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REDSHIFT

Progressive Electronic • United Kingdom


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Redshift picture
Redshift biography
Founded in 1996 - Still active as of 2015

Electronic music (or the "EM factor"), which bases its major structure from the Berlin-school high classic achievement and, mostly, from the typical grandly considered artists of the genre, such as TANGERINE DREAM, SCHULZE and ASHRA, continues a long way into the modern and contemporary phase (and distractions), with a lot of particular changes and new-waves, but mostly with a good definition of synthesizing and ambientizing spiriting up the electronic art and also with solid attitudes of music and composition, that resemble the most evolved, persistant or popular adapted such electronic definitions. REDSHIFT can be considered, with all its Berlin-synthasy, neo-sound and dark ambiance, a band of modern sound and high common groove, having, nevertheless, a deep dish of influences and music arrangements, within the classic or modified electronic ideas and movements.

The founder of REDSHIFT is Mark SHREEVE, who in the mid-90s invited Julian Shreeve, Rob Jenkins and James Goddard to a full-adrenaline work of electronic modern sound music and art. Mark Shreeve was already famous by some succesful films scores, plus by a lot of late 80s typical solo projects, filled with ambience and with a sound of strange complexity. The band's sound evolved to use the analogue basic characters with a lot of combined digitality and tech-effects. A lot of live and studio works (done under healthy dreams of discovering and improving/improvising) managed to pull REDSHIFT into popular charts, but also into the experienced and relatively profound EM art spot. Much of the solid sequence, synth and sampling efforts lead to full Berlin-school impressions, though REDSHIFT also compared a lot of modern shrieks and new electronic values. The more progressive nuances arrive when all the influence can include some heavier elements by SCHULZE (instead of some NEU-rock and "kraft" tonalities) or some guitar-work, much like PINK FLOYD in a marooned way.

REDSHIFT finally explores its most lucid art and sound-machine manner through a lot of modern and traditional, atmospherical or cibernetic, analog or digital, sound-sapient or mood-ambitious creation. The biggest styles, chalked by already eight major albums and some extra released material, brings good combinations of dark ambient, cosmic textures, new-atmosphere themes, guitar-keyboard melodism (styled ...
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REDSHIFT discography


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REDSHIFT top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.42 | 14 ratings
Redshift
1996
3.78 | 12 ratings
Ether
1998
3.25 | 9 ratings
Down Time
1999
2.54 | 9 ratings
Halo
2002
4.67 | 3 ratings
Wild
2002
2.46 | 9 ratings
Oblivion
2004
4.50 | 7 ratings
Turning Towards Us
2008
4.08 | 7 ratings
Life To Come
2015

REDSHIFT Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.50 | 7 ratings
Redshift IV - Siren
2000
4.40 | 5 ratings
Redshift VI - Faultline
2002
4.08 | 7 ratings
Redshift VIII - Toll
2006
4.04 | 7 ratings
Redshift IX - Last
2007
4.80 | 6 ratings
Colder
2011

REDSHIFT Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

REDSHIFT Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.50 | 6 ratings
Wild 2
2006
4.33 | 3 ratings
Wild 3
2009

REDSHIFT Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

REDSHIFT Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Turning Towards Us by REDSHIFT album cover Studio Album, 2008
4.50 | 7 ratings

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Turning Towards Us
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by Gnq

5 stars 5-stars; no hesitation. Violent and beautiful. A masterpiece of Prog. Shreeve takes his EM on a parallel universe journey, an alternative inheritor of Berlin '76. Play loud, play very loud. Upset your neighbours. Marvellous.

I have been a fan of Redshift since the eponymous first release nailed Tangerine Dream's 'Rubycon' for those of us who mourned the demise of Froese, Franke and Baumann's invention. Where that first album bathed in nostalgia and hero worship, by the time of 'Turning Towards Us', Mark Shreeve had so inhabited the landscape his heroes created that he can paint new masterpieces with the pallet; exploring structures that are evolved, not derivative.

