With well over a hundred albums in their discography, approaching Tangerine Dream can be a daunting prospect for the novice. When faced with so many records (many of them certified classics) it’s hard to know quite where to start and find a suitable entry point. However, a gateway into the band’s world has been opened by Invisible Hands Music who reissue Dream’s Sessions IV live outing on double vinyl. Recorded on a tour where every show included an improvised section, those compositions found Tangerine Dream at their most inventive, using all their experience to sculpt sonics in real-time and ensuring that every show was unique. That individuality makes Sessions IV not only the perfect introduction for the neophyte, but has plenty to offer for the aficionado, too.
With a line-up of Thorsten Quaeschning, Ulrich Strauss and Hoshiko Yamane, Tangerine Dream had entered a rare period of stability (the list of personnel is just as dizzying as their discography) and opening track ‘Four Degrees Parallax’ (spread over two sides of vinyl) evidences a band happy in their own company. Tangerine Dream is not something you simply listen to, rather it is something that you experience, with sounds that wash over you and alter your very physiology. ‘Four Degrees Parallax’ is a prime example; like being slowly hypnotised, it’s a track that ingratiates itself into your psyche, a Novocaine cocoon to wrap you up in a warm, fuzzy glow. There’s a heartbeat ticking throughout the song which acts as a totem around which the band swirl, adorning the air with various flourishes, gradually taking on shape and form as the song progresses. It feels as if vinyl is the best way to experience Tangerine Dream, and turning the record over between Parts One and Two doesn’t detract from the song’s power at all, rather it acts like an intermission at the theatre and gives the listener a chance to digest what they’ve heard and anticipate what’s to come. And what does arrive is a haunting number that’s akin to floating freely in deep space as the band conspire to create a vast sonic vista inside of which the listener is made to feel infinitesimal.
The improvisational nature of this recording means that there’s an air of danger hanging over these tunes, the excitement of never quite knowing what will come next. The chemistry the band share verges on telepathy which affords them a certain amount of confidence, a freedom to explore new sonic territory whilst knowing that any missteps will be subsumed into the whole. The three members of Tangerine Dream form a Pythagorean triangle, interacting as such with one musician coming to the fore whilst the others retreat (and vice versa), the result are songs such as ‘Persepsjontransformasjon’ which are in a constant state of flux, like strange shapeshifting reptilians they are entities which breathe and ululate, becoming three-dimensional creatures that take on a life of their own. The power which Tangerine Dream hold over an audience can be deduced quite easily from these recordings; to all intents and purposes they sound as if they were laid down in a studio, not only because of the band’s proficiency, but the crowd’s reaction (or lack thereof) during the songs. While the tracks are in motion the audience are spellbound, you can hear the proverbial pin drop, it’s only at the conclusion you become aware of their presence, delivering (well-deserved) rapt applause.
Mastered at the famous Abbey Road studios by Miles Showell and released on double green vinyl, Tangerine Dream have never sounded better and Sessions IV is perfect for the old and new fan alike.
- Sessions IV is released via Invisible Hands Music on 1st May 2026.
- Official Website
Track List:
Side A:
- Four Degrees Parallax (Part One) *
Side B:
- Four Degrees Parallax (Part Two) **
Side C:
- Persepsjontransformasjon ***
Side D:
- Gothenburg 2018 ****
* 11.27pm Session, 13th October 2018 – Recorded Live At Internet Festival, Teatro Verdi, Via Palestro, Pisa, Italy
** 11.27pm Session, 13th October 2018 – Recorded Live At Internet Festival, Teatro Verdi, Via Palestro, Pisa, Italy
*** 10.32pm Session, 10th August 2018 – Recorded Live At Øya Festival, Tøyenparken, Oslo, Norway
**** 4.45pm Session, 11th August 2018 – Recorded Live At Way Out West Festival, Slottsskogen, Gothenburg, Sweden
