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Fri, Sep 10 2010

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Bert


	MA JA LE & JAMES JOHNSON - Live Under a Harvest Moon (cd-r)


	MAGIC SOUND FABRIC - Uplift Drift (cd)


	MARK MAHONEY - If Dreams were Clouds (cd-r)


	MAITREYA - .74 (cd)


	MAITREYA - From the Mothership (cd)


	MAITREYA - Telluric Waves (cd)


	MAKO - Forms of Life (cd)


	MAKO - In Other Regions (lp)


	MAKO - Meeting with the Sea (lp)


	MANK - Isbjorn (cd-r)


	MANTARAY - Numinous Island (cd)


	MARA'S TORMENT - MT96061 (cd-r)


	MARCONI UNION - A Lost Connection (cd-r)


	JON MARK - A Celtic Story (cd)


	JON MARK - Alhambra (cd)


	JON MARK - Land of Merlin (cd)


	JON MARK - The Standing Stones of Callanish (cd)


	DEBORAH MARTIN & CHERYL GALLAGHER - Tibet (cd)


	DEBORAH MARTIN & ERIK WøLLO - Between Worlds (cd)


	DEBORAH MARTIN & J. ARIF VERNER - Anno Domini (cd)


	DEBORAH MARTIN - Deep Roots, Hidden Water (remastered) (cd)


	MARTIN/KLAMT/ROWND - Convergence (cd)


	DAVID MICHAEL MATUCH - Before Reality (cd)


	MICHAEL MEARA - Abstractus Somnarium: Deep Space Meditations (cd-r)


	MICHAEL MEARA - The Last Days of Autumn (cd-r)


	MEGABYTE - Powerplay (cd)


	MEGATONE - Pure Land (cd-r)


	MEMORY GEIST - Funereal Cavern (cd)


	MARK MERCURY - Music from the Cycles of Spheres (cd)


	MARK MERCURY - Music of the Domes (cd)


	PETER MERGENER & KLAUS HOFFMANN-HOOCK - Visions of Asia (cd)


	PETER MERGENER - Creatures (cd)


	PETER MERGENER - Passage in Time (cd)


	BYRON METCALF, DASHMESH KHALSA & STEVE ROACH - Dream Tracker (cd)


	BYRON METCALF, MARK SELIG & STEVE ROACH - Nada Terma (cd)


	ROBERT BEAU MICHAELS - Dance of Ecstasy – Dance Music to free the spirit (cd-r)


	ROBERT BEAU MICHAELS - The Wasteland -music for an apocalyptic world- (cd-r)


	ROBERT BEAU MICHAELS - Zero Point –Music to Disappear in- (cd-r)


	MIND OVER MATTER - Indian Meditation (cd)


	MIND OVER MATTER - Indian Meditation II (cd)


	MIND OVER MATTER - On the Wings of the Wind (cd)


	MISTER VAPOR VS ALTUS - Falling Out Of Orbit (cd-r)


	MODULARWHITE - Alpa (cd)


	MODULARWHITE - Canada (cd-r)


	MON0 - Multifidus (cd-r)


	MON0 - Proficisci (cd-r)


	MONOLAKE - HongKong (cd)


	MOONBOOTER - Cosmoclimax (cd)


	MOONBOOTER - Orbit Number 2 (cd-r)


	MOONBOOTER - World of Apes 1 (cd)


	JAMES MURRAY - Where Edges Meet (cd)


	MYSTICAL SUN - Primordial Atmospheres (cd)


	MYTHOS - Gallery Concerts (cd)


	MYTHOS - Surround Sound Offensive (cd)


	MYTHOS - Unabsteigbar! (cd-r)

MEGABYTE
Powerplay
CD, Innovative Communications, 1987

This is, in my opinion, is one of the most peculiar electronic releases put out in the second half of the ’80s.
Megabyte are Billy Byte and Amanda Mega, but the actual musicians behind it is are are no other than Thilo Rex (who sadly passed away at the age of 51 in 2009) and Steven Töteberg respectively. The latter is also known from projects such as G.E.N.E and Quiet Force.

Well, on "Powerplay" Megabyte follows a adventurous but still accessible approach, beside a few psychedelic sidesteps. Sonically, their multi-faceted sound environment rides the edge of groovy sequencer lines, catchy percussion and warm, nicely layered melodic textures.

All elements that -one way or another- always have been the trademark of the music put out by Innovative Communications. The most appealing track by far is the catchy, up-beat and highly melodic title-track, which even gets an overhauled "Power-Mix" at the end of the album.
However, things are only taken into a more experimental/psychedelic but also fascinating realm on the 10-minute "Secret Destination (The Flight of Mathias Rust)", which I think is a bit tougher to appreciate.

Nevertheless, there’s a lot to like in the uninterrupted sonic and imaginative explorations that make up "Powerplay".