Hans-Joachim Roedelius

CD version. "Offene Türen is a purely electronic album. Without losing himself in their infinite tonal possibilities, Roedelius delights in playing a selection of synthesizers. He even deploys an analog rhythm machine now and then to discreet effect. Roedelius takes great care to steer well clear of any cosmic fog or de-personalized abstractions. Nothing of the sort can be heard, as he focuses intensely and exclusively on the relationships of rhythm, harmony, and melody. Roedelius conjures up their delicate timbres on synthesizer with the greatest of ease. The seasoned electronic musician would have found similar results beyond the reach of his good old Farfisa organ. Offene Türen is an album of electronic chamber music and only someone with as sunny a disposition as Roedelius could be its composer and performer. Indeed, the unfettered Roedelius knew no artistic barriers in the early 1980s, following a turbulent period of personal upheaval amidst the musical revolution going on around him. He began to open up a brand new musical world, venturing forth with typical humility, as quietly and steadfastly as ever. Offene Türen marks a kind of threshold which Roedelius crosses in the moment of its inception: one foot in the glorious 1970s, the other already reaching into the uncharted future of the 1980s. Roedelius did not surrender his musical identity in the process, nor did he modify his inimitable artistic handwriting. Both had attained a level of complexity that perhaps he himself would have found surprising in earlier days. Those who have listened carefully to Roedelius both before and after Offene Türen will appreciate the album's significance. But even leaving such historical reminiscences aside, this music is incredibly vibrant and beautiful. Listening to it now is as great a pleasure as it was at the time of its creation. Clearly, Roedelius has always been an absolute master of timelessness." - Asmus Tietchens