Phaedra

beep boop music

Phaedra is one of the most important, artistic, and exciting works in the history of electronic music, a brilliant and compelling summation of Tangerine Dream's early avant-space direction balanced with the synthesizer/sequencer technology just beginning to gain a foothold in nonacademic circles. The result is best heard on the 15-minute title track, unparalleled before or since for its depth of sound and vision. Given focus by the arpeggiated trance that drifts in and out of the mix, the track progresses through several passages including a few surprisingly melodic keyboard lines and an assortment of eerie Moog and Mellotron effects, gaseous explosions, and windy sirens. Despite the impending chaos, the track sounds more like a carefully composed classical work than an unrestrained piece of noise. While the title track takes the cake, there are three other excellent tracks on Phaedra. "Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares" is a solo Edgar Froese song that uses some surprisingly emotive and affecting synthesizer washes, and "Movements of a Visionary" is a more experimental piece, using treated voices and whispers to drive its hypnotic arpeggios. Perhaps even more powerful as a musical landmark now than when it was first recorded, Phaedra has proven the test of time.

Makes me want to do yoga to it or get stoned and watch a lava lamp for hours

Young adults in Germany during the late 1960’s and early 70’s were in an incredibly tough spot: They were either born in the shadow of atrocity or at the end of its reign. Their country was split in two and many of the people in positions of power - parents, teachers, judges, etc - had either been silently complicit or willing participants in the horrors wrought by Nazism only two decades earlier. They were looking to escape their past, to create a new identity for themselves, for their country; an identity that didn’t borrow from the new world super powers, something unique to who they were as Germans in a post-World War II world. An identity that would say to the world, “we are not who our parents were.” Something that was new, something radical. When the place you were born is responsible for one of the most despicable acts in human history and the entire world knows it, where do you go to escape? Space. At least, that’s where the Germans went. Kosmische music (“cosmic music”) was the ultimate artistic expression of that desire for a new cultural identity. Using electronic instruments (sometimes in combination with traditional rock instrumentation, sometimes not), bands like Tangerine Dream, Can, Cluster, NEU!, Faust, Kraftwerk and others created a sound like nothing else in the world at the time: It was experimental and uncompromising, pushing the boundaries of what music was and could be. They experimented with noise, repetition, unconventional and extreme sounds to create an otherworldly ambience. It’s safe to say that they probably didn’t know how much they would change the world. They were only looking to forge a new identity for themselves, but they ended up providing a blueprint for the future of music. Phaedra, like many of the Kosmische records of the era, can be measured by the sheer amount of influence it had on the music that would follow it, which continues to this day, but that is not the whole story. This is music that, 50 years on, does not sound dated. In fact, it still sounds ahead of its time somehow, like it’s being beamed to us from the future. The German experimental music scene of the 1970’s is one worth delving into, not only because of its profound influence on modern music, but also as study of artistic expression: It’s not outside the realm of possibility that we will find ourselves in a similar situation to the German youth of the sixties and seventies one day. …and maybe that is why this music sounds as though it comes from a not-too-distant future. (Postscript: There is an excellent BBC documentary, “Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany”, that covers the German experimental music scene in great detail, which ended up being a source of inspiration while writing this review, along with my long time love of German experimental rock. You can find ”Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany” on YouTube.)

I feel anxious listening to this

Hot garbaggio

5.0 - Incredible. I feel like I'm strapped to a gurney, being transported to the mental ward of a massive spaceship.

When the first track started, I was reading some of the background information on Wikipedia. I saw the reviews and thought, no way. As a classical music lover, this both is and isn't my type of music. However, by the second track, I was hooked. And man, that second track was ethereal and gorgeous and captivating. I would not only work to this, but literally just sit in silence to this. Pleasantly surprised.

Spotify only had side two, and after listening - that was enough. Ok spacerock mood music. Good for a hospice or similar spot. ⭐️⭐️

apologies but this just stressed me outtttt

Very ethereal, not what I was expecting, made the last hour of work enjoyable. And it just went into another full Tangerine Dream Album without me noticing.

