Peter Mergener & Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock

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Traumhafte Reise durch eine ferne Welt

Asien, ein Kontinent voller Geheimnisse und Inspirationen. Wer denkt da nicht an weite faszinierende Landschaften, Glauben und an Klänge. Nach Sehnsucht der Ferne...

Auf seiner neuen CD "Visions of Asia" präsentiert Elektronikmagier Peter Mergener einen neuen Stil seines musikalischen Schaffens, der sich in den letzten Jahren immer mehr herauskristallisiert: Inspirationen durch asiatische Klänge, schwebend, einfühlsam, beruhigend, im Einklang mit der Natur. Eine faszinierende Reise durch den geheimnisvollen Kontinent, die er gemeinsam mit keinem geringeren als Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock (Mind over Matter) antritt. Eine sehr gelungene Zusammenarbeit in diesem Album, die übrigens nicht die erste ist: seine faszinierenden Gitarrensounds offenbarte Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock auch schon auf Peters Album "Creatures Part II" (Let there be more light) in "Wildlife".

Für mich ist "Visions of Asia" eine sehr gelungene Symbiose der musikalischen Richtungen der beiden Musiker, wo man auf weitere gemeinsame Projekte gespannt sein darf.

Sterngucker

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'Visions of Asia' - das erste gemeinsame Album der beiden EM-Pioniere Peter Mergener und Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock ist das Beste, was ich seit langem gehört habe. Was 1987 mit dem Titel "Spacelab" begann, findet nun endlich mit dem Album 'Visions of Asia' seine Vollendung! Ich kann mir kaum ein besseres Weihnachtsgeschenk wünschen. Peter und Klaus ergänzen sich prächtig. Man merkt hier auch so richtig, dass nicht nur musikalisch die Chemie bei den beiden Ausnahmekönnern stimmt.

Durch seine unverwechselbare Art Spaceguitar und besonders E-Sitar zu spielen, verleiht der "kosmische Klaus" Peters traumhafter Musik einen asiatischen Touch. Das Mellotron tut dann noch sein Übriges, Peters ohnehin schon fantastisch ausgetüftelte Songs mit asiatischem Duft zu würzen. Wer jetzt immer noch keine Visionen von Asien hat, der sollte sich schleunigst sputen.

Diese wohltuenden, warmen Klänge der beiden ersticken ganz schnell jede aufkommende Herbst-Depression schon im Keim. 'Visions of Asia' ist eine Platte, die ganz tief in meine Seele dringt. Dafür danke ich Peter & Klaus aufs Herzlichste! - Und mit "Dreams Of Tibet" (2. Anspieltipp neben "Waterchimes") gibt es noch einmal so richtig Wellness für die Sinne.

Sylvia Sommerfeld SCHALLDRUCK (D) Nr.31 1/2007

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Collectors of the works of Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock, who releases albums under his own name but also as Mind over Matter (MoM) and Cosmic Hoffmann, will rejoice as he has released a new album in late 2006. Fans of Klaus' music basically have little worries, as his releases are of a constant high quality. But also quantity-wise his fans have nothing to complain: in the years 2004-2006 Klaus released three albums: the amazing MoM-album On the Wings of the Wind, the MoM compilation Indian Meditation and the Cosmic Hoffmann CD Electric Trick.

The new release unites Klaus with another legendary musician of electronic music, Peter Mergener. Multi-instrumentalist Peter, who has released more than thirty albums, was the one who in 1986 advised IC label manager Michael Weisser to sign Klaus. In 1987 IC released MoM's Music for Paradise, the first of a series of breathtaking albums full of electric guitar, Mellotron and sitar. The rest is e-music history. We have every reason to be grateful to Peter.

