Record Reviews

MIKOLAJ HERTEL ~ DZWIEKI DALEKIEGO SWIATA GAD 052 (Barcode: 5901549197686) ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 1985 - 1988 Released: 2017 This is a reissue of the cassette only album with a compilation of material composed and performed by Polish keyboardist / composer Mikolaj HertelFind albums by this artist in the mid-1980s. This beautifully remastered edition is expanded by five additional tracks originating from the same period and presents in total twenty two pieces of his music. This is the second chapter in a series of reissues of the music by Hertel on the GADFind albums on this label Records label, following the "Epizod AFind albums with this title" album released a couple of years earlier. The music is similar to other electronic / ambient creations popular at the time the world over and is every bit as good as anything recorded by Rick WakemanFind albums by this artist, Jean-Michel JarreFind albums by this artist or VangelisFind albums by this artist. Hertel is a wonderful weaver of sublime melodic themes and his synthesizers create a rich tapestry of sonic vistas, which although a bit nostalgic, still sound relevant today. His themes are more concise and coherent, and as a result the music never gets boring, repetitive or droning. Fans of synthesizers should enjoy this stuff immensely but basically everybody interested in the ambient / electronic genre should check this out, especially people outside of Poland, who were never exposed to this excellent music. Highly recommended!

Updated: 13/04/2017Posted: 13/04/2017

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

MIKOLAJ HERTEL ~ EPIZOD A GAD 035 (Barcode: 5901549197457) ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 1983 - 1988 Released: 2015 This is a collection of early recordings by Polish pianist / composer Mikolaj HertelFind albums by this artist, one of the pioneers of Polish synthesizer music. Classically trained, he left the Classical path early in his life and gradually created a career as composer of songs for Pop artists, later concentrating on composing and recording music using synthesizers. This album collects recordings made by Hertel before he started to release his solo albums, starting in early 1990s, which he continues to do to this very day. It presents eleven compositions, most of which are performed solo and a few also feature guest musicians or vocalists. Some of Hertel´s music was used by Polish Radio and TV as incidental background music, including in the cult popular science series called "SondaFind albums with this title". Hertel´s music is beautifully melodic and well structured, and his ability to perform it using almost exclusively the various synthesizers earned him the title of "Polish KitaroFind albums by this artist", which he certainly deserves. The last piece on this album, which is a sixteen minutes long mini-suite, is a most impressive piece on this album, bordering on Progressive Rock. Despite the fact that synthesizer drenched 1980s Pop is almost unlistenable today, Hertel´s music withstands the test of time with flying colors and this collection is a fascinating listening experience. As usual, thanks and salutations are due to GADFind albums on this label Records for making this music available to the listeners and saving it from oblivion. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 25/02/2016Posted: 25/02/2016

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

MIKOLAJ HERTEL ~ SPLEEN GAD 079 (Barcode: 5903068120046) ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 2002 Released: 2018 This is the third album on the GadFind albums on this label Records label presenting the works of Polish keyboardist / composer Mikolaj HertelFind albums by this artist. The album includes all previously unreleased cycle of seven compositions, collectively entitled "Spleen". Recorded in 2002, these are (so far) the last Electronic Music compositions Hertel created, ending his two decades long fascination with this genre, before leaving the field and returning to Classical Music. Hertel performs all the music using various synthesizers and Sidonia von BorckFind albums by this artist (look that name up) is credited for the vocal parts. As usual with Hertel´s compositions, the music is beautifully melodic and melancholic, and is certainly as good as any synthesizer music created by the leaders of the genre. The melodies are relatively simple and flow over cyclic background riffs, which provide the rhythmic continuity. But regardless this seemingly simplistic environment, the music is elegantly structured and definitely is also a great fun to listen to. For funs of synthesizer / electronic / ambient music this album is a lost gem worth discovery. It would be a crying shame if this music was lost and forgotten and it´s great to have it available!

Updated: 10/08/2018Posted: 07/08/2018

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ SONDA 2 GAD 023 (Barcode: 5901549197297) ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 1977 - 1986 Released: 2014 This is the second album which presents a collection of music, which was utilized as background music by the epic / cult Polish TV popular science series called "SondaFind albums with this title", which was extremely popular and run for twelve years between 1977 and 1989. The program was innovative and extremely well done and also excelled in the careful choice of its background music. This collection uses again several tracks selected from the German Sonoton music library vaults, but also includes some original Polish tracks recorded especially by Polish Radio and TV by such pioneering artists as Mikolaj HertelFind albums by this artist, Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist, Krzysztof DudaFind albums by this artist, Wladyslaw KomendarekFind albums by this artist and even the legendary Polish group SBBFind albums by this artist. The music was all composed and performed between 1976 and 1986, which of course means that it is heavily filled with synthesizer sounds, which at the time were highly fashionable. However, in contrast to most popular synthesizer soaked 1980s music, which is simply unlistenable today (and wasn´t that good to start with), the music here withstood the tides of time quite well and sounds pretty excellent today, especially as part of the nostalgia wave that surrounds past decades. The creators of this music were all top notch composers / musicians, which is plainly obvious to anyone listening to this album. Although this album is primarily a tribute to the legendary TV series, it is also a great trip revisiting some great and mostly forgotten synthesizer music from the 1970s and 1980s, which was previously unreleased and which is still relevant and worthy of being listened to. The album was again beautifully put together by GADFind albums on this label Records and its owner Michal WilczynskiFind albums by this artist, who is setting a standard with his work for all reissue labels to follow.

Updated: 25/02/2016Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend