TANGERINE DREAM: Sorcerer (1977)

Sorcerer, a William Friedkin's movie, is the first a long collaboration between Tangerine Dream and the Big Screen. Since, Edgar Froese and accomplices covered an impressive number of films, and documentaries, of a music that fits very often and very well all images and dimensions. For this movie, strangely dark needs to admit, Froese, Franke and Baumann had to elaborate a new artistic approach; compose short and structured tracks for a movie that they only read the scenario. A tour de force if we consider the result because, as the movie, the soundtrack is dark and lugubrious and commands TD to create for the first time short tracks. At this time, the German trio was in the full spirit of Stratosfear and Encore and there are full of reminiscences all along this soundtrack that some fans judged superior to the movie itself. Well, let’s discover.

Main Title opens the ball on a very dense and dark atmospheric hymn. The approach is very atmospheric and similar to the strangeness that TD shows on Invisible Limits with a very spectral synth filled of harsh reverberations. The Search presents a heavy wavy sequenced structure that roll in loops with a symphonic synth and Edgar guitar who’s match his solos to synth moves. It’s a nice and melodious track that has a scent of what we heard on Encore. The Call is a short track with a fine pulsating mood and languishing synth solos. Once again, we have the impression of déjà heard whereas Creation presents a fragile sequence that pulses lightly among deep synth pads and short guitar solos which create a real desert ambiance pattern. Vengeance is a strange bolero that evolves on slamming cymbals and synths with gloomy harmonies. Tangerine Dream is perfectioning the sinister aspect with this haughtiness march. Hopping sequences and a nice fluty mellotron shape The Journey short and beautiful melody while Grind presents the very first musical draw of what will become The Scale but with a more symphonic approach. Rainforest is another dark track that runs on pulsating and unbridled sequence which are surrounded by various and static pads. It’s a dark and very experimental track of which the beat is circular and magnetism like a race against time.
Abyss is the longest track on Sorcerer. We can hear it as a collage from various sound themes exploit on Sorcerer, I’m thinking in particular to Main Title, The Call, Creation and The Journey, but the track evolves with a nice wave sequenced pattern surrounded by nice synth pads. I like that pulsating and spinning sequence that run like water under the bridge and like this constant race against time which is the main topic of the movie. The track exploits a lot of theme for its length and goes from upbeat and wavy sequences to deep abyssal moods. It’s a great track. Softer but pretty nice The Mountain Road brings a silkier and lighter breath whereas Impressions of Sorcerer rocks with its tablas percussions, double fast sequences and a symphonic synth which complete Edgar’s guitar solos. Betrayal (Sorcerer Theme) is the track of this first TD soundtrack. Chords fuse and merge in a spectral way on sequences which wave with dark loops and a synth with a very gloomy atmosphere. The melody is very nice and reminds of some other TD music, especially these long synth loops that seem to whistle in the dark. It’s a very good track with nice sequencing and tenebrous synth moods.

Sorcerer has the defaults of its qualities. Obviously we would love to hear longer tracks but the deal was short and atmospheric tracks. But there are lot of melodies behind and in each of them, even the ambient ones which are not many after all. Of course, when you’ll heard it for the first time you will be deceive by these short tracks but when you will dig deeper you will find all the finesse of TD’s art, especially from this wonderful trio that is Baumann, Franke and Froese. Sorcerer is a great soundtrack. It just needs your patience to understand that the music really fits the spirit of the movie and then, everything will be set in your mind.

Sylvain Lupari for Synths&Sequences (2011)