Short Reviews [Soniq Theater - 2024 - "Solar Winds"]

Back in 1996 WMMS released the debut album by Rachel’s Birthday, ‘An Invitation To’, and I remember reviewing it at the time. This was by a full band, and then four years later their keyboard player. Alfred Mueller, released his debut solo album the under the name Soniq Theater. He halved the time for his second, releasing that in 2002, and every single year since he has released a brand new album on January 1st, making this his 24th solo release. That is quite an achievement for anyone, especially when working totally solo with very little outside assistance (there have been guests on a few tracks in the past but they are few and far between), and here he is back with another release which brings in his favoured influences of Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream. Sadly, Alfred has yet to invest in using a real drummer, which is a shame as there are some tracks (“Kopernikus” being a case in point) where the synthesised percussion probably does more harm than good, and a human would do a much better job and provide some vitality and strength. As it is, it sounds like someone using quite dated software, which is quite at odds with the Eighties style keyboards which blend well together in the different layers he is building. I have always felt it a shame that Alfred has not gained a much wider recognition as while his music may not reach the heights of many, he consistently produces albums I want to play and listen to, and surely that is really what music is all about? As we are halfway through the year I am sure Alfred is already hard at work at his next album, which I am sure will be out on January 1st next year, so if you enjoy keyboard music why not go over to Bandcamp and check this out for yourself as all his release are free to download.