Eden - Aura (1979) {2018, Reissue}

Eden is a French duo: Hubert Vrayance, who composed the music (Hammond organ, bass pedals, synthesizers, vocals) and Allan Lys (drums, congas, percussions). Eden released one album in (1979). The music of the duo was a Symphonic/Electronic affair with many Classical and symphonic elements, propelled by the solid drumming of Lyss, thus their sound often closed the more symphonic side of Progressive Rock.The main man though here is Vrayance and his dual keyboard deliveries with a varied sound and a unique atmosphere, going from Baroque period to psychedelic textures.His approach on romantic and sensitive arrangements comes close to the sound of LE ORME or 80's German oddity OCEAN, mixing the power of a Classical-influenced organ execution with the floating sound of synthesizers.They kind of remind me also of TRIUMVIRAT and SCHICKE, FUHRS & FROHLING quite often, the display of dramatic, Classical keyboard arrangements with the rhythmic drumming and the changes between melancholic orchestrations to more powerful and grandiose themes is pretty rewarding.Side A provides the more Classical side of the duo with the inventive use of organ next to the solina string and the synths, while the second is a bit more quirky and Electronic-drenched, still offering some pretty fast and accurate drumming, but the music becomes more abstract and updated with the solina string and the synths becoming the centerpieces of a more cinematic but still very dynamic sound. Classical- and symphonic-oriented Electronic Prog in the vein of SCHICKE, FUHRS & FROHLING, swirling around rich, keyboard rhythms and more romantic soundscapes with a Baroque flavor. Nice and recommended stuff. ~ Prog Archives