Instrumental Tribute Album To Rock & Power Pop Legends Released Soundscape Artist ROB ASTOR Weaves Electronic Textures Into Songs By Led Zeppelin, John Williams, Electric Light Orchestra, Tangerine Dream, Olivia Newton-John, Duran Duran, Fleetwood Mac, Alan Parsons Project & More April 4, 2014 - Jackson, Michigan -- When it comes to making music, electronic soundscape artist ROB ASTOR has taken on New Age, Video Game soundtrack, Melodic Rock, Neo-Classical, New Wave, Jazz, Traditional, and just about everything in between. With his latest release, DREAMS OF FUTURE PAST, ROB ASTOR now tackles the territory of Classic Rock and Power Pop. The end result -- an instrumental tribute to some of his favorite musicians. “DREAMS OF FUTURE PAST began as a pet project back in 2006,” Rob Astor says. “I was working on a lot of traditional Christmas music, some classically arranged stuff, and the Holst ‘Plantets Suite’ all at the same time. When it was all completed, I felt this huge need to blow off some stream and really get into Rock & Roll. I worked out Led Zeppelin’s ‘The Rover’ and ‘Whole Lotta Love’. The energy of those two songs blew me away -- into a whole other place musically. Some kind of door opened up inside of me. All of a sudden, I had this urge to record songs I loved listening to and singing to for years. Gradually, I massed about four CDs worth of material. I had this plan to release three CDs with a theme for each one of them.” For the last several years, ROB ASTOR’s output was limited to doing charity work on Christmas music. The year 2013 finally saw the release of new material in the form of “Bellatrix” and “Equinox” from his 2014 album -- released in February of 2014 -- and a Christmas EP entitled CHRISTMAS MIRACLES. These projects came hot on the heels of his first ever greatest hits collection, SUPERLATIVE SOUNDSCAPES, released in October 2013. “When I made the decision to do the greatest hits, the Christmas EP, and 2014, I knew I wanted to do an album of cover tracks as well,” Rob says. “It’s been waiting in the wings for years. A lot of hard work, love, and effort went into that body of music. I went through all the recorded tracks and picked out the very best sounding ones. Then, I went back and re-recorded some and decided to do a few others I hadn’t begun working on yet, but still wanted to do. At any rate, all the music is as fresh as when I began recording it in 2006. It’s vibrant. It has a lot of energy. And, it makes me feel really good. DREAMS OF FUTURE PAST is a keeper. I’m very proud of it.” Considering the body of work found on DREAMS OF FUTURE PAST, whatever effort it took on ROB ASTOR’s part to condense five hours of music down to 16 tracks was well worth it. The instrumental tribute opens with CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” as it was made over in BONNIE TYLER’s image in the early 1980s. “Her version is really rocked up and incredibly energetic. True to the spirit of what I was going for on this album. So, I chose to do a version closer to her arrangement.” Delving into the world of science fiction, the next set of tracks has a lot of synthesizer textures and glittering keyboards, making them surreal New Age/Power Pop soliloquies. Opening in that vein is “Twilight” from the ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA. “The ELO’s TIME album is a masterpiece. I’ve probably listened to it thousands of times since its release in 1981. I never get tired of it.” “(Reach Up For The) Sunrise” from DURAN DURAN follows, a fitting companion piece for the former track. “I Ran (So Far Away)” from A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS crossed with BOWLING FOR SOUP bounces in next followed by “Eye In The Sky” from the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT and “For Your Eyes Only” from SHEENA EASTON. “These five tracks, placed back-to-back, are a kind of miniature concept album all by themselves and some of the best concept efforts I’ve ever recorded. Even lyrically in their original forms, they are connected on so many levels.” In keeping with a quasi-science fiction theme, but taking a departure in sound execution, “Princess Leia’s Theme” from JOHN WILLIAMS is made over with acoustic textures and the addition of a line of percussion. The final result is a Neo-Classical/Contemporary track given new life in this alternate setting. Returning fully to the world of contemporary music, the next track, “Soul Kiss”, was originally recorded by OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN. Save the electric guitar standing in for the vocals, the music almost sounds like the original track from her 1985 hit. At this point, ROB ASTOR picks up the energetic pace on DREAMS OF FUTURE PAST and launches fearlessly into a faithful version of LED ZEPPELIN’s “The Rover” that has PINK FLOYD influences used throughout the track’s melody. FLEETWOOD MAC’s “Sisters Of The Moon” kicks in next with an electric guitar sound one can almost imagine would be the sound of STEVIE NICKS’ voice were