The 1970s was an interesting time for music. Although electronic music was at the time not really popular, the beginnings of the future of electronic music can be found in releases such as this one. Let’s take the time to listen to this album, and we will see if it is up to scratch or not.

We kick off with the title track Phaedra which begins with an interesting intro, with some discordant sounds here. The whole thing sounds very outer space like. It is an incredibly good introduction, and some digital sounds then commence. Straight away, you will easily love this if you dig any form of electronic music. A wonderful and epic listen, this is amazing and original sounding music. The ghostly proto Techno sound that is here is really top. It has some proto Acid sounds in it as well. A really great piece of sonic listening. The Acid sound re-emerges here, and we have various original sound effects floating in and out of the track. A brilliant and effective piece of music, it is totally enjoyable. There is a looped guitar part here, which is muted. Once it begins, we have some more interesting riffs here enter, along with more spacey sounds. A great bunch of delayed and interesting textures are here. This is the sort of music one can easily close their eyes and relax to. Some interesting guitar parts (a bit louder this time) then enter, which are really nice delayed. This is groundbreaking and extraordinary music, especially considering it was made way back in 1974. Some darker and grittier sounds emerge shortly after that. There is also seemingly a hypnotic nature to this music. If this is the answer to the best of Progressive Rock as the question to what might be the electronic equivalent, look no further. The guitar riffs then get higher and higher pitched in the mix, until they are seemingly an octave higher. Before long, they disappear into oblivion. This piece then goes quiet and subtle, with some far-out spacey sounds again. It shortly goes into a section with what sounds like electronic bird noises, before some ethereal sounds enter, which is nice. Beautiful, amazing and artistic, this is a true gem of music. This piece puts all your modern EDM favourites aside for a greater and more natural-sounding journey. Beautiful, fresh and a grand journey, this is a great piece of soul searching music. Brilliant listening, this is superb, although there is a hint of melancholy in the melodies towards the end of this piece. It goes quiet towards the end, before going into some strange noises of kids screaming. Weird to finish like that. Great tune though.

Next is Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares which has some violins, to begin with, along with some beautiful wind style noises. It then goes into a largely string-driven piece that sounds really beautiful and lovely. Remember, this was released in 1974. An amazing beauty and talent are here for listening. A grand yet lovely statement, this is really top music. It is very much like Classical music meets the best electronic soundscapes out there. The string section floats in and out of consciousness. Very nice listening, a true classic this album is. In the middle of this piece, some cut up melodies are here which are really fascinating to hear, along with more string-based melodies. A great and soothing piece of music. Some watery style sounds enter, along with the whooshing wind that returns. The different melodies float in and out of consciousness. Eventually, towards the end, the piece becomes more minimal. Towards the end, the piece finishes off with the wind, which sounds majestic. Great piece of music.

Movements Of A Visionary begins with some interesting vocal sounds with loads of effects on them. It is really well done and sounds quite cool. This continues for some time before some other spacey sounds begin to enter. Some more pulsating spacey sounds begin to enter. This is a really cool and fascinating sound that is different. Some racing melodies then enter, showcasing this tune and amazing album. An organ sound that is heavily processed then enters, and this piece gets going. Some more Pink Floyd style sounds then enter, and we have a wonderful piece of music that sounds awesome. Some eerie sounds are throughout this piece but are just as good as what came before. Wonderful keyboard melodies are here to put competitors in the music field to shame. Towards the end, there are some pacing percussive electronic sounds throughout. Excellent music, all the way to the fade-out, which has birds and other nature style sounds here.

Sequent ‘C’ is the very last piece here and sounds dark and odd. Its melodies are otherworldly, yet seem dystopian at the same time. Nonetheless, this is the finish of this great album, and although this last track sounds unsettling, it does not drag the album down. Great effort. Some great sonic sounds are here. A great piece of music.

This is an absolute classic and a totally underrated album, not just from its time, but today as well. This shows what some people can do if they have the correct musical knowledge and artistry about them, and deliver a solid artistic product. Highly recommended for electronic music fans, go listen to this today.

Outstanding.

9/10