Maybe you have to love 'Rubycon' to get it, so perhaps start there; then hang on to your seat for the whirlwind ride that is 'Turning Towards Us'.

 Colder by REDSHIFT album cover Live, 2011
4.80 | 6 ratings

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Colder
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by UncleRust

5 stars Cold, but not silent. Far away, but not forgotten. From the first small melody played on electric piano, Sister Moon is darkly captivating.

Moog sequencers like TD collide with deep, angry, almost Industrial sounding bass tones hurtled towards synth string sounds playing something like what you might hear from Dead Can Dance in the mid-1980s.

The shifts in tone, timbre, and pace all very natural while the instrumentation is very far from being organic. Indeed, very far from being easing. There will be no new age ambience here. No, flute sounds here mean business, the kind that you won't forget.

Sirens wail, relentless and solemn. Troops march from the darkness into a calm landscape, but that refuge could only last so long. There is still so much to explore.

Here the whole is certainly greater than any individual part of this 1 hour piece of music.

Derivative? Absolutely, and shamelessly done too. This is space music greatly improved, but owing so much to the musical form invented by the electro-pioneers of the 1970s.

This is progressive; this is a masterpiece. 5 stars.

 Redshift by REDSHIFT album cover Studio Album, 1996
3.42 | 14 ratings

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Redshift
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars If the debut album by Redshift has a flaw, it's that it accomplishes its goals too easily and shows little ambition to exceed them. Redshift play Berlin School-style progressive electronic music in the style of early Klaus Schulze or mid- 1970s Tangerine Dream, and they certainly hit the nail right on the head - but precisely because they are so beholden to that style, they don't do very much that's original or different with it, and nor do they give the impression that they were especially trying to. It's a fun album highly recommended to anyone who can't get enough of this style, but at the same time if you aren't keen on Phaedra-era Tangerine Dream you probably wouldn't enjoy it very much.
 Life To Come by REDSHIFT album cover Studio Album, 2015
4.08 | 7 ratings

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Life To Come
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by BrufordFreak
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Redshift is a Berlin School-influenced electronica band from the United Kingdom that was founded by Mark Shreeve and originally was made up of five collaborating artists but has been pared down to a solo act. Life to Come is Mark's first Redshift album since 2008. His often unsettling music ranges from almost techno-rave to horror soundtrack music. Along with driving computer-sequenced rhythm tracks the music is often quite busy with sound effect incidentals--like Halloween scare music. It is also often quite evocative--even imitative--of old TANGERINE DREAM music.

Five star songs: 2. "Vampyre" (11:39) (9/10); 3. "Mission Creep" (8:48) (9/10); 4. "Bloom" (5:31) (10/10), and; 5. "Slam" (12:59) (10/10).

Four star songs: 1."Soft Summer Rain" (10:17) (8/10); 6. "Circling Above" (8:25) (8/10), and; "Life to Come" (6:13) (8/10).

 Redshift by REDSHIFT album cover Studio Album, 1996
3.42 | 14 ratings

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Redshift
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by Modrigue
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Tangerine Dose

3.5 stars

Can't get enough of vintage 70's TANGERINE DREAM music? More specifically, their 'golden' mid-seventies era with Peter Baumann? Do you own the "Bootleg Box Set Volume 1"? Then "Redshift" is the place for you! Entirely synthesized, the music features good old long pulsing and hypnotic sequences, pretty much in the style of the well-known trio. But, surprisingly, although released in 1996, during the electronic revolution of the nineties, the sonorities and ambiances sound really identical to the TD of 1974-1975. Apart from a cleaner sound quality, there are no genuine will of modernization or innovation, the band could have realized these tracks back in the days.

To make it simple, the title track is clearly a cousin of the 1975 album Rubycon. An atmospheric mysterious opening, followed by trippy deep and meditative sequences. Everything is here, even the beautiful contemplative ending ' la POPOL VUH, again like TANGERINE DREAM in the first half of the 70's. In fact, these 19 minutes could have been part of an improvised TD concert, a very good one, deserving to be selected for the great "Bootleg Box Set Volume 1" compilation. The best piece of the record.

