Ein Rückblick auf ETHEREAL

"Dieses Opus wird eine immersive und emotionale Erlebnis, eine Hommage an den legendären Moog Modular.
ETHEREAL ist ein Album voller Emotionen, die durch die Sequenzen und die klangliche Textur präsent sind.
Der Moog Modular bringt eine besondere Farbe in die Klangpalette dieses neuen Werks. Ich wollte ein Ergebnis erzielen, das mit meiner Vision der Berliner Schule übereinstimmt:
eine Erweiterung dieser musikalischen Bewegung."
Laurent Schieber (Sequentia Legenda)

Tom Schakel mit dem Album ETHEREAL von Sequentia Legenda

ETHEREAL
Der beste Weg, um dem Alltag zu entfliehen

Tom Schakel: "ETHEREAL ist für mich das kompletteste und spannendste aus einer Reihe von hochklassigen Alben von Sequentia Legenda.
Ich höre es nach wie vor sehr oft und kann dabei bestens dem Alltag entfliehen. Immer wieder stoße ich dabei gefühlt auf Feinheiten, die mir vorher nicht aufgefallen sind.

Während mich die ersten beiden Tracks mit ihrer Leichtigkeit und ihren hypnotischen Drums langsam aber sicher hinfort ziehen, ist der dritte Track für mich das pure Schweben im Raum. „Elevation“ klingt ein wenig anders, aber gerade das macht dieses Album für mich so außergewöhnlich.

Die knapp 70 Minuten Spielzeit von Ethereal sind für mich eine komplette Reise und halten einem Vergleich mit der Alten Berliner Schule locker stand.  5 Sterne *****"

Etwas mehr über Tom Schakel :
"Begonnen hat mein Interesse für die alte Berliner Schule gegen 2007, als ich bei einem Freund war und er Timewind von Klaus Schulze auflegte. Ich war sofort gefangen und bin in dieser Form vorher noch nie so „weggezogen“ worden. Da ich musikalisch sehr offen bin und neben klassischer Musik auch Jazz, Blues, Independent, Heavy Metal, Kraut und Psychedellicrock höre, habe ich mich daraufhin auch mit elektronischer Musik befasst und auseinandergesetzt. Ich bin bis heute ein großer Fan von diesem Sound und höre sie fast ausschließlich am Abend zum Entspannen oder beim Einschlafen, da dieser Sound für mich fast schon meditativ ist."

ETHEREAL unter den Top 10 bei den Schallwelle Awards

 

ETHEREAL
Meine Hommage an Robert Moog, an den Moog Modular

Tom Schakel: "Welchen Platz nimmt ETHEREAL für Dich in Deiner Discography ein?"
Sequentia Legenda: "Dieses Album ist letztlich meine Hommage an Robert Moog, genauer gesagt an seine imposante Klangmaschine : Der berühmte Moog Modular. Dieses Instrument nimmt einen strategischen Platz im Herzen der Atmosphäre von ETHEREAL ein und spielt eine wesentliche Rolle: die des Rückgrats des globalen Soundtracks. Es hat mir großen Spaß gemacht, die enormen Möglichkeiten der Arturia-Emulation auszuschöpfen, um das warme und satte Klangkorn des Moogs zu extrahieren. Die subtilen harmonischen Variationen, die einigen Effekten hinzugefügt werden, verleihen der einzigartigen Klangfarbe des Modulars Leben. Der Sequenzer mit seinen bemerkenswerten Möglichkeiten erlaubte mir, Linien von Noten zu formen, die sich mit Präzision und Reichtum zum Ganzen überlagern. Wie ich gerne sage, ist der Sequenzer nach wie vor mein Lieblingswerkzeug, und mit dem Moog Modular ist es ein wahrer Genuss!

Dies ist auch eine neue Zusammenarbeit mit dem Schlagzeuger Tommy Betzler. Im zweiten Track "Around the Second Moon" konnte Tommy seinen ganzen Schwung und Impuls für ein Ergebnis einbringen, das ich als "Kosmisch Rock" bezeichnen möchte. Tommy und ich waren bei der Preisverleihung der Schallwelle Awards in der Rhur dabei. Am Ende schaffte es ETHEREAL in die Top 10 der besten Alben neben solchen Größen wie Tangerine Dream, Johannes Schmoelling und Mike Oldfield. Es war eine große Leistung."