she an electric guitar. From there, BERLIN’s “The Metro” chimes in, pulsing through the New Wave Pop Synthesizer musicscape of the early 1980s. What would an album by ROB ASTOR be without an unexpected turn? A little less daring or adventurous perhaps. DREAMS OF FUTURE PAST comes with one of those tracks that fit the bill. Returning to the Soft Rock territory of OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN, “Recovery” is next in the album’s line-up. “This song comes from Olivia’s 1981 album PHYSICAL. It’s always been a song about liberation for me. I am an island unto myself and I’ve been recovering my life for several rough years while shedding pain along the way. It’s now my time to finally rush headlong into the future. In so many ways, ‘Recovery’ is a song that has become one of those many songs that it now a part of the soundtrack of my life over thirty years after its release.” The next offering in the set is an extended arrangement of LAURA BRANIGAN’s “Self Control”. “This is one of the songs that has defined me since 1984. I took some of the coolest parts and came up with a version based on the 1984 extended version of the song while repeating the best guitar parts. In this form, ‘Self Control’ is very much made over in my image.” With a bouncing bass and alarm-like guitar, “Panic Puppet” from the video game SONIC 3D BLAST is ROB ASTOR’s tribute to video game music he’s loved since the early 1990s. “I love the SONIC THE HEDGEHOG soundtracks and just about everything SPENCER NILSEN did. “Panic Puppet” has stood out from all the video game tracks I recorded and considered for earlier versions of this project. It’s so different from the video game version, but, in a very good way.” Matching the energy of the previous track, LED ZEPPELIN’s “Whole Lotta Love” follows. For a second time, the influence of PINK FLOYD echoes throughout the melody. Finishing off DREAMS OF FUTURE PAST is TANGERINE DREAM’s “Song Of The Whale, Pt. 1 (From Dawn)”. “I first heard this track when their UNDERWATER SUNLIGHT album was released. This was the closest thing to a religious musical experience I’d ever experienced. Hearing this piece of music was like hearing MOZART for the first time. At that moment, I was opened up to a whole world of instrumental music that I never really knew existed. It shaped me and ultimately defined me. I couldn’t do this project and not record this track. It is one of my very favorite pieces of music of all time.” ROB ASTOR does a very faithful version to round off his tribute album. DREAMS OF FUTURE PAST has taken ROB ASTOR to places unexplored and proven even popular music can sound incredible when given an instrumental setting. The music flows seamlessly together, condensing some of the greatest of the greats into an album guaranteed to transcend time. Be sure to pick up your copy today! Listening to the music of ROB ASTOR is like listening to Instrumental Science Fiction. Combining elements of New Age, Ambient, Classical, Electronic, Rock & Roll, Video Game Soundtrack, and New Wave, ROB ASTOR successfully melds sound into a sonic tapestry of his own design. Every track comes alive with unique vitality, steering clear of conformity and accepted rules to break ground in unexplored territory. Track List: “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” Bonnie Tyler/Creedence Clearwater Revival Faster Than The Speed Of Night (1983) “Twilight” Electric Light Orchestra Time (1981) “(Reach Up For The) Sunrise” Duran Duran Astronaut (2004) “I Ran (So Far Away)” A Flock Of Seagulls/Bowling For Soup Drunk Enough To Dance (1986) “Eye In The Sky” Alan Parsons Project Eye In The Sky (1982) “For Your Eyes Only” Sheena Easton For Your Eyes Only Soundtrack (1981) “Princess Leia’s Theme” John Williams Star Wars Soundtrack (1977) “Soul Kiss” Olivia Newton-John Soul Kiss (1985) “The Rover” Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975) “Sisters Of The Moon” Fleetwood Mac Tusk (1979) “The Metro” Berlin Pleasure Victim (1983) “Recovery” Olivia Newton-John Physical (1981) “Self Control” Laura Branigan Self Control (1984) “Panic Puppet Sonic 3D Blast Soundtrack Sonic 3D Blast (1996) “Whole Lotta Love” Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II (1969) “Song Of The Whale, Pt. 1 (From Dawn)” Tangerine Dream” Underwater Sunlight (1986) Visit Rob Astor on FaceBook, YouTube, iCompositions.com, & ReverbNation. Keywords: instrumental, tribute, electronic, rock, pop, Rob Astor, Bonnie Tyler, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Electric Light Orchestra, Duran Duran, A Flock Of Seagulls, Bowling For Soup, Alan Parsons Project, Sheena Easton, John Williams, Olivia Newton-John, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Berlin, Laura Branigan, Sonic The Hedgehog, Tangerine Dream, Faster Than The Speed Of Night, Time, Astronaut, Drunk Enough To Dance, Star Wars Soundtrack, Soul Kiss, Physical Graffiti, Tusk, Pleasure Victim, Physical, Self Control, Sonic 3D Blast, Spencer Nilsen, Led Zeppelin II, Underwater Sunlight