The two short tracks do unfortunately not stand the comparison. "Spin" is spacey but not varied enough and tends to become a little repetitive. Despite its name, "Shine" is rather threatening and oppressive. Consider it as a lost track from "Sorcerer". The other long suite, "Blueshift", resembles this time the eponymous track of TD's "Phaedra", especially its first half, however more accessible than the original. The second half begins with experimental bizarre sounds... for the seventies. Then comes the slow and contemplative floating passage, and... 10 minutes of heartbeat. The organ-dominated ending wakes you up quite abruptly and is finally not very useful. The overall suite is cool but could have been shortened to 20 minutes.

Want your TANGERINE DREAM dose? Here it is. The recipe book from 1974-1975 is perfectly executed. Close your eyes and you'll be there. Nothing more, nothing less. The very nice long compositions are truly the main interest of the disc. Not original, but well done.

This first effort from REDSHIFT should please classic electronic Berlin School and Froese/Franke/Baumann's lovers.

 Ether by REDSHIFT album cover Studio Album, 1998
3.78 | 12 ratings

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Ether
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by Guldbamsen
Special Collaborator Retired Admin

4 stars Nectarine Fiend

A tale of fan-boys turning into the very image of their adoration pt. 4.

Somewhere in the midst of this album I completely lost myself, time and whatever loose ties I had to the surrounding world. I entered a state of delightful bewilderment, - some bizarre scuba diving scene with myself in the leading role swimming deeper and deeper into the coral blue abyss, where the waters are illuminated in star glistened shimmering surfaces. Diamonds of sound for lack of a better wording - opening up an alien universe of fluid and luscious atmospheres.

Starting with a monster of a live track, this album from British group Redshift is by far the best I've heard from the modern Tangerine Dream heir takers. Sure, like other reviewers here have mentioned, you could be fooled into believing that this is a bootleg concert of Froese and co from around the time Rubycon saw the light of day, but then again, I think Ether shows true and original signs of an album come to life under its own circumstances and settings. Yes, the inspiration is there, the modular synthesizers, towering mellotron sculptures of ice, tweaking sputtering sequencers - all of those familiar trademarks are all featured in full force as well, relegating that oh so seductive and watery vibe to the music..... Yet there is something here hiding underneath the embers of the old TD fire - something futuristic - it shines through in every facet of the music colouring the proceedings in a modern lighting that continues to draw attention to itself, rather than having the insistent stubborn old electronic fans focusing on all the stuff that brings to mind, a band that pioneered almost everything in regards to the genre. I'm not entirely sure, if this is because of the smooth guitar stylings of Rob Jenkins that add a touch of the symphonic and bombastic - especially during the latter part of the final live track, where you could swear you were listening to a distant brother of Shine on you Crazy Diamond, - or if it's the omnipresent crabbing myriad of synth patterns and hypnotic segments of sequencer that together conjures up images of a huge electronic symphony with a hundred different voices coming from all directions at once, whilst never yelping, yelling or screaming on top of each other. Everything seems democratically orchestrated, and this from a band that only counts 4 lads....

The middle studio tracks are also of high quality, and I especially adore Bombers In The Desert for it's menacing throbbing bass thumps that catapult the track forth - into the desert on the wings of warmongering planes. Very easy to imagine this music as the soundtrack for a future desert bloodshed.

Just like the previous review I did, there is no real distinctions between the live tracks and the studio ones. The band very elegantly move and weave within the same swirling hypnotising sound appearances, and apart from the inspiring applauds coming on now and again, you wouldn't know those two epic pieces of music were recorded in front of a live audience. The thing is, that while a huge portion of prog fans currently are digging the feel of the old time classics - hoping to revive the same sort of sound with the artists' on board usage of mellotrons, analogue synths and whatnot, - people seem to forget how colossal these things are. Not to mention how heavy and unhandy they are to carry around. It costs a small fortune catering these wonderful tools of sound, which is why you often get these 'mixed' albums from Redshift. These guys are not millionaires in any way, shape or form. Almost every time this band performs live, they publish an album.

