A return to ETHEREAL

"This opus will be an immersive and emotional experience, a tribute to the legendary Moog modular.
ETHEREAL is an album full of emotions, which are present through the sequences and the sonic texture.
The Moog Modular brings a particular color to the sound palette of this new opus. I wanted to achieve a result in harmony with my vision of the Berlin school:
an extension of this musical movement."
Laurent Schieber (Sequentia Legenda)

Tom Schakel with the album ETHEREAL by Sequentia Legenda

ETHEREAL
Best way to escape from everyday life

Tom Schakel: "ETHEREAL is for me the most complete and exciting of a series of high class albums by Sequentia Legenda. I still listen to it very often and it is the best way to escape from everyday life. Again and again I come across subtleties that I hadn't noticed before.

While the first two tracks slowly but surely draw me away with their lightness and hypnotic drums, the third track is pure floating in space for me. "Elevation" sounds a little different, but that's what makes this album so exceptional for me.

The almost 70 minutes of playing time of ETHEREAL are a complete journey for me and easily stand up to a comparison with the Old Berlin School. 5 stars *****"

A little more about Tom Schakel :
"My interest in the old Berlin School started around 2007 when I was at a friend's house and he put on Timewind by Klaus Schulze. I was immediately caught and have never been so "drawn away" in this way before. Since I am musically very open-minded and listen to jazz, blues, independent, heavy metal, kraut and psychedelic rock as well as classical music, I then also got involved with electronic music and got to grips with it. I am still a big fan of this sound and listen to it almost exclusively in the evening to relax or when falling asleep, as this sound is almost meditative for me."

ETHEREAL in the Top 10 at the Schallwelle Awards

 

ETHEREAL
My tribute to Robert Moog, to the Moog Modular

Tom Schakel: "What place does ETHEREAL hold for you in your discography?"
Sequentia Legenda: "This album is ultimately my tribute to Robert Moog, more precisely to his imposing sound machine: The famous Moog Modular. This instrument occupies a strategic place in the very heart of ETHEREAL's atmosphere, playing an essential role: that of the backbone of the overall soundtrack. I was delighted to exploit the vast possibilities of the Arturia emulation in order to extract the warm and ample grain of the Moog. The subtle harmonic variations added to some effects give life to the unique timbre of the modular. The sequencer with its remarkable possibilities allowed me to sculpt lines of notes that were superimposed with precision and richness on the whole. As I like to say, the sequencer remains my favourite tool and with the Moog Modular, it's a real treat!

This is also a new collaboration with drummer Tommy Betzler. In the second track "Around the Second Moon" Tommy was able to add all his verve and impulse for a result that I would like to call "Planing Rock". Tommy and I were present at the award ceremony of the Schallwelle Awards in the Rhur. In the end, ETHEREAL made it into the Top 10 of the best albums alongside such greats as Tangerine Dream, Johannes Schmoelling and Mike Oldfield. It was a great achievement."

Tom Schakel: "You once wrote me that the third track on ETHEREAL was different from the other two tracks and was a kind of experiment for you. What made you take this step?"
Sequentia Legenda: "With this third track "Elevation", I wanted to try a new experience by imagining an atmosphere even more cosmic than usual. I oriented my research on the sound space, in order to obtain a wide, dense rendering, a result which is the most spatial possible. The mystical and evolving progression is realized with a mixture of atmospheric pads, the fleeting sounds are issued from the two sequencers with a duo of modular Moog, the whole transported by a very long reverberation. In this ever-changing sonic canvas, ethereal pads and choirs, supported by sonic percussion, invite the listener to an ascent to the stars."

Tom Schakel: "How do you approach your recordings, do you have the track the concept of an album in mind from the beginning, or does it all develop during composing and producing?"
Sequentia Legenda: "I let some time pass between two albums. I wait for the inspiration to guide me to the keyboards. It is a particular moment, a new start for a new musical adventure. I have some ideas, some tracks of inspirations, which are built little by little during the phase of creation. The whole will evolve, will be refined to give life to a new title, then to a new opus. I invite you to read another article related to inspiration here." 

 

Sequentia Legenda being composed

ETHEREAL
As seen by the reviewers

Sylvain Lupari: "A true lover of Klaus Schulze music, Sequentia Legenda goes beyond in his quest to reproduce the essence of retro Berlin School with this exquisite Ethereal. A must!"
Sylvain Lupari (August 10th, 2017)
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Richard Gürtler: "70 minutes long "ETHEREAL" is another highly accomplished album by Sequentia Legenda and especially its third chapter showcases the more distinguishing approach in carving profoundly enigmatic, yet insistently sequencer-driven vintage-futuristic electronica. Laurent, keep on excelling!!"
Richard Gürtler (Dec 29, 2017, Bratislava, Slovakia)
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Drew Fisher: "Laurent Schieber has done it again! Just when you think the Berlin School sound has been played out, Laurent releases something new that just keeps upping the ante! The second of these three epics of progressive electronic music may be my favorite Berlin School song ever made!  "
Drew Fisher (Progarchives) Jan 23, 2018
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ETHEREAL by Sequentia Legenda - Overview Teaser 3 Titles 70 min of pure Berlin School music

This opus will be an immersive and emotional experience, a tribute to the legendary Moog modular, three titles will be present for a total duration of 70 minutes.