Can't dance to this, can you? Disturbing soundscape that pressages a fair amount of dark ambient. I bet this was cool back in the 1970s with a good set of headphones and a certain degree of, ah, refreshment

Not particularly surprised by the low score on this one. Many people would just call this avant-garde noise and move on. Maybe not entirely incorrect, I guess... But as someone who adores electronic music and is trying to get into ambient music, this is a beautiful album. I love how the soundscapes morph and transform through the pieces, I love how the synthesizers paint an environment that is simultaneously futuristic and natural. I don't care that the title track is 18 minutes long, it changes form so much through the course of the song, and I think it could probably be likened to a classical piece in some respects, with how it has quiet parts that crescendo and fade away. The remaining three songs are each shorter than the title track, the longest being nearly ten minutes and the shortest not much longer than two minutes. They are all just as sweeping, ambient and interesting as the title track, but I must say that I particularly loved Movements Of A Visionary for its arpegiated synth working with other synths and organs to paint one of the colder, darker pictures of the album, but it's cold and dark in very much the same way that space is. There's an especially weightless feeling to that track, and it makes it perhaps the most incredible ambient track I've ever heard. In some ways I can see how the synthesizers and oscillators of the day were more their own bespoke instruments rather than the sleek, computer-controlled, DAW-driven electronic tracks that form much of the popular music scene now. It was interesting to read and hear how the music would change and detune through the performance of Phaedra due to equipment warming up. It's genuinely interesting to me, reading about these kinds of hurdles and imperfections that artists had to deal with as the pioneers and trailblazers of new genres, styles and techniques. It really paid off though, because even fifty years on, this sounds just as wonderful and space-age as it must have done upon release. The more I read about Tangerine Dream, the more interesting it seems to get. While it's not particularly noteworthy that it's a band that has outlived its founder, it's interesting to see how many people have been part of the band since its inception in 1967. There's some "Ship of Theseus" discussions to be had about what makes a band a band, but it's great to see how it still exists, and I hope that Tangerine Dream can continue to live on in this way long into the future. They seem like the type of band to do that. Also it was interesting to see that Tangerine Dream helped compose the score for Grand Theft Auto V, but honestly it doesn't really surprise me. The OST was a masterpiece (Not even including the licensed tracks) and I firmly believe it is one of the greatest video game soundtracks of all time. It's pretty interesting to see that this was recorded in a village barely 10 miles away from me. What happened, Oxfordshire? There used to be so many studios... It's an interesting link to a city I saw while I was still too young to understand and appreciate it. Someday I'll go back to Berlin to immerse myself properly into this scene. Gorgeous, gorgeous album. I'll definitely be looking more into Tangerine Dream's impressive discography after this one. Favourite: Movements Of A Visionary

My life became a loading screen that was stuck for around 40 minutes.

A truly beautiful piece of work. I can't believe this is from 1974. The title track is the real obvious highlight here, but the 3 tracks after it all hold their own, if not as grand as "Phaedra". Love the interesting sounds and textures of this album

I'm pretty amazed that this was produced only six weeks after getting a new modular Moog setup. I'd still be trying to get a fucking sine tone out, let alone have mastered the sequencer. Classic precursor to Berlin School electronica, capturing an incredible sense of cloudy space. (With phasing!)

It's hard to have much to say about some of this early electronic work, but I certainly enjoy it. Tangerine Dream shares some similarities with Kraftwerk in terms of their use of synthesizers and sequencers, but this feels much more spacey and ambient than anything from Kraftwerk. It's progressive, but there's always something interesting happening. There's a lot of music that came after this album that was clearly influenced by it 4/5

"Otherworldly space-travel escape dream synth trance music with no lyrics is my jam." I lifted this from another review and it describes how I feel exactly. A lot of my music listening has been Moog based Kosmische Musik this year. This album is fantastic.

Very cool overall. I love the ethereal soundscape nature of it, and it’s crazy how popular this has gotten both given its style and also only through word of mouth. It’s definitely not a regular rotation album but it is very good.

The first time a space rock felt more space than rock, and I loved it.

that was fantastic - and well ahead of its time. dreamy and ethereal - i loved it

Probably my favorite Tangerine Dream album. The introduction of the sequencers gives their sound more rhythm to sink your teeth into while still retaining a good amount of ambient atmosphere throughout. Absolutely love headphone rides like this in the dark. Blows my mind that this was top 20 in UK and top 200 in US at the time. Would love to jam in this more abstract way. Shifting in and out of movements. You can see why their sound lent itself to soundtrack work, very cinematic.

