M. fans about on the telephone, so they would hear it playing in the background while they were ordering something else and ended up having it as well! So, it all really happened by word of mouth as much as anything else in these days. ‘Desires’ features 10 stunning melodic tracks, and none more so than the fantastic opening title track, which builds it’s fluent, romantic melody line as well as any ever heard at CDS. From orchestral and romantic to rhythmic and vibrant, even fourteen years on these tracks still sound as if they were recorded yesterday. They have a fresh exciting and well-produced sound filled with the slick, thematic style of melody that other Greek born keyboard players/composers like the well-established Vangelis and the other newcomer of the time Yanni were famous for. Synths, piano, acoustic guitars and sequencers formed the nucleus of the music on this fairly mainstream symphonic album, which to all intents and purposes was bought 'blind' by many hundreds of synth fans back in the early days of synth music on CD, and we are sure most of these people still hold this little masterpiece as a treasured part of their music collection!

203044
Weight: 150.00 g

Calling all Tangerine Dream / Edgar Froese fans – This is for YOU! It is the debut album from the group that produced the incredibly brilliant version of 'Phaedra' on the first Tangerine Dream tribute album; 'Tangerine Ambience' - This album is just as superb and more – A most incredible ‘Ambient’-‘Synth’ crossover album that treads a wide path but manages to avoid the dance areas. It is without doubt a stunning debut release that starts off firmly in early to mid-period Tangerine Dream territory and slowly develops and evolves into an altogether more 90's approach to the same sound, constantly holding your attention as it goes. As with other new 90’s bands like Radio Massacre International, we feel we discovered another gem in the shape of Surface 10. This 9 track CD spans a massive seventy-seven minutes playing time, and it’s already a most treasured possession to a lot of synth music fans from all areas of the genre, so if you don’t have it, don’t miss-out - Order it today – You won’t regret it! Want to know more first? – Then read on…

538634
Weight: 150.00 g

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This was one of the biggest selling double albums for CD Services during the 90’s, and it’s a massive 139 minutes of sheer brilliance! If ever there was one 90’s electronic music album that quite genuinely appeals to synth music fans from 1970 through to 1995 and beyond, this IS it! Simply one of the best double synth music CD’s ever released, and yes, in came twenty-five years down the line after the likes of Tangerine Dream began their rise to fame. With ‘Desideraturn’ the Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber team have produced an album that is staggering in its scope and style, with an amazingly powerful production and crystal clear clarity of sound to match. It is an incredible work of electronic genius featuring two discs that feature 7 tracks a piece, each with a playing time of anything between seven and fifteen minutes each, so the tracks aren’t exactly short little ditties either! This has everything an ‘EM’ fan could possibly want, from the early 70’s ‘Teutonic’ styles to the modern feel of 90’s ‘Ambient Trance’ and deserves its place in any self respecting ‘Electronic Music’ fan’s collection.

563376
Weight: 250.00 g

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‘Ephemera’ is slightly different but it is also a 100% certified gem! A magnificently spectacular, hour long album, one which carries masses of pent-up, harboured power – 7 tracks with a level of power that is never normally unleashed, and to such an extent, that it obliterates everything around it! – The Mellotron and synth soaked music just flows within a solid rhythmic force of bass and percussion; growing on you each time it's played. It's mighty and adventurous, familiar to a certain extent and powerfully rhythmic, but it has a curiously hypnotic, almost relaxing feel that you might not expect from an album of this type! It’s a joy to experience, it’s sound is brilliant and it has a production that'll inject new life into even the most tired of stereo systems and test those that think they are built to handle it. J  Interested… Want to know more? Read on…

166191
Weight: 150.00 g

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Yes, this album is not actually by the Tangs at all, although you'd hardly know that when you get to hear some of the amazing cover versions of their classic material, especially the version of ‘Phaedra’, which is absolutely stunning and gives the original more than a good run for it’s money! For this album, several USA and European artists each recorded a version of their particular favourite Tangerine Dream tracks, and, with one exception, the collection is a total triumph. ‘Ambient’ and ‘Synth’ music meets head on and the result is 9 tracks over seventy-five minutes of fantastic electronic music. They are all magnificent interpretations of TD favourites, that, while keeping fairly true-to-the-originals, have added new perspectives to the classic Teutonic performances, with that extra special touch coming from a production quality that is more ‘now’ that 70’s, making them unique and firmly 90's based renditions! The feedback from the hard-core TD fans that have bought this (and ‘Volume 2’) over the past few years has been nothing short of positive, so read on for a track-by-track rundown on the best set of Tangerine Dream covers ever!

