Detailed Review [Sven Grunberg - 1981/1999 - "Breath"]

Sven Grunberg - all instruments (synthesizers, synthy-bass, electronic percussion). Recorded in Tallinn by Sven Grunberg (in 1981).

Sven Grunberg is, perhaps, the most famous "Solo-Pilot" from the USSR / CIS. Being always surrounded by the most modern synthesizers in any period of his activity, this "keyboard" composer and musician, apart from two albums reviewed here (earlier they have been released by the only Soviet recording company - monopolistic major "Melodiya"), has several soundtracks and other musical works to his credit. "Breath", the first Grunberg's album, shines with a variety of sounds the maestro elicites from the "clever" electric keyboard instruments called synthesizers (and each such instrument had some typical "computer" data even in the beginning of the 1980s). Grunberg always successfully used all the varied conveniences of synthesizers to create his own, quite original, 'spacey' compositional structures. As for the convenient spacey forms that enjoyeed a great popularity especially in the end of the 1970s - early 1980s thanks to the French band simply called Space, Grunberg had never anything to do with them. Already in the very beginning of his musical activity Sven worked more in a serious 'spacey way', being inspired by a whole bunch of German bands, from Tangerine Dream to AshRa to all the other Ra Temples, and created that 'spacey' musical style long before Space appeared. Grunberg's imagination can be easily called unrestrained, as this Estonian "solo-pilot" of musical spaces was guided primarily by his own original ideas. So, those into thoughtful and really expanding spacey electronic music with lots of charming suites, backed with wonderful special effects, will experience bliss a number of times, as if dissolving in the endless "space spheres" of the "Breathe" album, especiallly listening to the material with head phones. Like any serious 'headphones' album, "Breathe" hides plenty of "secret corners" that are peculiar to music of this kind. It's not so easy to get into this music after a couple first listens even for the experienced "voyagers to the spheres of musical spaces ". For more info on Sven Grunberg and his creation welcome to "Boheme Music": http://www.bohememusic.com/. To order the "Breath" album please e-mailto: bohememusic@iol.cz