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Wolfgang Voigt’s most fundamental (and foreboding) release under his alias GAS and perhaps of all in his untold discography – finally stands alone once again and is released in the way its original splendour.

The second of Gas albums released, Zauberberg is stylistically uniform whereas its predecessor, Gas (1996), is stylistically varied. The uniformity of the music is key, for this is ambient music and the sustained motifs and sounds enhance the overall mood, which - taking a cue from the album title, which is the title of a novel by Thomas Mann and which translates to "Magic Mountain" in English -- could be described as mysterious and ominous, though one's sense tends to be subjective when considering music as evocative as this. The tracks tend to carry on for extended periods of time -- anywhere from six to 14 minutes -- and aren't structured as songs but rather as soundscapes, and though there are melodies and rhythms to be heard within these soundscapes, they're minimal and often fleeting. 

Though this narcotic symphony is not the first release under the GAS moniker, Zauberberg is the first to disclose the true nature of Wolfgang Voigt’s unified sound and ideology as GAS. Layers of ominous intensity supported by muffled kick drums as classical music loops incessantly swirl with no direction, Zauberberg is the definitive GAS album and a perfect starting point for those not familiar with his music.

Taken on its own terms, Zauberberg is a remarkable album that all serious aficionados of ambient techno should hear; not only is it among the most accomplished works of Voigt, who is one of the true legends of German techno, but it set the standard for ambient techno going forward, most notably setting the stage for Kompakt's popular series of Pop Ambient releases as well as subsequent Gas albums. — (via AllMusic, Bandcamp)

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Label: Kompakt
Format: 3 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 180g
Country: Germany
Reissued: 2019 / Original Release: 1997
Genre: Electronic
Style: Modern Classical, Techno, Ambient

File under: Ambient / Experimental / IDM
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