Klaus Schulze Dosburg Online

Here we have Klaus’s live performance at Duisburg earlier this year. First up we have ‘ L’Age C’Ore’, full of tubular bell sounds and flutey synth. Very pleasant and atmospheric with good use of piano later on. Following on its heals is ‘Requiem furs Revier’. I am probably missing the point entirely but I think this is the worst track Klaus has ever done (I even prefer the ‘Aphrica’ LP to this!). We have become used to Klaus’s use of operatic vocals during the 90s. Sometimes I like them, other times I don’t. One difference with the vocals we have here is that they are in English so I can actually understand them. I mean imagine an opera singer belting out lines of such poetic beauty as “who gives a shit about the common man” and “he had to work his arrrrrrrrrrrrrrse off”. We are treated to some poor sod bleeding his heart out about all the ills of the world for quarter of an hour and I just wish someone would put him out of his misery quick! With relief I move on to ‘Groove n Bass’. Manic wails and demonic voices make way to a restrained rhythm justifying the groove bit of the title. At the one and a half minute mark the bass line appears. A flute takes us to the four minute mark and a deep bass dance beat dominates. The next track ‘Get Sequenced’ follows straight on, the bass drum unaltered but with a lead line put playfully over the top, the best track so far. The pace quickens and we are propelled into ‘The Power of The Moog’. Things are really starting to kick. At last something I can get enthusiastic about, this is great stuff! ‘Up Up and Away’ doubles the pace and things start getting out of control, very OTT but I’m still into it. This really is mesmerising, lead lines all over the place and plenty happening. After a crashing halt ‘From Dawn til Dusk’ takes over, becoming rather pastoral. Its the perfect piece to come down to from the previous four track masterpiece. ‘The Art of Sequencing’ is the longest track on the album at eighteen minutes and with a title like that I was rather looking forward to it. Sure enough, it starts with a quiet bass sequence before another lighter sequence is layered over the top, Berlin School or what! The way the track develops however soon brings it up to date, subtlety being the order of the day. At seven minutes a delicate rhythm plays with the sequences getting my foot tapping. This is a superb track full of invention, caressing you and stimulating you (oo er missus) at the same time. We finish with ‘Prima Versa’ and oh no that bloody opera singer is back! The only thing that makes it better than track two is that it is half the length... OK so I hated tracks two and nine but the rest of the album is great stuff. Programme these tracks out and you still have almost 60 minutes of superb music. (DL)

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