A Posteriori

A Posteriori is the sixth studio album by German musical project Enigma, released on 22 September 2006 by Virgin Records. In December 2006, the album was nominated for Best New Age Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards.[2]

This article is about the album. For the general term, see A priori and a posteriori. For other uses, see A posteriori (disambiguation).

A Posteriori
Studio album by
Enigma
Released22 September 2006
Recorded2005–2006
StudioVarious places, with the "Alchemist" (all-in-one mobile computer studio)[1]
Genre
Length53:36
LabelVirgin
ProducerMichael Cretu
Enigma chronology
15 Years After
(2005)		 A Posteriori
(2006)		 Seven Lives Many Faces
(2008)

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.

Background

News about the album's title and track list were first made public on 18 July 2006 through the Crocodile-Music.de website and EnigmaMusic.com's forums, while the album cover was made public ten days later. The first track to be made public was "Hello and Welcome", released as a standalone single in 2006. Enigma's management subsequently stated that a new version would be included on the record, while the lead single off the album proper would be "Goodbye Milky Way".[3]

Recording

A Posteriori became the first Enigma album to be recorded using Michael Cretu's new 5.1 fully computerized mobile music studio, "Alchemist", a machine of relatively small size with a main keyboard and a number of hardware MIDI controllers with some "special" expansions and a central computer with LCD screen. The device was designed for Cretu privately.[1]

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.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]

Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote, "[I]f you like the Enigma sound, this will be up your alley, full of the things you may seek out in a recording, but there is little new here."[4]

Track listing

All songs written, arranged, and produced by Michael Cretu.

No.TitleLength
1."Eppur si muove"3:41
2."Feel Me Heaven"4:50
3."Dreaming of Andromeda"4:26
4."Dancing with Mephisto"4:25
5."Northern Lights"3:39
6."Invisible Love"4:55
7."Message from Io"3:09
8."Hello and Welcome"5:08
9."20.000 Miles over the Sea"4:23
10."Sitting on the Moon"4:21
11."The Alchemist"4:41
12."Goodbye Milky Way"5:58
Total length:53:36

Credits
Enigma
  • Michael Cretu – music, lyrics, vocals (tracks 6, 10, 12), performance, production, programming, engineering
Additional musicians
  • Narration – Louisa Stanley (tracks 4, 12)
  • Voice – Andru Donalds (track 8)

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

A Posteriori Private Lounge Remix

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

No.TitleLength
1."Eppur si muove" (Tocadisco remix 2)6:11
2."Feel Me Heaven" (Boca Junior remix)6:24
3."Dreaming of Andromeda" (Jean F. Cochois remix)7:29
4."Dancing with Mephisto" (Boca Junior remix)5:28
5."Northern Lights" (Boca Junior remix)5:41
6."Invisible Love" (Boca Junior remix)5:45
7."Message from Io" (Boca Junior remix)5:33
8."The Alchemist" (Christian Geller remix)6:54
9."20.000 Miles over the Sea" (Boca Junior remix)7:08
10."Sitting on the Moon" (Boca Junior remix)5:31
11."The Alchemist" (The Alchemist's Vision by Ralf Hildenbeutel)7:16
12."Goodbye Milky Way" (Boca Junior remix)5:10
Total length:1:14:30

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for A Posteriori
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Russia (NFPF)[25] Platinum 20,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date
Germany 22 September 2006
Worldwide 25 September 2006

References
  1. "The Alchemist Studio" (in Spanish). Enigma Música.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  2. "49th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on 20 December 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
  3. "New Enigma Album". Enigma News. Crocodile Music Management GmbH. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2006.
  4. Jurek, Thom. "A Posteriori – Enigma". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  5. "Austriancharts.at – Enigma – A Posteriori" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  6. "Ultratop.be – Enigma – A Posteriori" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  7. "Ultratop.be – Enigma – A Posteriori" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  8. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Enigma – A Posteriori" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  10. "Lescharts.com – Enigma – A Posteriori". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Enigma – A Posteriori" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  12. Top 50 Ελληνικών και Ξένων Αλμπουμ [Top 50 Greek and Foreign Albums] (in Greek). IFPI Greece. 29 October – 4 November 2006. Archived from the original on 5 November 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  13. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2006. 40. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  14. "Italiancharts.com – Enigma – A Posteriori". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  15. ア・ポウステリオーリ | エニグマ [A Posteriori | Enigma] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  16. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  17. "Portuguesecharts.com – Enigma – A Posteriori". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  18. "Spanishcharts.com – Enigma – A Posteriori". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  19. "Swisscharts.com – Enigma – A Posteriori". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  20. "Chart Log UK (1994–2010): E-40 – E-Z Rollers". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  21. "Enigma Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  22. "Enigma Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  23. "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  24. "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  25. "Russian album certifications – Enigma – A Posteriori" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF).
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