Not sure I understand why this is THE Tangerine Dream album. I can't find anything resembling melody, I prefer Cyclone and Stratosphere 2.5 🌟

This album sounds like an ancient, frozen, alien hell. Fantastic.

for starters; a lot of people don’t seem to realise the link to spotify is wrong and only shows two tracks on side B, making it 10 mins short. go to the deluxe version and the first four tracks is the actual full album. so the album; i Love this. def listen on a good pair of headphones. it massages my brain so nicely. i love ambient music in general and i’m very impressed they managed to create this back in 1973. in the same year they started recording the album, they purchased a moog that originally came from The Rolling Stones. so they had to learn how this worked in a short while before deciding to record. idk, it’s all very interesting reading about the process of this record. and the influence it had on the genre in the years to come. i wouldn’t listen to this without headphones as it probably won’t achieve the same nice brain massage. fave track is the 17 min title track. it’s simply Amazing. a low 5.

Just the kind of Echos-like fever dream I love. I should have been listening to this for decades already. 4.5/5

insane pull to be blazed for first listen

I want to trip to this

At last, an album that definitely and without doubt deserves it's place here. This should certainly be in the top 50 albums of all time. Rubycon should probably be here too.

Never heard anything like this. Obviously has to be listened to in a certain situation or it doesn't work, but this hit me at the exact right time

Ambient, elevated.

One of those classics that is impressive for it's time, easy to listen to intently or passively and hugely influential. That being said, my personal taste is that they got better from this point forward. Hyperborea and Rubycon being superior records. However, no DAW and they made something this futuristic sounding? Without them no progressive electronic? wild.

I sat and listened in a trance like state, mesmerized by the wayfaring, mysterious, alluring and hypnotic music. The oscillating, serpentine, space-age keyboard sounds are fascinatingly beguiling, sounding futuristic and antiquated at the same time. Put simply, it's a delight that takes me to another time and another place.

I enjoyed this so much as soon as it finished I started it again so I could hear more

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. It does this thing where it lets you drift in your thoughts until BAM it sucks you back. I love it. I wish it were longer. Though that is more likely the fact I heard it on a weekend. If it were a weekday, I may have thought it was the perfect length.

BEST SONGS: - Phaedra - Sequent 'C'

Never listened to this kind of electronic before - interesting “celestial”, but with a certain force and drive

Loved this. Ship me off to another galaxy, I’m ready 🌌🪐

Zeit and Rubycon are better than this for sure

I love Tangerine Dream! Perfect trip music to relax to.i listened to it at least 1000 of times.

My first time listening to Tangerine Dream was like the musical version of taking random research chemicals. I did not know what to expect but I was blown away. Coming into this album, I knew what to expect. I wouldn't call their albums 'albums' per se but a soundscape to a really funky daydream you're about to have. It makes sense that these guys do soundtracks because they know how to set the stage for a story with their music. Phaedra is no different, to me this is like sitting down and watching a sci-fi movie in my head, I absolutely love it. Tangerine Dream composed and performed probably my favourite movie soundtracks of all time for (probably my favourite movie) Michael Mann's 1981 debut feature film Thief. It was nominated a razzie for worst movie soundtrack. The group were maligned at the time and reading the global reviews here are still maligned. I can understand not enjoying this type of music, but for me this is my jam. Highlights: All

These are some harsh reviews for such an incredible album. Tangerine Dream were at the cutting edge of electronic music and the German rock scene that would strive to reject tradition wherever possible. They looked to avant-garde and academic circles to see what else was possible. But calling this academic-inspired electronic music doesn't do it justice. It's the post-war uncertainty and bleakness that comes through, and probably more so than from the likes of Kraftwerk or Can. Tangerine Dream were facing the future with a sense of fear but unwilling to look back. You hear it in the very rich ambient soundscapes of this album. Unlike Eno's ambient that could be listened to or ignored, "Phaedra" sounds like it wants to invade your dreams. The Moog synthesizer is on full display here, and pushed to the absolute limits of the technology available at rhe time. Tangerine Dream would spend three hours a day getting the sound just right, followed by 12 hours of recording, pushing themselves to the limit as well. The synthesizers would overheat and the change in pitch would cause the music to warble in real time. Today, you could easily pre-set a synthesizer to cut back a lot of work. However, the limitations are what makes the album uniquely human and eerie. This is the stuff of very strange dreams and alien landscapes. It's beautiful and really holds up well today.

