Name: Der Prophet
Brand: Rolf Trostel

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

bb232

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2016-08-05

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Shellshock

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

4015698005240

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Rolf Trostel

Genre GB

Krautrock

Label GB

Bureau B

Bureau B is an independent record label, music publisher, and booking agency based in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 2005 by Gunther Buskies as a sister label to Tapete Records, Bureau B specializes in releasing a diverse range of electronic and avant-garde music. With a focus on reissues and new productions, the label has built an extensive catalogue that includes iconic albums from the Krautrock genre of the 1970s and early 1980s. They also release recordings by influential artists such as Die Wilde Jagd, Kreidler, Toulouse Low Trax, and more.

Known for their commitment to preserving classic electronic music, Bureau B has been rereleasing albums from renowned artists like Cluster, Faust, Moebius, Roedelius, Plank, Schickert Schnitzler Tietchens Tyndall. In addition to these reissues, they also release works by similar artists including Blenner Heldon Pinhas Rev or NDW Plan Pyrolator.

With their impressive catalogue and dedication to promoting innovative music across various genres within the electronic spectrum - from pop to avant-garde - Bureau B continues to be a prominent force in the global music industry. Their contributions have solidified them as an authoritative figure in the world of independent labels.

Electronic Pop was the musical goal of the Berlin School musician Rolf Trostel on his third album, which was released in the same year as its predecessor „Two Faces". „Der Prophet" is the culmination of this phase of Trostel's oeuvre, which was tightly coupled to the PPG Wave Computer. As on his previous releases, the sonic peculiarities and clanking sounds of wavetable synthesis are emphasized. Yet here they are obviously more interlinked with the rhythm computer, the Minimoog solo synthesizer and the analog string synth. Additionally, Trostel spatially layered the sounds with different amounts of reverb, which gives the sound the necessary depth for electronic pop and especially emphasizes dry effect sounds. Compared to the previous albums, simpler sequencer lines with less layering provide for a more airy sound. The reason for this was the fact that Trostel had now replaced his PPG 350 Computer Sequencer and Roland CR-78 drum machine with the Roland TB-303 bass synth and step sequencer and the TR-808 drum machine. This at-the-time brand new equipment formed a dream team for electronic pop—the machines are now highly coveted and sought-after cult objects among musicians. "With this production, the rhythmic element is at the foreground, specifically the variable programming of drum computer. Der Prophet was my most commercial production," explains Trostel. The album also benefits from the assertive sound of the TB-303/TR-808 combination and their syncable sequencers. By 1981 Trostel was no longer using the PPG Wave Computer 360 A as a spearhead to explore new soundscapes. It had been replaced by more modern developments. Wolfgang Palm, the developer of this synthesizer and inventor of wavetable synthesis, presented the PPG Wave 2 with integrated analog filters, which quickly became a best seller and was further developed until 1984 with the PPG Wave 2.3. It was a mainstay in every professional keyboardist's setup during the 1980s. In parallel, the functions of sampling, phase and frequency modulation became increasingly important for sound tinkerers. In retrospect, one gets the impression that Trostel's enormously productive creative period, during which he released three albums within two years, was triggered by the PPG 360 A Wave Computer and the PPG 350 Computer Sequencer and concluded when they became obsolete. To a certain extent, these instruments channeled and conveyed Trostel's classical piano training.

Der Prophet

Music GB