It is a weird situation when a record company, in the wake of a new album’s promotion, has to include not only a bio with their promo package but also a rush release press release in which the death of one of the band’s members is informed. This happened with the latest release of the legendary German cosmic band Popol Vuh whose composer Florian Fricke died on December 29th 2001 at his home following a stroke which he suffered just before Christmas. Fricke recorded the first experimental album built around the Moog syntheszier called “Affenstunde”. He also composed soundtracks for Werner Herzog movies such as “Aguirre”, “Nosferatu”, “Cobra verde” and “Fitzcarraldo”. He also can be heard on Tangerine Dream’s “Zeit” album and will be remembered as a very vital part of the much acclaimed Kraut Rock movement.

His latest collaboration under the moniker of Popol Vuh, “Future sound experience” is based around music of the lost South American Indian tribes thus including a fair amount of acoustic interventions. Mainly percussion and vocals enhance the cinematographic quality of the music. Although the actual album has been recorded in 1993 and given a limited release then, some new links have been recorded to make this one ongoing experiment. Ad to this the fact that the material has been re-mastered and you get a great audio experience delivered as one flowing river of music. In fact Fricke has always been intrigued with world music trying to combine it’s magic within the floating world of electronic music. Remember the use of sitar in “Die nacht der seele” subtitled ‘tantric songs’ and the use of tablas, gongs and multiple forms of percussion.

Listen to the almost sacral sounding ‘Hungern and Duersten’ here also incorporating some nice sounding choir. Nice and melodic is the uplifting “Liedklagen” which has the tabla inject a nice groove. In “Reines Herz” the choir almost becomes pastoral and minimal what with the repetitive pattern being strongly embedded in the mix. Calm sets in with “Weinen und Lachen” with acoustic guitar rubbing shoulders with Moraz-like keyboards. The album closes with the addictive “Tanz” including some native chants to enhance the main idea for this album. Although no big fan of the entire Kraut Rock scene I nevertheless have to confess that this is a stunning instrumental work of art which rightfully puts a full stop behind the life of Florian Fricke. There certainly would have been no better way to end !