Dreamfish :: 90s Classic Resurfaces

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Deep, shimmering, imbued with hope and tranquility, but also a certain darkness of the deep preventing any tilt into New Age excess, it mixes several ambient stylings to sonicize various aquatic states and movements.

(Re-)finding lost ambient works

February 7 2025. A date for the ambient-electronic head’s diary, it marks the pre-order launch of the re-release of ambient classic Dreamfish, Pete Namlook‘s collaboration with DJ Mixmaster Morris. Behind it a small Frankfurt-based label Silent State Recordings run by Nils Wortmann dedicated to (re-)finding lost ambient works by German electronic maven Namlook, whose master rights the label acquired in 2021.

The inaugural Dreamfish, a 1993 release on Namlook’s label FAX +49-69/450464, unveiled four immersive soundscapes (a second installment, Dreamfish II, was to follow in 1995). Initially a ltd. ed. release, making original copies highly sought after by collectors, the album has since had repeat reissues, gaining a cult following, the new vinyl ed. from Silent State set to be a definitive version.

An album that stands the test of time ::

At a time of ubiquitous Eurodance and Rave, the duo by-passed such earthly ‘delights’ to reach for the stars, resulting in an album that stands the test of time, with tracks ranging from 9+ to near-28 mins possessed of otherworldly dark-hued beauty. Deep, shimmering, imbued with hope and tranquility, but also a certain darkness of the deep preventing any tilt into New Age excess, it mixes several Ambient stylings to sonicize various aquatic states and movements.

Margin notes: “School of Fish”—a scene from the flotation tank’s cosier end with a 3-note synth earworm. “Hymn”—features Trance-y synth pad tropes, traces of most obvious signifiers of early 90s origins. “Fishology”—influenced by grandiose film scores (cf. Vangelis), the shortest, and darkest—albeit appealing, with discomfitingly alien pulse and atmo of robot chatter, invokes a perilous kind of deep, more ominous than calming. “Under Water”—a compelling 15+ mins of pure ambience, envelops with a heavy caliginous quality, chilly, recondite—foreshadowing isolationism and a later post-millenial drone strain of Ambient.

Follow the Dreamfish Bandcamp page for news of the pre-order launch. In the meantime some visuals to whet your appetites below.

Dreamfish pre-order launch is on 7th Feb 2025 on Silent State.

For the uninitiated, Pete Namlook (phonetic reversal of real surname, Kuhlmann), b. Nov 25 1960, Frankfurt, DE, was a pioneering ambient and electronic music composer/producer. In 1992 he founded the influential FAX +49-69/450464 label, which became a touchstone for Ambient/electronic music. He released numerous solo albums and collaborations with, inter alia, Klaus Schulze, Bill Laswell, Geir Jenssen (Biosphere), Richie Hawtin, Tetsu Inoue, Uwe Schmidt (Atom™), David Moufang (Move D), Gaudi and Amir Abadi (Dr. Atmo). He drew inspiration from such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Pink Floyd, Eberhard Weber, Miles Davis, Wendy Carlos, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Chopin. He had released 135 albums excl. re-releases and compilations by Aug 2005. He sadly passed away after a heart attack on Nov 8, 2012.