Unlike any electronic music I’ve ever heard. A beautiful dream forever beyond one’s grasp.

Otherworldly space-travel escape dream synth trance music with no lyrics is my jam. I can see how people might hate this but I could live in this album. Headphones are mandatory. Debated whether giving this a 5 is consistent for me but knowing this is and will be a go-to for background/backdrop is enough. Memo to myself: even though it probably should...not everything has to be in 7/4 time. 9/10 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this album for being an early electronic music album. This album actually felt like it got the Odyssey feeling it was going for rather than just being a series of disconnected beeps and boops. I joked with my wife that this album sounds like someone trying to both make music and make love with a Pac-Man arcade cabinet at the same time. I would definitely consider listening to this one again even if it was just his background noise.

Artsy people on this site will have sophisticated opinions about this album. I’ll roll my eyes as I read them and then throw on some more Billy Joel.

The entire time I was waiting for the intro to end. It's not bad though, I feel like I'm in a movie soundtrack. Funny enough, I prefer the parts without electronica instruments in this album.

A haiku: Whoo-hoo, the Germans! Laid the land for this music I’m … a little bored

A little bit of a nothing playlist, it was just a bunch of sounds, not even LoFi, but just things happening as if they're on a very microscopic level. It was pretty much the same, but overall a bit meh.

When I found out this was German, I thought “Yeah, that tracks.”

Not for me

Ugh. Electronica.

At best, its incidental / background music on a low budget 70s scifi. Tangerine Dream have done some good stuff, but this is not one of them.

0,3/5

Rating: 0.9 This sounded like a group of room temperature IQ aliens released a mixtape and one of the unsold copies plummeted to Earth.

Why?

Hard pass

In 1974 this was genuinely something new. But it all lacks power, movement, music. No, this is too little

I feel like I really need to be in the right headspace to listen to this one. I know of Tangerine Dream work that I actually don’t mind, but this didn’t hit for me. Also not sure if we listened to the right album, as the one that came up was only the 2 tracks, but I definitely like the eery elements of these tracks.

I hate Trance music I hate anjunabeats. i CANT STAND THIS EVEN IF IT IS ELECTRONIC COULD NOT FINISH AND DID NOT CARE

So this is where all the massage music emanated from.

Woah

Massive breakthrough album for Tangerine Dream on Virgin Records at around the same time as Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. This is the first of theirs to not feel entirely harsh and spacey and have a little semblance of softness and melody. Side-long opener title track is a mini-masterpiece, very ambient, wonderful, proggy, psycheldic and serene before it glides into a siren-blaring space station meltdown situation. Second side is sketchier and not quite as magisterial but overall still a class work.

This is a without X, you wouldn't have A, B, C album, where A, B and C are equally fantastic.

A whole world of sound.

Hey this was great! Even though I had to search it out on YouTube I really enjoyed it. Great moody synth stuff

Bweep, fwip, wooooo, waaaa, weeeee, ah ah ah ah, szzzzz, zeep! Really phenomenal stuff I want to listen to this in the cube at Virginia tech I need full immersion this is so good. Definitely a correct vibe album or it’s a complete miss but playing Superliminal and listening to this was the correct one.

Super synthy. Loved it.

I always thought this was some kind of second-tier 60s jam band. I must have been mixing them up with a similarly fruit-titled band. Moby Grape? Anyway. This is great. In fact this kind of music is literally the soundtrack of 1980s B-movies which is my shit. Their wikipedia page is way more complex than I ever would have imagined. 127 albums and several dozen members. May 18, 2025 is the day I finally understood Tangerine Dream.

Really incredible synth soundscapes on this record

very strange listen but enjoyable listening on drugs would be wacky crazy time this came out in the 70s holy moly , devil work

Pioneering synth work results in cosmic music. Grossartig, visionary, scary and beautiful.

