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**Force Majeure**
★★★★☆

By 1979, Tangerine Dream had already established themselves as the undisputed masters of cosmic electronica, their synthesizers painting vast sonic landscapes that seemed to drift in from some distant galaxy. Yet even by their otherworldly standards, *Force Majeure* stands as a particularly bold statement – a double album that finds Edgar Froese, Chris Franke, and Johannes Schmoelling pushing their sequencer-driven sound into uncharted territory while maintaining the hypnotic pulse that had made them legends of the Berlin School.

The album emerged during a period of transition for the German trio. Having bid farewell to Peter Baumann the previous year, they welcomed classically trained keyboardist Johannes Schmoelling into the fold, a move that would prove transformative. Schmoelling's arrival coincided with the band's increasing fascination with digital technology and more structured compositions, moving away from the purely improvisational approach that had characterized their earlier Virgin Records releases like *Phaedra* and *Rubycon*.

*Force Majeure* – the title referring to unforeseeable circumstances that prevent a party from fulfilling a contract – feels prophetic in hindsight. This was Tangerine Dream acknowledging that their sound was evolving beyond anyone's expectations, including their own. The album was recorded during a creatively fertile period when the band had access to cutting-edge equipment, including the then-revolutionary PPG Wave synthesizer, which added a crystalline digital sheen to their analog warmth.

The opening title track immediately signals the band's ambitious intent. Clocking in at over eighteen minutes, "Force Majeure" unfolds like a sonic novel, beginning with ominous drones before erupting into one of the most driving sequences the band had ever committed to tape. Froese's guitar work – often overlooked in discussions of Tangerine Dream – weaves through the electronic fabric like silver thread, while Franke's percussion programming provides an almost tribal urgency. It's space music with genuine momentum, a contradiction that somehow works brilliantly.

"Cloudburst Flight" showcases Schmoelling's classical background to stunning effect. His melodic sensibilities bring a warmth and humanity to the band's sometimes austere electronic palette. The piece builds from gentle arpeggios to soaring crescendos that suggest both triumph and melancholy – emotional complexity that would become a hallmark of this lineup's work.

But it's the epic "Thru Metamorphic Rocks" that truly demonstrates the band's expanded vision. Nearly sixteen minutes of constantly shifting textures and rhythms, it's like watching a landscape transform through geological time. The track's central section, where pulsing sequences interlock with ethereal washes of sound, ranks among the most transcendent music Tangerine Dream ever created. Here, technology serves spirituality rather than dominating it.

The album's second disc maintains the high standard, with "Nights of Automatic Women" offering a more sinister edge – its title alone suggesting the cyberpunk themes that would later fascinate the band. The closing "Metamorphic Rocks Part Two" provides a gentler denouement, like watching the sun set over an alien world.

What makes *Force Majeure* so compelling is how it bridges the gap between Tangerine Dream's experimental past and their increasingly cinematic future. This was the sound of a band discovering that electronic music could be both intellectually rigorous and emotionally stirring. The sequencer patterns that had once seemed mechanical now pulse with organic life, while the ambient passages breathe with newfound depth.

The album's influence on electronic music cannot be overstated. Its combination of driving rhythms and atmospheric textures would inspire everyone from Jean-Michel Jarre to the emerging new wave movement. More importantly, it demonstrated that synthesizers could create music of genuine substance – not just novelty or background ambience, but compositions that demanded serious listening.

Today, *Force Majeure* stands as perhaps Tangerine Dream's most cohesive statement, a perfect synthesis of their exploratory instincts and newfound structural discipline. While purists might argue for the raw power of *Phaedra* or the cosmic scope of *Zeit*, this double album represents the band at their most confident and accomplished. It's the sound of musicians who had mastered their tools and were ready to build new worlds with them.

In an era when electronic music has become ubiquitous, *Force Majeure* reminds us of a time when synthesizers still seemed like transmissions