Record Reviews

MLADEN FRANKO ~ AMAZING SPACE GAD 027 (Barcode: 5901549197358) ~ GERMANY ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 1980 Released: 2015 Multi-instrumentalist / composer Mladen FrankoFind albums by this artist was born in former Yugoslavia, but left for Germany immediately after graduating from high school and slowly climbed the ladder towards establishing his name as a composer, which eventually led him into the field of library music. He became one of the most prolific contributors to Sonoton, world´s biggest music library founded by composer Gerhard NarholzFind albums by this artist. Sonoton licensed its music to many TV stations all over the world, including Poland, where Franko´s instrumentals were often used as background music for TV productions, including the legendary popular science program "SondaFind albums with this title". Two collections of Franko´s compositions were named "Amazing Space" (Vol.1 & 2) and were among his most widely used pieces, although the TV audiences were completely oblivious as to the composer´s identity. This album collects the music included on both original "Amazing Space" vinyl albums, which were used to distribute the music but not released commercially. The music was composed, arranged and eventually performed by Franko, who played all the instruments by himself. It is based mostly on extensive use of synthesizers and presents an interesting collection of melodic pieces, with a slight Jazzy feel and Groove, spiced up by short improvised solos. Although many such productions often tend to represent the kitschy side of the music industry, Franko´s pieces are anything but corny or trivial and withstand the tides of time splendidly. Although the overall sound is somewhat dated, this is a most pleasing piece of instrumental music, with a dash of nostalgia, which is a great fun to listen to, without insulting the listener´s intelligence. Kudos to GADFind albums on this label Records for making this available for the general public!

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend