This is a double album re-issue and remix of Harald Grosskopfs 1984 album Oceanheart that was originally released on Sky records. Originally recorded on a Tascam 8-track and mastered on Betamax this is for anyone looking for some chilled-out synth background music from an absolute Krautrock legend.
The album opens with Eve On The Hill a 10 minute plus piece of ambient wallpaper that blends seamlessly into background music as it slowly evolves around a repeating synth figure with some drums eventually coming to the forefront to wake things up a bit.
While I'm Walking takes a very steady slow beat with layers of synths over the top of it as if you're slowly walking through the Tiergarten enjoying the trees and statues.
Oceanheart takes us on a trip to the aquarium with underwater sounds to watch Jacques Couteau diving too, as you see the shoals of fish weaving through the water, this is extremely calming.
Coming Out is the most upbeat dance-oriented tune on the album as if Harald was making the music for a fabulous coming out party and this would be played before all the Hazel Dean Hi-Nrg disco to warm things up.
Pondicherry Dream opens with some tablas that then have the synths layered over them, giving this a chilled-out raga feel as the synths seem to be playing the reveille or a similar bugle call.
The original album closes with the almost 11 minute long Minimal Boogie that revolves around a simple piano motif that the synths accentuate with tambourines adding some texture.
The second album Ocean revisited opens with Eve On The Hill that adds a dancefloor beat to the original and edits it down to 8 minutes long, the dance beat elevates the tune so that it's not quite as wallpaper like as on the original album.
While I'm Walking feels a little speeded up, as some vocals have been added this is far brisker than the original as the spacey noises come and go this is more effective.
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Oceanheart again takes us deep underwater and with long tone whale sounds echoing through the mix as this feels like you are exploring in a mini submarine.
Coming out pulsates while taking us to different states of imagining in the outer space ether, feeling more gloriously upbeat with a good camp edge.
Pondicherry dream sadly has mixed the tablas out of it making it the one tune on the Remix album that sounds worse than the original, as the Indian flavor has gone and this is now just a techno backdrop until quite late in the track when the tablas finally come to the fore, but I still prefer the original version of this tune.
The album closes with Minimal Boogie that this time has skittery percussion and phaser gun sounds over the insistent beat and repeating synth motif making this sound like a late night driving tune.
Find out more at https://shop.tapeterecords.com/harald-grosskopf-oceanheart-ltd.-deluxe-edition-3817 https://www.facebook.com/Krauthesist
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