A Posteriori

Infobox Album
Name = A Posteriori
Type = Album
Artist = Enigma


Released = September 22, 2006 (Germany)
September 25, 2006 (International)
Recorded = 2005—2006
at various places with the ALCHEMIST (all in one computed mobile studio)
Genre = New Age, Ambient, Trance, House, Electronic music
Length = 53:38
Label = Virgin, EMI
Producer = Michael Cretu
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|2.5|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:5bktk6gxukr0]
Last album = "15 Years After"
(2005)
This album = "A Posteriori"
(2006)
Next album = "Seven Lives Many Faces"
(2008)

"A Posteriori" is the title of the musical project Enigma's sixth studio album, released in September 2006. In December 2006, the album was nominated in the Best New Age Album category in the 2007 Grammy Awards.cite web | author = | year = | url = http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/49th_Show/list.aspx#09 | title = 49th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List | format = | work = GRAMMY.com | publisher = | accessdate = 2006-12-09 | accessyear = ]

While the previous album, "Voyageur", contained minimal amounts of the project's signature sounds, "A Posteriori" only contains the signature "Enigma horn" (a foghorn) during the opening minute of the album, and even then it is a fleeting glimpse. Coupled with the album's subject matter of the collision of the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, "A Posteriori" is, compared to earlier releases, stark and foreboding.

Overview

History

News about the album's title and tracklist were first made public on July 18, 2006 through "Crocodile-Music.de" news page and "EnigmaMusic.com"'s forums, while the album cover was made public ten days later. The first track from the album to be made public was "Hello and Welcome," released as a stand-alone single in 2005. Enigma's management subsequently stated that a new version would be included on the album, while the lead single off the album proper would be "Goodbye Milky Way."cite web | author = | year = | url = http://www.crocodile-music.de/enigma/index.php | title = New Enigma Album | format = | work = Enigma News | publisher = Crocodile Music Management GmbH | accessdate = 2006-07-17 | accessyear = ]

Recording

A Posteriori became first Enigma album to be recorded using Cretu's new 5.1 fully computerized mobile music studio "Alchemist". "Alchemist" represents a machine of comparably small size with main keyboard and a number of hardware Midi controllers with some "special" expansions and central computer with LCD screen. It was designed for Michael Cretu privately and according to him helped a lot producing music, transferring ideas into sound.

Etymology

"A posteriori", a Latin phrase translated as "after the fact," refers to empirical knowledge, the epistemological concept of deriving knowledge from past experience.

"Eppur si muove", alternately spelled "E pur si muove", is an Italian phrase translated to "And yet it moves," attributed to Galileo Galilei after he was sentenced by the Roman Inquisition to recant his belief in heliocentrism.

Track listing

All songs written, arranged, performed, engineered & produced by Michael Cretu. 4 & 12 narrated by Louisa Stanley. Backing vocals on 8 by Andru Donalds.

All songs published by 1-2-3 Music / Crocodile Music.

# "Eppur Si Muove" – 3:41
# "Feel Me Heaven" – 4:50
# "Dreaming of Andromeda" – 4:26
# "Dancing with Mephisto" – 4:25
# "Northern Lights" – 3:34
# "Invisible Love" – 4:55
# "Message from IO" – 3:09
# "Hello and Welcome" (new version) – 5:09
# "20.000 Miles over the Sea" – 4:22
# "Sitting on the Moon" – 4:21
# "The Alchemist" – 4:41
# "Goodbye Milky Way" – 5:58

Apart from the album, some additional remixes were released exclusively through the iTunes Store. They are:

* "Eppur Si Muove" (Tocadisco Remix) – 6:39
* "Dreaming of Andromeda" (Jean F. Cochois Remix) – 7:28
* "20.000 Miles over the Sea" (Boca Junior Remix)– 7:07
* "The Alchemist" (The Alchemist's Vision by Ralf Hildenbeutel) – 7:17

Private Lounge

The Private Lounge remix album version of "A Posteriori" was released via iTunes Store on March 18, 2007 in Germany and on March 26 in the rest of Europe.

Track listing:

# Eppur Si Muove (Tocadisco Remix 2) - 6:11
# Feel Me Heaven (Boca Junior Remix) - 6:24
# Dreaming of Andromeda (Jean F. Cochois Remix) - 7:29
# Dancing With Mephisto (Boca Junior Remix) - 5:28
# Northern Lights (Boca Junior Remix) - 5:41
# Invisible Love (Boca Junior Remix) - 5:45
# Message from IO (Boca Junior Remix) - 5:33
# The Alchemist (Christian Geller Remix) - 6:54
# 20.000 Miles Over the Sea (Boca Junior Remix) - 7:08
# Sitting On the Moon (Boca Junior Remix) - 5:31
# The Alchemist (The Alchemist's Vision By Ralf Hildenbeutel) - 7:16
# Goodbye Milky Way (Boca Junior Remix) - 5:10

Notes and references

[http://song-words.net/e/enigma-albums-54/index.html Enigma albums review]