''First Encounter Tour 1996'' is the thirteenth full-length album by German electronic music outfit
Cluster
may refer to:
Science and technology Astronomy
* Cluster (spacecraft), constellation of four European Space Agency spacecraft
* Asteroid cluster, a small asteroid family
* Cluster II (spacecraft), a European Space Agency mission to study t ...
. It is also the third live album released, and the only double album released by Cluster.
''First Encounter Tour 1996'' was recorded at various concert venues around the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in
1996 and was produced by noted keyboardist and
ambient musician Tim Story at Zeta in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It was released on February 25, 1997. ''First Encounter Tour 1996'' was Cluster's only release for the
Purple Pyramid label.
The music of ''First Encounter Tour 1997'' flows from one music style to the next and reflects all the varieties of Cluster's music from the 1979 release
Großes Wasser onwards. Some sections of the longer tracks do seem to break new musical ground for Cluster, with deeply atmospheric
ambient music leading into sections with a definite melody and beat. Each track is named for the city or cities in which the concerts took place, with the sole exception of the last track which is named for guest musicians
Bond Bergland and
The Brain
A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ i ...
(the duo of
Paul M. Fox and
Tommy Grenas), which was recorded in Anderson, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois. Much of the music is improvisational but some set pieces were included. For example, the track "Portland Oregon #2" is a live performance of "Emmental" from the
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
release
Apropos Cluster
''Apropos Cluster'' is a full-length studio album by Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius also known as German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was also their first album after an eight-year-long hiatus.
In 1989 Dieter Moebius and Hans-J ...
. A short section of "New York City", the nearly 33 minute piece which opens the album, is taken from the avant-garde middle section of the title track from ''Grosses Wasser''. A number of sections of various pieces are very similar to sections of ''
Japan 1996 Live
''Japan 1996 Live'' is the eleventh full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster. It was the second of three live albums released by Cluster.
''Japan 1996 Live'' was recorded at On Air West in Tokyo and also in Osaka, Japan i ...
''.
Track listing
# "New York City" – 32:58
# "Phoenix Arizona #1" – 4:04
# "Portland Oregon #1" – 29:05
# "New Orleans Louisiana" – 4:42
# "Portland Oregon #2" – 3:36
# "Providence Rhode Island" – 7:01
# "Eugene Oregon" – 20:13
# "Asheville North Carolina" – 2:41
# "Chicago Illinois" – 5:31
# "Phoenix Arizona #2" – 13:30
# "Covington Kentucky" – 4:51
# "Minneapolis Minnesota" – 6:51
# "Bond Bergland / The Brain" – 15:56
Personnel
*
Dieter Moebius
Dieter Moebius (16 January 1944 – 20 July 2015) was a Swiss-born German electronic musician and composer, best known as a member of the influential krautrock bands Cluster and Harmonia.
Moebius was studying art at Berlin's Akademie Grafik and ...
– Korg Prophecy, Proteus FX, mini-Moog, preprepared tape material, effect machine, mixing table
*
Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Hans-Joachim Roedelius (born 26 October 1934) is a German electronic musician and composer, best known as a co-founder of the influential 'kosmische' groups Cluster and Harmonia. He also performed in the ambient jazz trio Aquarello, and relea ...
– Ensonique TS10, grand piano, wind chimes, preprepared tape material, effect machine, mixing table
*
Bond Bergland
*
Paul M. Fox
*
Tommy Grenas
* Tim Story – producer
*
Russ Curry – engineer
References
* Curry, Rus
A Curious History of ClusterRetrieved August 17, 2007.
* Discog
Retrieved August 20, 2007.
{{Authority control
Cluster (band) albums
1997 live albums