LENDT, SVEN - HOTEL ORBITAL (JARRE/SCHILLER/FLOYD-LIKE/DIGI-PAK)

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Excellent instrumental album containing modern synth music influenced heavily by the music of the past masters of atmosphere, melody and rhythm!

* Please hover your mouse / pointer over the sleeve image above to see the full packaging display *

Described by some reviewers as “super chill music …along the lines of SCHILLER, PINK FLOYD and the likes … you should have this CD in your collection” - “a perfect chill album” - “I expected a lot from Sven Lendt’s album, however, my wildest dreams were outbid … the very finest chill sound at the highest level”

Another has cited VANGELIS and JEAN-MICHEL JARRE as major sources of inspiration, and for me, there lies the most accurate comparison, because there are moments on ‘Hotel Orbital’ where you could be listening to Jarre’s classic album: ‘Oxygene’, or perhaps something from an ANDY PICKFORD album!

According to the packaging the album is “Headphone Optimized” so I listed to it via a pair of the said instruments, and here is our track run-down for you…

The title track: ‘Hotel Orbital’ is a tremendously exciting semi-atmospheric piece with a strong central synth melody, electric guitar solo (from Axel Zabel), electronic effects and percussion, plus the added effect of space control centre dialogue recordings, describing the space shuttle docking with a space station. The track really makes you feel like you are “up there” with them and provides a strong opening sequence for the album.

‘Air’ is remarkably similar to ‘Part 1’of Jean-Michel Jarre’s ‘Oxygene’ suite, with all the beautifully spacey, swaying atmospheric electronic sounds and effects. The hypnotic spell created by that opening passage is broken with an infectious rhythm that takes off with all the surround sundry sounds and effects of the introductory passage flying all over the busy soundstage, then at the five minute mark a catchy synth melody line breaks in and takes the track to its seven-minute plus conclusion.

‘Berlin’ is a fantastic, exciting, melodic and vibrant track that packs a real punch. Its faster paced and sequencer driven with a real driving rhythmic flow and a tremendous soaring Andy Pickford-ish style synth melody line that flies on top before closing to the sounds of a faint heartbeat.

‘Sungate’ opens out into a gorgeous soundscape surrounded by extra terrestrial like sounds flying all around.
This slowly develops into another sprightly paced sequencer passage (but slower than its predecessor) only this time there’s are lines of heavenly choral voices coming in here and there and lots of extra space string-synth textures added to the beautifully hypnotic synth melody line. New crystalline layers come and go, cascading over the stereo spectrum, before closing on a lovely piano passage – a delightfully relaxed, light and airy slice of melodic cosmic music this!

‘Hotel Orbital Symphonie’ – the longest track on this CD - opens with a pulsating heartbeat amid a sea of more Jarre-like atmospheric swishing & swooshing and what sounds like samples of baby animal noises. Spacey string-synth textures form a soothing melody line, then after a couple of minutes these are joined by a vamping synth effect and the symphonic themes start to build in stature layer upon layer to form a new soundscape. A piano melody rolls in for a while and the Jarre-like soundscapes return with powerful moments of deep, dark synth drama, spacey organ sections and much more in the way of melodic space music occasionally interrupted by bursts of rhythmical sequencer work. The track closes to the sounds of a beautiful crystalline Jarre-like synth melody that takes over with an emotion-fuelled theme, followed by more Jarre style rhythms and swishing effects and a new take on the main melody line.

‘Earth’ is the second longest track on ‘Hotel Orbital’ and it opens with yet more Jarre-like sounds and effects set against a huge sea of spacey string-synth textures, then a the two-minute mark a sombre synth melody line smoothly rolls over the evolving cosmic soundscape and twinkles in the sky like a far off star.
As the five-minute mark approaches a fantastic melodic/rhythmic passage starts up that’s a bit like Andy Pickford in Spaghetti Western mode meeting Hank Marvin of the SHADOWS playing together some long lost, mega-melodic and catchy Shads single over a driving, pulsating and infectious sequencer riff. As it passes the six-minute mark the track picks up a fantastic flowing groove that is highly hypnotic, and then there’s a dramatic change just past the seven-minute mark where sequencers and all manner of effects converge to form a rhythmic backdrop for a new and rather addictive Pickford-esque melody line to fly over. All that is followed by more Jarre-effects that build in to what can only be described as a wall of space brass and waves of gorgeous Mellotron-like melody, and that takes the track, and the album to it’s final magical moments.

Conclusion: Sven Lendt seems to have struck that perfect balance between a modern approach to “electronic music”, the French and British melody makers, and the more traditional sequencer driven “Berlin School” brigade.
Like early Jean-Michel Jarre, who’s early work has clearly had a massive influence on Lendt’s music, here seems to be a synth musician with a mindset geared toward the perfect marriage of spacey/cosmic background sounds and effects that compliment an equally balanced range of driving rhythms and infectious melodies.
Without any doubt ‘Hotel Orbital’ is an album I can heartily recommend to CDS Towers’ synth music fans who loved the “Dysons”, “Pickfords” and “Jarres” of the 90’s “Electronic Music” scene.

SVEN LENDT: HOTEL ORBITAL Track List:

01. Hotel Orbital (7:20)
02. Air (7:26)
03. Berlin (5:04)
04. Sungate (6:56)
05. Hotel Orbital Symphonie (17:12)
06. Earth (12:04)

TPT – 56:14