I didn't write a decent summary page last year, so I thought I'd do this while the events and experiences are still fresh. The travelogue part of this website took a few weeks to write, but the page below was written on the flight back home. I want to start by talking about the pleasant Tangerine Dream and Electronic Music fans and talented EM artists who filled 5 short days of my life with enough energy and camaraderie to last the year.

I want to congratulate all of the newest members of the Ricochet Gathering who were able, some say daring enough to give the swamp and Vic a shot. I hope they all felt as welcomed to the family as I did one year ago and feel as lucky as I did to witness and participate in this workshop/experience/happening. I know I am thrilled to have been part of 2 of the 3 gatherings at the Okefenokee Swamp before we skip off across the globe in search of another destination. I can't count the number of times I heard people say "I should have come last year," but you can't really know what to expect until you've been there once. It was indescribeable to be hip-deep in the creation and appreciation of sequenced electronic music by veterans and aspiring musicians alike again. It was also one of my rare opportunities to be disconnected from technology and to get lost in nature, something we often forget is even there in our busy lives.

Others find solace and guidance from organized religion and other spiritualities. A point was raised a couple of times at the swamp that electronic music seems to fit that same purpose, almost a spirituality of like-minded people who are brought together by this music. We can be a resource in each other's lives that we can reach out to and not feel so alone in the universe. We're not a cult, but a surrounding of people who have shared and formed close friendships. (Although knowing your matrix numbers and having a few rare Russian and Japanese releases stuffed away are worth lots of karma!). Nothing has carried me through difficulties in life as much as electronic music, specifically Tangerine Dream.

Even stronger in me this year was a desire to spend time outdoors. I hope this interest is not fleeting, as no doubt it would contribute to my health (and take away from the old waistline). It would give me a chance to find another circle of friends, and most of all, give me time to crank more TD!

Even though I have nearly every official Tangerine Dream CD (I listened to Alpha Centauri for the first time the week before the trip---it's excellent!), and many CDR copies of bootlegs, I do not have a lot of original rarities, unattainable vinyl, and other collectors' items. But I do share Vic's desire to read every scrap of information about Tangerine Dream and to want to know them. Roger S. and others including myself, much to our financial benefit, are content to buy and listen to the music, as opposed to fiercely collecting it.

On Sunday night, Roger S. parlayed an entertaining story (at the light-hearted expense of Vic) about how upon spotting a previously unseen Star Sounds Orchestra CD, Vic went to great effort to get ahold of it. It is from this perseverance that Steve Schroyder and Jens Zygar (pronounced yentz) came to join us crazy TD fans in the swamp on such short notice. I may not have a voracious appetite to have every single recording no matter what the expense, but there's a special place for me in "Poland". I also got the chance to flip through the 1986 North American tourbook. I've gotta have that!

I'm sure I'm not alone in my excitement over Bill Fox's increased opportunities to add his California and Hawaiian-style guitar work to the mix. Dave Brewer also had plenty of canvas to add his improvisations to, especially during the near-two hour Jupiter movement, which rounded out the marathon 5 1/4 hour Planetary Ambience concert on Sunday night, organized and directed by Star Sounds Orchestra (Steve Schroyder and Jens Zygar). Howard, Greg W., and Robert G. also made their own unique contributions, with Howard on his MIDIfied banjo, Greg W. on his sound effects "pandora's box", and Robert G. running drones and other sounds from his Roland XP-80. I think inside many an EM fan there is an aspiring musician/knob-twiddler. Over the years of Ricochet Gatherings, I think we'll see even more of a musician's workshop atmosphere, with afternoon jam sessions before the planned evening music performed by the core musicians.

I think next year, we will probably have to call this event an official Nord modular convention! 4 of them were used during the concert (Peter R., John C., Bill F., Howard M.), two were not brought from home (Steve W. and Greg W.), and if Free System Projekt returns with the whole troupe, Ruud uses a Nord as well. The most prominent difference from last year's music to this year's would have to be the percussion. There was virtually no percussion last year. This year, infectious beats were provided by Peter Ruczynski and his computer-controlled drum machine and Jens captivated us with sounds ranging from crisp percussion to wild swamp (space) effects with his HandSonic programmable drum pad. Indeed, Vic's son Patrick, John Christian of Airsculpture, and others all sought out a chance to play a bit on it.

Once we stopped tripping over ourselves in the presence of perceived musical deities, a great communication opened up between fans and musicians. And I think they preferred it that way. The artists were very welcoming and friendly to casual conversation. I know Dell got a chance to chat with Steve and the others (see her article above) as did a few others. Alas I was too busy getting in the way and filming with 2 video cameras. We respected and enjoyed Steve Schroyder's musical accomplishments, shaking off the "ex-Tangerine Dream" branding--a title that belittles his 30+ year musical career.

Ok, I want to take an opportunity to clear something up from last year. It's been mentioned on the list as one of the important bits of last year's Okefenokee show which was not made available to the attendees or on the official CD. I'm talking about Dave Brewer's piano solo, a montage of Tangerine Dream piano themes in the same vein as what was played on the 1986 North American tour. Dave was very nervous that evening, and I think we all respected and understood his desire to re-record the piano solo in the studio so as to have a near-perfect performance of it.

Well Dave came through and brought with him not just the 7 minute solo he played last year, but a full 11 minute pleasing montage of nearly every memorable piano moment in Tangerine Dream's 34 year history. It even highlights Tiergarten and some soundtrack bits. He also included his piano-only rendition of Twenty-Nine Palms on this mini-CD. Dave brought one copy of his first full-length solo CD "Phase Shift" which includes a variety of piano and ambient tracks. Thankfully, he mailed me a copy a few weeks back and I've had a chance to listen to it. A nice first album and I know he will be able to do a lot more with his new sequencer he just bought!

I want to thank Vic for welcoming us into his home and his dream, and for helming another incredible merging of artists and listeners .

P.S. One more thing before I go into the daily logs and photos, whoever got stuck with Santa Monica 77 from me last year, please let me know! I have this guilty conscience because it was so bad. I'll send you something nice in decent quality that you don't already have. E-mail me.