On only a few occasions Klaus and Peter worked together: Peter played keyboards on Spacelab (on the 1990 MoM album Trance 'n Dance) and Klaus added guitar to Peter's track Wildlife (on his 1994 album Let There Be More Light). But now a full album is released under the title Visions of Asia. It consists of seven basic tracks composed by Peter that were "spiced up with an Asiatic flavour" by Klaus. The result of this very interesting experiment is a fine album that I can recommend to lovers of e-music everywhere.

Perry Moree (NL) 1/2007

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Peter Mergener will be known to many as both a solo EM artist and also long time member of the band 'Software'. Last encountered with his solo chil- out album 'Lounge Control' Peter has now teamed up again with Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock, aka 'Mind Over Matter'; this time to create an album combining rhythm and melody with Asian elements.
It's appropriate to have Asian motifs used in a modern way since many parts of Asia have become industrialized and no longer conform to images of an exotic rural orient. Indeed, the first track "Cinnamon" though beginning with lovely synth chords and plucked string effects soon bursts into a rhythmic groove of beats and tambourine. A searing fluty effect which veers in and out of a squiggly demeanour slides around the soundscape amid the rhythm and melody. It's like we're being taken on an aerial journey over a bustling city with the old world it developed from visible on the fringes.
On this enjoyable album the piece "Waterchimes" stands out. Delicate bird song and running water opens up to a delightful melody played on chiming notes. An up-tempo shuffling rhythm comes in against which a high pitched flute effect and angelic chorals deliver a soaring melody reminiscent of 'Software' and full of yearning as though reaching for something beyond the ordinary world.
Hidden among the rhythmic pieces is the especially atmospheric track "Devda". Here calming water brushes across the soundscape while assorted Asian instrument styles including electric sitar and plucked string glissandos paint a scene of sacred ritual. A voice speaking in a far off language is heard now and again like we're witnessing a prayer or meditation.
'Visions of Asia' is a successful blend of EM and hints of ambient with exotic Asian flavoring, plus a bit of nostalgia when aspects of the 'Software' sound are spotted. It's easy to close your eyes and let the music take one to far away places.
Highly recommended.

Dene Bebbington

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Die beiden Musiker Peter Mergener und Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock sind bereits feste Größen in der elektronischen Musik. Peter hat solo eine ganze Reihe Alben veröffentlicht und war lange Zeit der kreative Pol in dem Projekt 'Software', während Klaus mit seinem Bandprojekt 'Mind Over Matter' sowie als 'Cosmic Hoffmann' vielbeachtete Veröffentlichungen herausbrachte. Beide haben eine große Anhängerschaft in der Szene und bringen nun mit 'Visions Of Asia' ihre erste gemeinsame Produktion heraus.

Ich war sehr gespannt, was die beiden da gemeinsam entwickelt haben, doch schon beim Hören der ersten Titel hatte ich eher das Gefühl, dass hier Stücke der beiden kombiniert wurden. Während "Cinnamon" mit Mellotronsounds, chinesischen Klängen und einem sehr schönen Rhythmus mit herrlicher Melodienlinie die CD eröffnet und auch der letzte Track "Visions Of China" nach einer Kollaboration Mergener/Hoffmann-Hoock klingen, hören sich die restlichen fünf Tracks eher nach Solostücken der beiden an.

Bei den sehr atmosphärischen Tracks "Road To Mandalay", inkl. toller E-Gitarre, und "Devda" hört man deutlich den Stil von Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock, während "Waterchimes", "Dreams Of Tibet" und "Shakti" eindeutig Peters Handschrift aufzeigen. Das sehr rhythmische "Shakti", mit dem ich einen Ritt auf einem Kamel durch eine orientalische Landschaft assoziiere, klingt wie ein Stück aus Peters "Creatures"- oder "Flight Off"-Sessions.

