Vangelis – Invisible Connections

I’m not a Vangelis fan for the most part but I thought this has a lot of artistry. Without using a rhythmic pulse it can be hard to get an artistic statement across but I think this balances unity and variety in a musical way. I appreciated the way he modulates the overtones in the sounds. Sound designers will find a lot to dive into as he develops a mix of realistic and nonrealistic tones.

I just found this one today at a $10 bin. It was quite badly dirty, but after a quick wash it sounds quite good. However, as the music is so delicate and minimal I would recommend to get this one new.

Not so much a remaster more like a total remix to correct past mastering errors finally sees this album released in the original intended order and associated titles. Good to finally hear it as Vangelis intended.

Title track was recently included (edited to about 7+ minutes) at the end of Autechre's recent 11+ hour COVID-19 Mixlr release on April 5, 2020. Definitely not your average sounds - very compelling & spooky.

Same question that I asked on Soil Festivities :

Why on earth would such a dynamic piece of work need to be "remastered"?

While it's by no means Chariots Of Fire or I'll Find My Way Home, this LP is much more easy on the ear than Beaubourg.

Very minimal, and surprisingly satisfying. Of course you can't expect melody, but what it does deliver is intrigue.

It defies time when you're enveloped in it. Lost in the moment.

Well, I am still wondering if this is a "serious" release or if Vangelis just wanted to fool the classical and conservative label Deutsche Grammophon... Well somehow the music works, especially if I look back in 2006 and what has gone on in music since the first release of "Invisible Connection". Today, it makes more sense than back in the 80ies.

When looking at Vangelis' extended discography, he has created some diverse albums: the future techno sounds of Spiral and Albedo 0.39, the symphonic electronica of Heaven and Hell and his contributions to cinema with Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner and Nankyoku monogatari [Antarctica]. This album is no exception in regards to his diversity.

Invisible Connections - the only Vangelis release through the Deutsche Grammaphone - is a foray into "dark ambient." The title track consists of percussion and synthesizer sounds washed in reverb (in varying degrees) that gives a haunting and errie quality. The other two tracks - "Atom Blaster" and "Thermo Vision" - use a single synthesizer sound that plays only a few notes at a time and then followed by a moment of silence. The sonic or silent moments provide an unsettling atmosphere that hasn't been heard since Beaubourg.

It's underrated and derailed by many Vangelis fans for being too experimental and too noise-driven. In spite of its seemingly chaotic and unpredictable structure (which may reflect the nature of quantum mechanics), Vangelis doesn't alienate in the same way as other experimenters can. For starters, his sounds - even the harshest ones - are created using analogue and early digital synthesizers, which have some warmth, making it a pleasant listening experience based on timbre. If you listen with an open mind, you may find the sounds and their placement in space and time will provide a great soundtrack to your own mental horror/sci-fi movie.