Pyrolator – Inland

Read all you like, this the short review .and all you need. If you got the vinyl, it’s impossible to find out What ‘s A or B? Same sticker on both sides. However , track 5 on one of the sides got a Nice song, just like YMO (Japan) on the second side, track 2, almost proto house. Track 4 another Ok instrumental. (Instr. Lp all over) this is an lp for the archives, no matter how «important» it is.

you know... it is not so easy to discribe what is it about this record... but it is unbelievable great and human... there is no better ... it is being far abroad and being here .. very intelligent and very stupid.. but nevertheless it is genial

I wish I could be more optimistic regarding this record, but knowing about and loving some of Der Plan's work, "Inland" I find exceptionally boring for being too conceptual. Not that this, Pyrolator's protest instrumental solo record should have sounded anywhere near his basic experimental group, but with all due respect, "Inland" seems way too overrated. Some will definitely find this noise and sequencer-tracks of interest (and they definitely should), but for some reason "Inland" sounds like a record that anybody could have done at the time - and eventually, couldn't care less about the results just the same.

Sometimes it takes years to understand the real importance of a record (or any other work). An importance, that probably can not be seen at the date of release. The reasons for this are complex and will surely open up a philosophical debate. Anyway, this is another example for this phenomenom. To understand why, a few things need to be said at the beginning:
First: This is not a New Wave record, its just an album made late 70`s (and I`m not ignoring the influences here).
Second: This is not just an instrumental version of Geri Reig by Der Plan, which was recorded just a few month later.
Third: This is not a pop record. And no Kraftwerk.
So what is it, that makes it so special ?
Its not the music you hear, which really is not that different to any other records made at that time. Thinking of Conrad Schnitzer`s or Asmus Tietchens` work of that period . No. One can say, "Inland" is a quite traditionell record in of electronic music in general. There are noisy tracks, sequencer tracks that reminds of late "Peter Baumann", typical "Der Plan" sounds and "Cluster" influenced pieces.
But its one , or maybe the first record of electronic music released on a small independent label, combining not only the spirit of the late 70`s, but also the history of german electronic music, which was basically either Hippie or an art thing at that time. Exception Kraftwerk of course. But that`s another story.

One of the most important releases of german New Wave, illustrating a whole epoch. Unmissable piece.