Tom Schakel: "Du hast mir einmal geschrieben, dass der dritte Track auf ETHEREAL von den anderen beiden Tracks abweicht und für Dich eine Art Experiment war. Was hat Dich dazu bewogen, diesen Schritt zu gehen?"
Sequentia Legenda: "Mit diesem dritten Track "Elevation" wollte ich eine neue Erfahrung machen, indem ich mir eine noch kosmischere Atmosphäre als sonst vorstellte. Ich habe mich am Klangraum orientiert, um eine möglichst breite, dichte Wiedergabe zu erhalten. Der mystische und sich entwickelnde Verlauf wird mit einem Mix aus atmosphärischen Schichten realisiert, die flüchtigen Klänge kommen aus den beiden Sequenzern mit einem Duo von modularen Moog, das Ganze wird durch einen sehr langen Hall transportiert. In diesem sich ständig verändernden Klangbild laden ätherische Pads und Chöre, unterstützt von sonischer Perkussion, den Zuhörer zu einem Aufstieg zu den Sternen ein."

Tom Schakel: "Wie gehst Du an Deine Aufnahmen heran, Hast Du den Track das Konzept eines Albums von Beginn an im Kopf, oder entwickelt sich das Ganze beim Komponieren und Produzieren?"
Sequentia Legenda: "Ich habe zwischen zwei Alben einige Zeit verstreichen lassen. Ich warte auf Inspiration, die mich zu den Tastaturen führt. Es ist ein besonderer Moment, ein neuer Start für ein neues musikalisches Abenteuer. Ich habe ein paar Ideen, ein paar Inspirationen, die sich während der Entstehungsphase nach und nach aufbauen. Das Ganze wird sich weiterentwickeln, wird verfeinert, um einem neuen Titel Leben einzuhauchen, dann einem neuen Opus. Ich lade Sie ein, einen weiteren Artikel zum Thema Inspiration hier zu lesen." 

 

Sequentia Legenda in Arbeit

ETHEREAL
Aus Sicht der Rezensenten

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)
Read the review

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)
Read the review

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
Read the review

ETHEREAL von Sequentia Legenda - Übersicht Teaser 3 Titel 70 min Musik der reinsten Berliner Schule

Dieses Opus wird ein immersives und emotionales Erlebnis sein, eine Hommage an den legendären Moog Modular, drei Titel werden für eine Gesamtdauer von 70 Minuten zu hören sein.

 

 

            

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)
Read the review

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)
Read the review

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
Read the review

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.

 

 

            

ETHEREAL: expert's point of view 🔍

A selection of four reviews

💡My fourth album under the spotlight💡

ETHEREAL - Sequentia Legenda's fourth album.

In addition to the fact that it is pleasant to read the reviewers' papers,
it is important to know how my music is perceived, 
how it feels, what the listener feels when discovering my sound landscape. 

Some analyses are very interesting and I have sometimes even found myself rediscovering my music through reading.
On the other hand, others give me ideas, trails and sometimes also sources of inspiration and reflection.

Here are some excerpts of my choice that I wanted to comment on.

I wish you a pleasant reading,
Laurent Schieber (Sequentia Legenda)

Richard Gürtler Dec 29, 2017, Bratislava, Slovakia

 Richard Gürtler: 
"Elevation, at 20:34 the third and closing opus, invites the listener into unmapped domains, where Sequentia Legenda with nebulously barren drone hums unlocks the gates to the void. Amalgamating a display of thrillingly oracular hues with lighter, artificially spellbinding pulsations and calmly ascending, but persistently magnified sequencer and drum sparkles. Ominous depths, never before reached by Sequentia Legenda are meticulously illuminated by perpetually shimmering and predictably sustained insignias. Wow, this final track was certainly beyond the ordinary Berlin-School endeavor!!!
[...]
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!!! And by the way, the next album "Renaissance" is scheduled for May 17th, 2018, so definitely stay connected!!!" 