Not mad about this one. Would listen to this one again for sure. Just non stop instrumental gold

Plays like a sci-fi horror film soundtrack both disarming and engaging.

An equation: Throbbing Gristle + Actual Talent - Throbbing Headache - Butane Huffing = Tangerine Dream (at least this record). Plus brownie points for working on GTA V. Never heard of these guys before outside of their work on GTA V (which was great). The more I got through this record the more I enjoyed it. Fuck me, what an album. I was engaged the whole way through. I kind of got sad as I got towards the end of this, I didn't want it to stop. Something about this record just itches a part of my brain I didn't know I needed scratched. Crazy to think this came out in 1974, sounds like something you'd hear in a horror video game from 2010. Definitely not something that meshes with today's ADHD riddled society. Munch on a few dexies before jumping into this one and you'll have a good time.

Automatic 5, it's just blissfully delicious for my ears.

This stuff is catnip to me - there are whole genres of weirdness spawned from here, and I love almost all of them. A resounding YES to scifi background music! 🚀👽🛸 Fave track - "Phaedra" let's say, but you may as well listen to the whole thing!

Love it! I’ve never heard it before, but I really liked it. Would recommend if you like ambient music.

Incredibly calming. I can listen to this all day.

It was a bit difficult to find the album on Spotify. The link on the website led to a shortened version. In my search for alternative versions on other albums, I luckily came across the deluxe version. After reading the first comments, I was a little skeptical. I love Krautrock. Back then, groundbreaking things were created in Germany. But even for me, some of the genre's aberrations are too weird and I can hardly follow them. It wasn't like that with this album. Even though Klaus Schulze hasn't been a member of Tangerine Dream for 5 years, the music still sounds very much like him. Or is it the other way around? In any case, I'm glad to have come across the album as part of this project. 5/5

Das Album oszilliert zwischen verschiedenen Rhythmen, Taktarten, Tonarten: Beinahe arhythmische abgespacete flächige Synthesizer-Klangteppiche wandeln sich zu schnellen elektronischen Rhythmen. Von einer Tonart glissandieren sie in eine andere und plötzlich wandelt sich die Musik zu tonlosen Geräuschen, von denen man nicht weiss, ob sie verzogene menschliche Stimmen, Atemgeräusche oder Naturklänge wie Vogelzwitschern oder das Rauschen eines Flusses sind. Die neuen Motive, Rhythmen und Klänge schleichen sich immer unbemerkt in die Musik und steigern sich so lange, bis sie selbst der Klangteppich sind, in den sich neue Motive schleichen. Sehr spannend zum Zuhören.

kinda cool

I love this style of music. I could listen to this forever.

It kinda bums me a bit that electronica has ended up being such a low rated genre for me. I mean, before yesterday, before I gave PSYCHOCANDY a 1, it was number three in my bottom three genres. Only post-punk and (surprisingly) world music beat it out. And it just gets me because that's not even remotely close to how I feel about electronic music. I love it a lot, actually! Like, yeah, of course there's Daft Punk, but I also have a good love for Moog music and a lot of synthesizer work and electronic ambient soundscapes... I'm all for all of that kinda stuff. I suppose I've just been getting too many bad draws: those drum n' bass albums, MAXINQUAYE, FEVER RAY, KALA... All boring albums (or annoying, in KALA's case) that I couldn't help but give a 2 or lower, really bringing the average down against the fewer 5's I've given to Fatboy Slim and AUTOBAHN... I just don't find it entirely fair to 'em, y'know? So, y'know, I thank the powers above that this album isn't another bad draw. This album consists of long, ambient, space-y excursions, and oh, I mess with it so hard. Just lying back on this soft bed of stars and letting these beautiful sounds carry me across the cosmos to wherever they may. Believe me, it's absolutely not for people who want things to... Y'know, happen. To my ears, it's an album for relaxing. Letting these sounds fill up your mind, pushing out all the bad stuff in the process. Close your eyes and don't even think. Just let the sound envelope you; wrap you up tight. And more new age meditation jumbo like that. But you get what I'm talking about — that's just what this album means to and does for me. It's music I'd put on to calm down or focus. And in that lane, jeez, not since I heard the music Brian Eno did for airports. So, hooray, another 5 for an electronica album. The average goes back up and the genre gets further away from where it doesn't belong. Not that placement or averages really matter, anyway. Like I said, they don't reflect how I truly feel about electronica. And certainly, the 3.47 it currently has doesn't reflect how I feel about this album at all. All I need to do is turn off my mind, relax, and float down stream. 'Coz these numbers — they're all in the mind, y'know. They're nothing to get hung about, and nothing's gonna change my views about electronic music. (Lotta random Beatles quotes at the end there, goodness. Point is: this is a 5. Big recommendation if you're like me and love ambient music. I'd've maybe hoped for a spookier album to end October with, but, hey, I can't complain about what my group was given.)

