Wuivend Riet

AMG Review of Wuivend Riet

Backroads Music/Heartbeats
All Music Guide

This solo debut by former Tangerine Dream member Johannes Schmoelling has been something of an underground classic since its initial release in 1986. The first four tracks move through both lyrical and ominous spaces with layered synthesizers, digital piano, prominent basslines and odd sound effects, laying the groundwork for the extended two-part title track. Wuivend Riet, Dutch for "wind-blown reeds," was composed for an experimental theater piece where actors swayed back and forth among the reeds. "Part 1" is a bizarre collage of croaking frogs, running water, speeded up duck chatter, slurping noises, sawing cellos and electronically processed human voices. "Part 2" builds on dense synth chords and a gamelan-like sequencer pattern, spiced with sound effects, into a wild pastiche of multi-layered intensity. Wuivend Riet is a dynamic work, full of imagination and drama, challenging the listener with its strange mixture of beauty and weirdness.