Helmut Teubner - Heaven's Light

Helmut Teubner is an electronic musician and studio engineer who has performed with the rock band Medias Res, but as a solo artist creates music along the lines of Larry Fast's Synergy. Or with the addition of guest guitarist Kai Reuter as on the 10-minute title track to 'Heaven's Light' (CD 018, 1989), the sound is more akin to Chris Fournier (Fonya) here in the states. Even with the antiseptic, sparkly clean approach, I can find much to like in Teubner's rich tapestries of sound, but what I can't stomach are the crummy programmed drums. Later in the album, sax player Ralf Nowry supplies the melody for "Per Aspera Ad Astra" and "The Lucky Side of Life," pleasant though not particularly ambitious. "Longing for Heaven's Light" is probably my favorite tune, the excellent soloing by Reuter shining out from Teubner's spacey web. I'd like to hear Teubner and Reuter perform with a vocalist and a live drummer - then you'd have something really special. With this one is more than a lab experiment, it's still two ingredients short of a proper cosmic stew. Teubner also released "The History of Secret Life" in 1992. Great synphonic electronic music with progressive elements. A real masterpiece. With mind-blowing electric guitar (by Kai Reuter from Jane), enrapturing saxophone (by Ralf Nowy) and bombastic string arrangements.