Vor allem Klaus' Stücke enthalten eine Menge an asiatischem Flair. Kein Wunder, reiste Klaus doch diverse Male in diese Region und bot auf seinen 'Mind Over Matter'-Alben immer eine gewisse asiatische Komponente. Abwechslung bietet vor allem der Wechsel zwischen sehr atmosphärischen und recht rhythmischen Tracks, die eine tolle musikalische Reise ins Land der Mitte darstellen, auch wenn die Stücke, die Peter komponiert zu haben scheint, nicht unbedingt asiatisch klingen.Zwar hatte ich mir anfänglich mehr von der Kollaboration Mergener/Hoffmann-Hoock versprochen, aber bei mehrfachem Hören scheinen die Parts beider Musiker in den einzelnen Titeln mehr und mehr durch.

"Visions Of Asia" ist eine sehr gelungene CD mit Songs, bei denen jeweils einer der beiden Musiker die Oberhand hat. Fans dieser Musiker wird diese CD in jedem Fall ansprechen, mir jedenfalls gefällt sie.

Stephan Schelle, November 2006

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This release from 2006 offers 53 minutes of seductive electronic music. As one would expect, this music is highly flavored with Far Eastern influences, resulting in a tender, exotic sound that is pastoral with pleasantly bright colors. The electronics shimmer with high altitude resonance, laced with fluty strains that wander from shrill expressions to understated seasonings. Chiming notes sparkle like reflections on an expansive lake of crystalline tonalities. The textural flow is often sedate and congenial, establishing an airy disposition that oscillates with comfortable intentions. Keyboard chords chug and sway along with fragile demeanor, producing riffs that generate a lavish terrain beneath a sky of idyllic temperament.

Percussion plays a vital but softly defined role in this music. Rhythms are sultry and often bouncy, but often gentle in their presence. Conventional beats blend with synthetic tempos to achieve a well-rounded platform of affable locomotion. For certain tracks, the percussion adopts a stronger Far Eastern character, lazily defining rhythms that exude a mountaintop mien. One piece displays more lively tempos of almost techno proportion.

Space guitar provides a celestial punctuation for one track, lifting the peaceful tune to an exalted dignity. Other pieces are seasoned by lilting harp strings that infuse the harmonic atmosphere with a delicate majesty.

The compositions are slick and charming, evoking distant lands thick with exotic flavor. Many of the tracks possess a calming quality despite their complex structure, applying their dreamy melodies to inspire a sense of epic scope.

Matt Howarth 'Sonic Curiosity' 2007

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I have to confess that although I had heard of both musicians, I hadn't heard any of their music, so I didn't really know what to expect. The CD's title might have you thinking that is some sort of New Age stuff, but what I heard was an excellent collage of electronic sounds that were as far removed from the "New Age" tag as can be possible. To coin a completely new phrase, I'd be inclined to call it "muscular Ambient"!!
'Cinnamon' is a great start. With a much fuller sound than I had expected this has great synth work, percussive effects and some electronically treated guitar, to produce a starter that will have you literally gasping for more. Fantastic.

Next up is 'Waterchimes', and somehow, and if anything, this is even better. Bird sounds and what appears to be a glockenspiel had me initially thinking of Kitaro, before a wonderful sequencer pattern kicks in, and I was in seventh heaven. Brilliant stuff.

The 'Road to Mandalay' starts off promisingly with some drone like effects, so quiet they can barely be heard. Some wordless vocals are then being sung around a percussive beat, before a guitar kicks in, and whilst I am not keen on guitar-driven EM, the rhythm keeps things moving so at that point it's not too distracting. The pace then picks up and the guitar becomes more prominent, and a long wailing solo takes us to the end. Not my cup of tea unfortunately, but it is well done, and I can see that for some this is going to be their favourite track.

For me 'Dreams of Tibet' is much better. A deep bass drone gets us underway, with electronic effects before a processed "gamelan" like sound creates a rhythm of sorts, around which more electronic effects and occasional washes of Kitaro - like synths intervene and this is really great stuff. The length of the track - at almost 10 minutes - gives it time to breathe and develop, and I am mightily impressed.

'Devda' is next. Sounds of water, more electronic effects and a very Steve Roach-like synth give way initially to a piano. There is someone talking too, very high in the mix but I cannot make out the words, and an occasional sitar. Strange.

