synthforever OMG, this is just over the top gorgeous!!!Incredibly rich with multiple layers of wonderful sequences, filled with intertwining beautiful elements that cannot be described in words, just so very enjoyed and felt, I am blown away by this one, just had to have it. Greetings from Los Angeles,USA, I would so love to get to be at one of your amazing concerts!!! :-)))))

Reviews:

This is my favorite Detlef Keller solo album to date. The obvious sequel to The Other Face, this continues the track listings from that with "Face Three," "Face Four," and "Face Five," fairly lengthy excursions in to all things Teutonic. The opening movement is soaring strings and pads for a while, followed by the first very nice sequence at the 6:00 mark. Less than a minute into it, it changes timbre, becoming more sharply defined. The lush pads swell again, but by now the hypnotic sequencer layers have taken over. The pace is energetic yet relaxed. As we reach 9:00, the loops are more densely layered still, and the overall effect is gripping. The intensity keeps building, with a very Jarre-like character as far as the very active sequencing. Various elements in the sonic mélange slowly begin dropping off, leaving the main sequence to fend largely for itself for a time, and it does so quite ably. Just as it seems the energy will never fade, it does entering the eighteenth minute, the sequence dropping back out entirely as floating atmospherics take center stage. A lead line straight out of vintage era TD or Schulze comes to bear, a nice simple synth solo that fits, never over the top. The last couple of minutes tease the listener into figuring out exactly when the end will come, and after nearly 27 luxurious minutes, it finally does. "Face Four" is the "short" track at just under 13 minutes, and thus gets underway with the opening sequence immediately, without fanfare. The strings are added in short order, as is another strong synth lead line. Within four minutes, we're up and running again with a great mid-tempo piece that combines different electronic elements beautifully. The energy is more restrained here than in the very rapid-fire first number, but it is just an enjoyable if not more so. There is never a doubt at any moment in this CD that the music is unabashedly synthetic and electronic, and that suits me just fine. The final track is longest at just under a half hour, the most classic Schulze-like passage yet. Fat Moog solos slowly meander for the first minutes, not unlike my favorite KS works like Body Love Vol. 2. While this goes on, a slow pulsing sequence gets creased in to the mix of things. Still, this is the total chill-out track of the bunch, one that patiently finds its way to where it wants to go, enjoying the journey as much as the destination. It remains cool and low-key to the end, a sublime understated finish to a great CD.
(C) 2003 Phil Derby / Electroambient Space

This shouldn't be confused with the similarly sounding 'The Other Face'. That album contained Faces one and two. This one has faces three through to five. Its all new music. Dramatic but rather breathy pads get the third part of the series underway. Intense stabs of energy add some excitement but there is also a rather sad tenderness there. I suppose it has a certain epic, almost cinematic quality. The mood changes somewhat in the fifth minute as a rapid sequence starts up and the overall feel becomes rather retro. The sequence mutates over mellotron sounds. More pulsations are added to create an exciting bubbling brew. There is a strong melodic quality in the way the sequences develop and react to each other. 70's Tangerine Dream is the obvious reference but I also heard hints of Schmoelling and Schroeder. In the eighteenth minute the sequences start to wind down, lovely thick windy pads mixing with more mellotron sounds. The beauty is heightened still further with the introduction of a lonesome melancholy lead line.Its a lovely track mixing emotional maturity with energetic exuberance. 'Face Four' begins with a high register melodic loop to which are added more windy pads and another slow melancholy lead line. An excellent deep sequence slowly builds in the background adding a growling menace to the sadness. The temptation is resisted for it to come surging to the surface instead its bass rumble is used to emphasise a feeling of darkness and loss. A similar mood continues through to 'Face Five'. This time however things take a decidedly 70s Schulzian turn. String pads, lead lines and then a slow sequence are deployed one after the other all typical from this period of his work. I can't get enough of this sort of music and as a result its my favourite track from the disc. It all becomes rather hypnotic, the pace being rather stately. Various leads are deployed sounding more mysterious than flashing. A second sequence compliments the first and the Mellotron is again deployed at just the right moments. Things sound even more like Klaus Schulze than before. I close my eyes and can see him playing live cross legged on the floor. With just over ten minutes to go the sequences subside and we now float on thick pads, gentle lead lines meandering over the top. And that's how we finish Detlef's most retro sounding solo album to date. (DL)

Deze mag niet verward worden met de gelijkaardig klinkende 'The Other Face'. Dat album bevatte Faces one en two. Deze heeft Faces 3 tot 5 en het is allemaal nieuwe muziek. Dramatisch maar vrij fluitende tapijtjes openen het derde deel van deze reeks. Een energieke klankmuur geeft opwinding, toch blijft er een gevoel van triestheid. Het heeft ook een verhalende, bijna cinematografische kwaliteit. De stemming verandert wat rond de vijfde minuut wanneer er een snelle sequence bijkomt, het wordt vrij retro klinkend. De sequence muteert met Melotronklanken. Nog meer pulsen komen erbij tot het geheel een lekker bubbelend geheel wordt. De sequences evolueren en reageren op elkaar op een erg melodische manier. De referentie is duidelijk TD jaren 70, doch hoorde ik ook hints naar Schmoeling en Schroeder. Rond de achttiende minuut neemt de sequence af en komen er dikke winderige tapijten in de mix, gemengd met Melotronklanken. De schoonheid wordt nog verder aangedikt door de introductie van een eenzame melancholische sololijn. Het is een mooi stuk dat emotionele volwassenheid toont met een energieke weelderigheid. "Face Four" begint met een hoge melodische loop waaraan meer winderige paden en een andere trage melodische solo worden toegevoegd. Een geweldige diepe sequence komt langzaam opzetten in de achtergrond en voegt een groeiende dreiging toe aan de droefheid. De verleiding om naar de oppervlakte te komen wordt weerstaan, hij verhoogt enkel het gevoel van donker en leegte. Een gelijkaardige stemming ook bij "Face Five", deze keer met een zeker Schulziaans gevoel. Strings, solo's en een trage sequence worden na elkaar ingezet, typisch voor de stijl van een bepaalde periode uit zijn werk. Van dit soort muziek kan ik niet genoeg krijgen, dit wordt dus mijn favoriete track van de CD. Het wordt vrij hypnotiserend, de snelheid blijft echter constant. Verschillende solo's komen na elkaar, meer mysterieus klinkend dan flitsend. Een tweede sequence vergezelt de eerste en de Melotron wordt weer ingezet op de juiste momenten. Ik sluit mijn ogen en zie hem nog live spelen, zijn benen kruislings op de vloer. Met nog tien minuten te gaan, verdwijnen de sequences en we zweven weg op dikke tapijten en erover bewegende sololijnen. En zo eindigen we Detlef's meest retroklinkende album tot nu toe. (DL)