Neuland

Neuland started the way many long overdue projects do: with Paul Haslinger and Peter Baumann asking themselves, "Why isn't there anything out there like this?” In their case, that meant a deeply immersive debut album that’s respectful of their roots in Tangerine Dream but exists on its own astral plane.

The pair, both members of the iconic German electronic group Tangerine Dream during different eras, didn’t start talking about working together until Haslinger left the band and relocated to LA. Soon after setting up his own studio, he crossed paths with Baumann and immediately bonded with him over the parallels in their personal lives and musical career.

Far more restless than most ambient records, the pair's self-titled LP is both focused and freeing, alluding to everything from weightless grime melodies to windswept film scores. And while there are hints of many different modern artists here (Oneohtrix Point Never's sci-fi scapes, Zombi's prog nods, the mechanical animal melodies of Amon Tobin and Arca), Neuland is ultimately the sound of something entirely new.

"It all boils down to one word — transcendence," explains Baumann.