'Shakti' is more orthodox and couldn't be more different. A very jaunty Peter Baumann-like rhythm (think of 'Biking Up The Strand' from 'Trans Harmonic Nights') dominates the piece, with some excellent sequencer work kicking in around the three minute mark, and whilst it sounds vaguely technoish, it doesn't half get those feet tapping!

Last up is 'Visions of China'. More piano coming out of an electronic fog, before it settles down into a nice rhythmic piece that I thought sounded for all the world like something by Johannes Schmoelling. I could have done with this track being a few minutes longer.

I like this CD a great deal and I am sure that it will be a big seller.

SJS / GB 2006

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Peter Mergener and Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock are two pioneers of the German EM. In 1989 Mergener, then member of SOFTWARE with Michael Weisser, participated on MIND OVER MATTER's third opus "Trance 'n' Dance". Since then they collaborated on several musical projects. Knowing Klaus' immense passion for the Asian culture, Peter asked him to take part in this project, bringing in his musical vision.

A light violin string layer paves the road to a Chinese koto, which grips its chords with skill, and a superb fluty Mellotron with the Asia spirits. Early, sober percussions give a light rhythm in a ballad style to 'Cinnamon' which coos on a beautiful bass movement. Circular and hardly hatched, the tempo is wrapped of a harmonious sound richness. A dense synth solos to the miles gimlets, spiralled harp and a small refrain to Chinese koto which comes to haunt us, leaving a sound scar after each passage.

Rung water pearls open 'Waterchimes': a harmonious carousel, where notes with the limpid stamps charm as much as the echo of the breaths of the sirens. The movement moults with infinite softness, traced by a magic flute on a movement slightly hopping, which clothes off its most beautiful harmonious layers.

The hypnotically slow tempo of 'Road to Mandalay' brings us more close to a tribal civilization. The Mellotron and the guitar float in a desert environment where short moanings in the intro are heard. The rhythm becomes more accentuated on heavy layers which fly lasciviously. The tempo accelerates to fall under the lightning of Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock's powerful guitar's solos. Ouf! What a solo! You would believe yourself in the beautiful psychedelic area of MIND OVER MATTER. 'Road to Mandalay' is impossible to circumvent for all fans of Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock.

If 'Road to Mandalay' is a title very close to the MOM style, 'Dreams of Tibet' is very into Peter Mergener's mood. An intro with space atmospheres that is transformed into a cosmic carousel that floats among moving layers to delicious Mellotron harmonies. A beautiful title of an infinite tenderness which recalls Mergener's first works.

'Devda' is a beautiful electronic Hindu canticle with electronic sitar. 'Shakti' continues this short incursion in wandering territory on tribal percussions which lose their ancestral emanations to marry a more up-beat tempo. A strange layer divides the atmosphere in two, to make 'Shakti' rock in a more modern era, by a hatched sequencer and corrosive sound effects, on a rhythm bordering the soft techno.

'Visions of China' finishes this fabulous voyage with an atmospheric intro which initiates a rotary impulse on percussions and notes with strong Chinese essence. Slamming, the percussions increase a circular rhythm, cherished by a Mellotron with nostalgic harmonies.

'Visions of Asia' is a big opus. Mergener and Hoffmann-Hoock succeeded in writing seven stories of a sculptural beauty full of superb atmospheric cosmic melodies, from time to time fairy-like and astral. 'Visions of Asia' is an auditory symbiosis of a great creation where the sensitivity flirts with nostalgia: great art, classical EM music by two legends that pushed the limits of the creativity beyond the assets and beyond their reputations.

'Visions of Asia' is certainly one of the good albums of EM in 2006. I hope simply that we would not have to wait another twenty years before hearing of collaboration from Mergener & Hoffmann-Hoock.

Sylvain Lupari Québec, Canada 12/2006
"Guts Of Darkness"