Few artists have a discography as lengthy as German synth-meister Robert Schroeder. Since his first release in 1979, he has become a stalwart of the electronic genre, releasing more than 30 albums that vary from ambient, to space, to almost trip hop. However, Schroeder definitely fits into the Berlin School that includes Klaus Schulze, to whom Schroeder's work will always be most compared.

Flavour of the Past is something of a departure for Schroeder, in that it's a compilation of work he's done for other markets, such as computer games, commercials, compilation CDs and synthesiser product demos. As such, it's the kind of mixed bag you'd expect, but fortunately, none of the tracks are as short as many soundtrack album compositions seem to be.

Some of the tracks on offer here are the typical electronic music one would expect from Schroeder. The warm and melodic Die Story der Final Legacy is one of those pieces that showcase Schroeder at his inventive and creative best. Others, such as the beautiful Just a Love Song are more sparse, ambient pieces. The Beat, on the other hand, has a definite 80s feel to it, which may or not be a good thing, depending on perspective. The floating Polarisation is probably the stand-out track; ambient, moving, beautiful, immersive and inventive.

The album succeeds because Schroeder writes compelling music, and is capable of creating pieces in many varying styles. The downside to this album is that, like many compilations of work for other sources, they are taken slightly out of context when put together in one package, and bounce around from one genre to another. As such, for the most part it's well-created if not always outstanding music, while at other times it's more background music, making for not a completely compelling and cohesive whole.