Soundmill Navigator: Live at the Philharmonic, 1976

AMG Review of Soundmill Navigator: Live at the Philharmonic, 1976

Jim Brenholts
All Music Guide

Tangerine Dream has always taken risks and performed their intricate soundscapes live on the concert stage. In the '70s and early '80s, this meant that they had to be very proficient technically as well as artistically. And most of their concerts featured brand-new material. They rarely performed music from their studio releases in concert. Soundmill Navigator: Live at the Philharmonic, 1976 is a classic Tangerine Dream concert. The set is a completely improvised piece. Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke, and Peter Baumann performed this ambient masterpiece on analog equipment. Their technical innovations yielded an atmospheric sound that stands proudly with modern digital soundscapes. This trio pioneered many techniques that are still cutting edge. This sound design is heavily sequenced, but comes across as anything but Berlin school e-music. It is essential electronica.