I’m at a 5. I mean, listen; if we’re weighing 5’s next to each other, this is at the low end of the 5’s I’ve given. It’s not doing anything so deeply impressive to actually put it up next to, say, Nevermind by Nirvana or Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. It’s a 5 on its own merits, for its genre, and for my experience with it. I just really fucking enjoyed this. Yes, one may disparage this as “beep boop music”, but I think it’s more than that – maybe it’s just because I’m a big sci-fi head, but I haven’t really heard an electronica soundscape so deeply capture the feeling of adventure, mystery, and ambience in this specific style so efficiently and effectively. I’m not saying this is easy to make, but it does a lot without really using up too much; a lot of what’s here is based in simple windy synths, panning tricks, volume tricks to add the illusion of depth, and the occasional Moog melody distorted to hell and back. It’s a really fast 37 minutes, despite how slow it felt in the moment. I walked around while listening to this album, and even my walking just felt more deliberate, more focused; it could’ve been because of how attentive I was to the soundscape, but I’d like to imagine it’s because it just felt more like space to me, with that sense of adventure really getting into my brain and actively working. It’s an album that’s deeply, deeply enhanced with headphones in, and it’s enhanced even further if you close your eyes – it’s an audio journey, and for me, about as effective as an ASMR video might be in terms of eliciting a specific feeling. Hell, ASMR just barely works for me, but this really fucking worked for me, so it might be even better for someone else. I thought it was a beautifully crafted set of compositions, and I can feel this album’s general influence on so much of modern ambient music. Not quite to the degree of, say, an Eno album, but something relatively close. It’s an enjoyable 5 if you let yourself melt into the soundscape – it’s certainly no less than a 3, at the very worst.

🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊

I simultaneously love and hate the term 'Krautrock' Mostly because it has very little meaning and it's a fun word to say. This is an album you'd listen to while standing in line for a vintage space-themed rollercoaster that runs in the dark. Or, also the soundtrack you'd hear while lying face-up in a salt-bath surrounded by expansive darkness.

An ambient electronic album, with a fair amount of structure. A very pleasant listen.

exceptional

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. I love it! Spacey, surreal, alien, and experimental instrumentals. Sci-fi/Horror movie soundtrack kinda vibe. Spent most of my life passing on this thinking it was adult contemporary yoga-mom stuff.

Incredible. Exciting, important, cosmic, futuristic… Highly recommended.

To really understand the impact of this album and this group is a mix of you-had-to-be-there and you-have-to-listen-to-a-ton-of-electronica (and a few other things). It helps a lot that the album is akin to a cloud gently letting sunbeams through.

5/5

Nice ambient

Really nice album. Nice atmospheric sound.

Durante minha escuta ao álbum entrei num profundo estado de concentração e de meditação, tive vontade de não fazer mais nada a não ser olhar para nada enquanto espero os 17 minutos e 39 segundos da primeira música passar. Também senti calma e ansiedade em diferentes momentos do álbum, mas nunca fiquei entediado ou irritado. É uma experiência sonora. Talvez não seja o artista que mais vou ouvir, mas definitivamente toda vez que ouvir será uma experiência marcante no dia.

This was an AMAZING experience. At first I was having trouble with it, and then it just clicked. Absolutely fantastic. 5 stars.

Ambient mellotron music? I’m a fan!

Truly an innovative band. Love that old-school synth sound, they create some gorgeous landscapes on here, just takes you away and before you know it the whole thing is already over. Ambient stuff like this isn't everyone's thing for sure, but when you can start to enjoy music like this, it hits a spot nothing else does.

Great meditating music