Now one could very easily say this sort of dilemma has everything to do about finance, and while that maybe true in a minuscule and very uninteresting way, - it's still the output here that deserves all of your attention. Trust me. Can you imagine having to be in the moment - instantly - be inspired, imaginative - totally into what you have to do - that ever so rare live concert, freeform improv electronics with no real bearings other than what your fellow astronauts are giving off.... Can you imagine that? - And then time and again delivering music that is so awe inspiring and stunning.... To me personally, it's proof of the human spirit in one of its most beautiful forms. 4.5 stars.

 Redshift by REDSHIFT album cover Studio Album, 1996
3.42 | 14 ratings

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Redshift
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by colorofmoney91
Prog Reviewer

3 stars '90s take on classic Berlin school style electronic music with subtle touches that make the difference.

Redshift's debut, self-titled album has all of the electronic grandeur as Tangerine Dream's classic era and the epic progression of Klaus Schulze's classic era, but with slightly improved production quality. To be honest, Redshift does kind of sound like a long lost Tangerine Dream album that's been remastered, but that doesn't dampen the value of this album at all.

Much like Tangerine Dream and Schulze's music, all of Redshift follows their standard of epic track length Berlin school synth exploration put to a propelling beat that drives each track towards its finish line. What makes this album different are the breaks during some of the tracks that make way for very deep, empty, and galactic sounding voids that display a kind of malicious beauty. It may not sound like much, but it works well in contrast with the powerful kraut beats that break off right before. The progressions and developments in each track have a much more immediate or urgent than found in Redshift's earlier German inspirations, and some portions of these tracks take an imperial turn and become nearly symphonic. Beyond this, I'd say Redshift is very nocturnal, sounding rather dark but in a glimmering moonlight kind of way.

Fans of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze's classic eras, and even fans of Kraftwerk's more progressive works, should find Redshift very enjoyable. Not essential, but could prove to be a refreshing quencher for people who already have all of Tangerine Dream's best albums.

 Redshift by REDSHIFT album cover Studio Album, 1996
3.42 | 14 ratings

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Redshift
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by Roj
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars I am a huge fan of electronic music, both of the type that one finds here on PA and also modern electronica/IDM, a genre which I also find to be truly progressive.

Redshift had escaped my attention but the reviews here took my eye and after sampling some tracks I took the plunge. I was not disappointed. Of the four albums I have thus far, this is probably my favourite.

As a big fan of the 1970s halcyon days of Tangerine Dream, I couldn't fail to be impressed by Redshift. Using the old 70s analogue technology, they have produced music very much in the vein of TD. It is clear they too are big fans. However, for my money some of the material on Redshift is superior to that of their predecessors. I am sure some will be horrified to read this, but it is true. Some may find them to be wholly derivative, and the influence is clear, but such is the quality of the music offered, I am totally enveloped. This is wonderful stuff, almost like a missing TD album from 1975. It really is that good. And the even better news is that whilst with TD we were lucky to get 35 minutes of music on an album, Redshift clocks in at well over an hour.

As for the structure of the album, we have two long pieces bookending the album with two shorter pieces in the middle. Redshift the opener is not far off 20 minutes in length, full of ethereal mellotron and classic pulsing sequencers. Fabulous stuff, and as Russellk has pointed out, not too far away from Phaedra. The closing Blue Shift is out of this world for the first quarter hour, truly wonderful stuff. However the last ten minutes or so consists of a heartbeat, and loses its impact for me.