469185
Weight: 150.00 g

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This guy is totally unique entity in the Synth music world, in that, he can get away with sounding almost commercial at times without actually really ever really being accused of being pop, a fact that anyone already into his music will endorse!  His huge multi-layered synth sounds and strong melodies make him as much a rock musician as much as anything else, but one thing is for sure - he is one hell of an exciting synth act, and one of the few who is more than capable of raising the hairs on the back of my neck! This 15 track album gives you almost sixty-five minutes of pure listening pleasure, in a similar way to the classic ‘Heaven’s Light’, but expanding it into a whole new universe of sound and styles and leaves you with a blinding good album. You get all the big majestic grandiose themes, catchy melodies and more associated with the ‘HL’ CD; flying soaring synth and tuneful guitar solos, huge waves of multi-tracked cosmic, spacey choral synths, lush string textures, thrilling, fast driving rhythmic patterns and a an array of pounding drums and storm force percussion and toe-tapping beats. Overall, this can only be described as melodic synth driven rock instrumental excellence of the highest order. Read on for an in-depth track-by-track description.

272582
Weight: 150.00 g

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This is an updated, hour plus version of the incredibly exciting debut album that first arrived on our doorstep back mid 1990, and sales haven't halted since! Several new tracks have been added and a couple removed from the original pressing. If you are looking for a European comparison to 90’s Mark Shreeve, or an instrumental album that crosses over the synth and rock scene- we have it here! - The opening ten minute track is an absolutely mind blowing melodic experience that literally pumps from your speakers with amazing ferocity, and it is a stereophonic display like you wouldn’t believe! Battling sequencers and percussion, massed soaring synths, cosmic choirs and electrifying guitar soloing all complete admirably in the battle for instrumental supremacy - A genuine cross-over track that has everything you could ever want in a lengthy, up-tempo synth track, welding electronics and rock together in a totally stunning fashion! – After such a storming opener, any middle section of an album would struggle to compete, but this album’s remaining 9 tracks (it used to be just 5) does a pretty good job at keeping up with that glorious first ten minutes. Some of the tracks mellow out to some degree by way of their more atmospheric and tuneful spacey passages, but the rest are bombastic blockbusters of a type that could leave you speakers in a pile of smouldering rubble! J There is a Jarre like feel to many of the tracks on this album, but Teubner’s productions are generally bigger and more powerful. The melody-lines are infectious and tend to linger on with you long after the final notes have either faded into the distance or exploded into oblivion - No synth CD collector in their right mind should be without this monumental and totally amazing work of electronic rock music!

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Weight: 150.00 g

In the 70’s, the world had already been taken by storm by the likes of Germany’s Tangerine Dream, Vangelis from Greece and Jean-Michel Jarre from France, and that is where Richard Vimal, another of the great electronic composer/musicians of the time came from, although, it’s hard to believe that at that time, many music fans were blissfully unaware of his very existence! The lucky few who were clued-in to this major talent were revelling in the warm variations, of melodic, atmospheric themes that this Frenchman was producing. We are 100% certain that a huge amount of fans of instrumental music, from ‘synth’ to ‘classical’, will adore this album once they are exposed to it’s many charms, and here is your chance because it is now available in the perfect format for this kind of music. Vimal’s music has subtle elements of at least two of the aforementioned composers, but the end sound is unique. Its strong but crystalline, romantic, infectious, almost classical style melodies and themes made as much of an impact on me as any music of that time, and it still sounds fantastic today! ‘Aquarythmies’ is a beautifully colourful work inspired by the rich romantic landscape of his native Burgundy. The word means “the rhythms of water”; the delicate ebb and flow of life reflected through Earth’s most expressive element, and this kind of describes Vimal’s music perfectly. It now has 10 bonus tracks to add to the thirty-five minute playing time of the original vinyl LP: 8 come from his 1978 ‘Migrations’ LP (the whole album!), 1 is lifted from the ‘77 ‘Transparencies’ LP, and the glorious seven minute 2001 track that closes the CD, just makes you wish he’d been recording during the past two decades as well!  With music ranging from upbeat energetic waves of sound, to languid, melodic bittersweet nostalgia, from Mozartian cathedral organ chords to brightly coloured hopscotch rhythms, this superb CD spans the poles of electronic music. Like the many moods and faces of water, ‘Aquarythmies’ reflects a musical world both ordered and passionate, a refreshing, rich-hued garden of sounds and melodies for all.  Essential!

688128
Weight: 150.00 g