Robert Schroeder: Returns to his "D.MO" days
One of the key figures of German Electronic music, Robert Schröder, has opened his vaults for a second time. „D.MO Vol. 2“ contains yet more tracks from his archives, covering the period between 1980 and 1983 and returning to the very first years of his career. „D.MO Vol. 2“ contains a total of 70 minutes of previously unreleased music all based on his recognisable style of groovy analog sequencer patterns, tender and hypnotic chord progressions and circling melodies. Both sides of the work of Robert Schröder are coming to the fore on this collection: While a piece like „SpringTime“ displays his sensitive, almost naive side, the floating beats of „Analogue Vibes“ are of a dark and dreamy nature, „cosmic“ in the best sense of the word and with both feet firmly on the ground: Even though he has regularly spilt his guts on the detrimental influence of Djs on the music scene (something he has now come to terms with), Robert Schröder's music has always had a rhythmic foundation, which set him apart from the often more clinical and cerebral outings of some of his compatriots – and which even saw one of his tracks being launched as a Vinyl single intended for Discos in the 80s. „D.MO Vol. 2“ (on Spheric Music) now revisits these times on eleven compositions and is both a present for the „fans of the old days“ and for anyone interested in a representative summary of his early years.
All of the pieces on „D.MO. Vol. 2“ were recorded at Robert Schroeder's studio in Aachen. What has ended up on the record is as close to the original tapes as possible, with merely an effect or two thrown in for good measure or to supplement a missing part. The specific sound of the album relies on a combination of gear typical of the era and custom-made devices, as Robert Schroeder explains: „The music was partly played and recorded with self built equipment and partly with industrially manufactured devices. We attained the clear and very dynamic sound of production by using a self-built 24-channel-Mixer. In addition, various self-built Synthesizers were used, preferentially for expirations of sequences. The drums were played with the EMU Drumulator and the Sequencial Drumtraks. The remaining sounds come from the PPG Wave-2, Multimoog, Minimoog, Juno60 and Roland Vocoder 350.“
While they are still held in disregard by most music critics, the 80s were a good time for Robert Schroeder. During this decade, he released some of his personal classics and scored a Billboards chart hit with his Double Fantasy project and the album „Food for Fantasy“.
Homepage: Spheric Music Records
Homepage: Robert Schröder
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