Richard Gürtler Dec 29, 2017, Bratislava, Slovakia

 Sequentia Legenda:
"Elevation, is indeed an original sound universe that I propose to my listeners, a different way of composing my music, a different use of sequencers, it's a new musical journey.

The global atmosphere of this title is oriented towards the ambient, the long evolutionary pads contribute to an opening towards to a wide sound and cosmic panorama.

From a technical point of view, I used reverberation extensively, in order to obtain a great width and depth sound, to shape a soundtrack favourable to immersion and meditation, allowing the notes to disperse in space. The Formant filter has been used to give a special touch and grain to this floating raster.

The sound texture in perpetual evolution is an invitation for the listener to discover and visualize a fragment of the cosmos, it's an immersive and astral invitation, it's a take-off to space, it's touching the stars and going very far.

📡Elevation is a title to elevate itself high." 

Sequentia Legenda on 28 January 2018

Read the full review

Drew Fisher Jan 23, 2018, Avalanche, United States

 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!
[...]
"Around the Second Moon" (22:45) opens with some very interesting slowly sliding note "arpeggi" beneath which some sequential percussion/bass lines try to establish themselves. As the treble sounds thin and disappear, the "bubbling," "squirting" sequencer lines become more interesting, hypnotic, captivating, and then foundational, even melody holders. In the fourth minute, they are the only music placeholders before some synth washes sneak in from behind. The chord choices of the synths add so much to enhance the sequencing. It's not until the middle of the seventh minute that the first percussive sound arrives and begins to elbow its way into the mix. By now the bass and synth lines have wormed their way into your subconscious in a kind of Edgar Alan Poe way while syncopated, intermittent percussives make it sound like Madeline Usher trying to break out of her casket in the basement. This is SO COOOL!!!
[...]
Were I more familiar with Klaus Schulze's work of the second half of the 1970s I might find more to compare and critique, but, as is, I can only find praise. The clarity and fullness of modern sound is so pleasant and fulfilling to the ear and soul than the often thin and scratchy stuff of recordings from the 70s that, as with the Master's 2007 release, Kontinuum, I am filled with only praise and joy.

Five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and one of the 
21st Century's shining examples of stellar Berlin School revitalization." 

Drew Fisher Jan 23, 2018, Avalanche, United States

 Sequentia Legenda:
"Personally, I think the Berlin School still has a bright future ahead of it. This musical movement allows me to express myself, to release my emotions, to share a part of me with the public, to live my passion.

I have my own vision, that of an extended version of the Berlin School, a vision of sequencing. It is an honour to be able to contribute my contribution to this musical edifice and thus to contribute to its continuity.

I had the privilege of collaborating with artists specialized in this movement such as Kurtz Mindfields (Jean-Luc Briançon) and the emblematic drummer Tommy Betzler who played with Klaus Schulze in the 80s. 

Regarding the track "Around the Second Moon" it's a track where Tommy Betzler agreed to participate, he put all his experience in the profile of this composition with a lot of brilliance. Hearing that it's one of the best tracks in the Berlin School fills me with pride and happiness, which I am happy to share this with Tommy. 

Finally, if I can "revitalize" the Berlin School, as Drew Fisher so aptly put it in his article, then I will be proud and delighted. I'd like to add: "Long live to Berlin School!" 

Sequentia Legenda on 31 January 2018

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Thoralf Koß Oct 19, 2017, Riesa, Germany