The two shorter pieces, Spin and Shine are simply amazing. I would struggle to find anything within this entire genre to compete with the quality of these two tracks. The most stunning atmospherics you could ever hope to hear. The combination of mellotron and sequencer on Spin is simply awe inspiring. Listen to Shine with headphones on and sail away into the cosmos. If you are a fan of electronic prog, give these a listen and you will see what I mean. A TD fan's ultimate dream.

I am sorely tempted to go for 5 stars here. Wholly original or not, this is a work of the very highest calibre. The last ten minutes or so of Blueshift does detract a little from the overall though. 4.5 stars would be about right. Totally recommended.

This band is prodigious in output and I have another dozen or so albums from Redshift to get. I plan to enjoy the journey!

 Ether by REDSHIFT album cover Studio Album, 1998
3.78 | 12 ratings

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Ether
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by stonebeard

4 stars It's way too late for a proper review, so I'll knock this out fast. It's not like I really have to go into much detail anyway.

Hokay.

Ether is a long-lost Tangerine Dream album from sometime between Phaedra and Rubycon, with the production values and clarity of Up the Downstair/The Sky Moves Sideways era Porcupine Tree. Essentially, this is a Tangerine Dream album, and you should be happy it exists. Of course, is it a compliment to say that this album is essentially 20 years absent from current times and happenings? Well, heheh, that's something prog fans grapple with a lot. How many times can you listen to the same album, tweaked here and there or put out by a fresh artist? (Hopefully I don't need to say Ether is a ripoff. No, perhaps a tribute album of original content and of the highest quality is a better way of putting it). It's hard to gauge the vlaue of an album like this. Does it add anything new? Mmm...nothing I can think of. Is it entertaining? To me, phenomenally. How many licks does it take to get to the center of it? Between 7 and God I really need to go to sleep....

As a die-hard Tangerine Dream fan of all eras and shifts in personnel, I love this album. Some may question what the point of getting it is if it doesn't add anything terribly new. Well, sometime you find yourself scrolling through your music library on your computer (don't tell me you still use CD racks and shelves? CNN just made a fake hologram for the election coverage. Get with the program!) and you think, Hmm. Rubycon or Ether? They're both equally good, but differing in movements and timbres and I happen to think Ether has more going on (it packs quite a punch), so *shrugs* why not give Ether a spin? Maybe you want something a little clearer, slightly less mystical. Go for it!

If you're a die-hard Tangerine Dream fan, buy it!

If you're a prog electronic fan, look into it!

If it's 3:30 AM, don't suddenly get inspiration for reviews!!!

 Redshift IX - Last by REDSHIFT album cover Live, 2007
4.04 | 7 ratings

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Redshift IX - Last
Redshift Progressive Electronic

Review by russellk
Prog Reviewer

4 stars There's something ominous in this live album's title, sort of like PINK FLOYD's 'The Final Cut'. Their last album? On the evidence presented here, I hope not.

'Tormentor' is exactly as advertised, a house of horrors to chill the blood. Discordant synths and liquid percussion suggest dark corridors, and the faint shrieks reinforce the message. The sequencer introduces a hypnotic, repetitive motif after 5:30, drawing us into a splendidly powerful section at the 12 minute mark. Very convincing, this. Right up there with anything TANGERINE DREAM ever manufactured. Why not make 'soulless' electronic music as disturbing and unsettling as this? After a dark segue, the title track tinkles into life without quite the purpose one would hope. It does build gradually, its timbre generally more upbeat than the first two tracks, though still with some discordant elements. To my mind it's the weakest track on the album, but still an enjoyable listen.

A short segue and on to the album's premier track. 'Damage' is just superb, a multi-faceted beast deserving of a far wider audience than it will get. Oddly, there's a final track after the well-deserved audience applause. An encore, perhaps? Nice enough, but it detracts from the impact 'Damage' has as an album closer.

Fans of electronic music really ought to hunt this and its predecessor 'Toll' out and give them both a listen. They offer sophistication, drama and genuinely excellent musical moments. REDSHIFT's 'last' album? My fingers are crossed they make many more of this calibre.

Thanks to Ricochet for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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