 Thoralf Koß:
"Laurent Schieber bezeichnet seine Kompositionen als „‘ernst‘ mit einem Hauch von Nostalgie“ und bringt auf diese Weise die Stimmung hinter „Ethereal“ auf den Punkt. Elektronische Klassik der 70er-Jahre also – oder einfach nur Berliner Schule pur. Hinzu kommt die angenehm warme, sehr voluminöse Produktion des Albums, die bei einer entsprechenden Lautstärke und einer guten Anlage den ganzen Raum zu einer Art Universum werden lässt, durch das man bei „Stratums Of Seraphic Voices“ einerseits wie durch die Milchstraße schwebt, sich aber auch erste „Body Love“-Fantasien entfalten.
[...]
FAZIT: Ach ja, warum nur kommt einem immer wieder dieser KLAUS SCHULZE in den Sinn, wenn man SEQUENTIA LEGENDA hört? Die Antwort ist ganz einfach: Weil Laurent Schieber sich nicht nur Schulzes frühe Musik verinnerlicht hat, sondern auch dazu in der Lage ist, sie auf gänzlich gleichem Niveau und mit einem ähnlichen Instrumentarium, wie es auch Schulze verwendete, wiederzugeben. Das Schieber-Schulze-Gen funktioniert bestens. 
„Ethereal“ = Elektronische Musik für Berliner-Schule-Nostalgiker." 

in English:

"Laurent Schieber describes his compositions as "serious" with a touch of nostalgia"and in this way sums up the mood behind" Ethereal ". Electronic classics of the 70s - or simply pure Berlin school. Add to this the pleasantly warm, very voluminous production of the album, which, with the appropriate volume and a good system, turns the whole room into a kind of universe, which on the one hand makes you float through the Milky Way, but on the other hand allows you to unfold your first „Body Love“ fantasies with "Stratums Of Seraphic Voices".
[...]
CONCLUSION: Oh yes, why does this KLAUS SCHULZE keep coming to mind when you hear SEQUENTIA LEGENDA? The answer is quite simple: because Laurent Schieber has not only internalized Schulze's early music, but is also able to reproduce it at the same level and with a similar set of instruments as Schulze used. The Schieber-Schulze gene works perfectly. 

„Ethereal“ = Electronic music for Berlin school nostalgics." 

Thoralf Koß Oct 19, 2017, Riesa, Germany

 Sequentia Legenda:
"The German rigour is in me, it is most certainly due to my status as a cross-border man, to the fact that professionally I spent more time in Germany than in France. The adage "weniger ist mehr" which can be translated as "Less is more" reflects my personality, my musical vision. By the definition of "serious", musically speaking, 
I mean: no superfluous. 

I try to do as much as possible with the simplest possible configuration, I don't try to work with a record number of tracks, I don't try at all cost to "furnish" my compositions with solos or effects. 

My music is serious, yes, she is also nostalgic, but without falling into sadness in order to allow the listener to escape in the best possible conditions. 

Other than the fact that my music can be categorized as minimalist music, it is important for me to bring the sound elements to life, to make them grow throughout the title, to highlight harmonic subtleties in order to make musical exploration as captivating as possible. The search for symphonic balance, the balance of the sound spectrum, the coherence of spatiality are essential aspects in this vision of rigour and seriousness." 

Sequentia Legenda on 30 January 2018

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Sylvain Lupari Aug 10, 2017, Montréal, Canada

 Sylvain Lupari: 
"Véritable amoureux de la musique de Klaus Schulze, Sequentia Legenda va au-delà dans sa quête de reproduire l'essence de la rétro Berlin School avec cet exquis Ethereal. Un must!"
[...]
Près de 30 minutes sur une thématique minimaliste morphique 
qui s'épuisent sans sentiment de lassitude ! Il n'y avait que Klaus Schulze pour réussir pareil exploit. Laurent Schieber fait comme le maître et à la perfection." 

in English:

"A true lover of Klaus Schulze's music, Sequentia Legenda goes beyond his quest to reproduce the essence of Berlin School retro with this exquisite Ethereal. A must!"
[...]
Almost 30 minutes on a minimalist morphic theme 
that wears out without feeling tired! 
Only Klaus Schulze was capable of such a feat. 
Laurent Schieber makes like the master and to perfection." 

 Sequentia Legenda:
"It is a great honour to be compared in this way with the illustrious Klaus Schulze. I have a deep respect for his work. He was a forerunner. A true sound sculptor. 
Mirage was my musical trigger!

For me, the Berlin School is a real passion, I give my best.

I remain humble, I know where I come from and I will see what the future holds for me. 
I just hope to be able to continue on this path and live my dream as best I can. And who knows... maybe someday I could meet Klaus Schulze." 

Sequentia Legenda on 31 January 2018

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