Klaus Schulze Live at Klangart (reissue) DCD / 10 Tracks / 154:57 mins Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Breeze to Sequence') Please go to the Store to buy this item.

The first track is rather appropriately called 'Breeze to Sequence'. We get garbled chattering vocal samples amidst all manner of twittering cosmic effects. The rhythm comes in on the back of an explosion which then merges with a sequence which has Klaus' signature all over it. Ethereal pads provide a tranquil backdrop to the pulsations as they mutate. The style has similarities with other works from this period but there are frequent moments which take me back twenty-five years or more. The sequences and rhythms subside from time to time to give the lead lines plenty of room to let rip, at times sounding almost manic and at others becoming rather tender. We growl straight into 'Loops to Groove'- initially rather demonic sounding then a slow loping rhythm strikes up- it hits the spot perfectly taking you along in its relaxed groove. A lovely melancholy lead joins it sounding like a cross between brass and strings. It's kept relatively low in the mix and has an exquisite delicate quality to it but even so it demands your attention. With six minutes to go we get some female wailing effects which I could have done without but they stay around for a very short period and are replaced by some excellent understated lead doodles which make an ideal compliment to the laid back mood.

As we drift into 'From Church to Search' everything changes, cosmic effects and chants create a very atmospheric beginning. A high hat line splashes over the top and complex rhythms form around everything else. It's like being in a church but only vaguely concentrating on the proceedings whilst your mind darts this way and that. With ten minutes to go everything descends to calm then the high hat returns providing some structure around which the track reforms. One of the lead lines does sound rather cello like but apart from the bonus track Wolfgang Tiepold is only credited on the second CD so I will assume that it was synthesized but there do seem to be three lead lines weaving around each other- maybe just Klaus being extremely clever. During the last four minutes we get the chants returning fitting in nicely amongst the delicate and carefully woven backing. We then get a wall of deep pads which replace everything else and take us to the end. A light breezy sort of skipping sequence immediately propels 'I Loop You Schwinderlig' forwards. A bright rhythm joins it in typical Schulze style. It's as if light is sparkling over boiling water with rainbows being seen through the rising steam. This is a track that is full of energy and yet the host of pulsations and beats are kept under tight control giving a feeling of space rather than clutter which adds to its subtle beauty still further. After a bit the mind becomes mesmerized as you are taken into a state of trance. More detail is added during the last ten minutes of this twenty eight minute monster but even so I did think that it went on a tad too long but this is only a minor quibble and I know that many a Schulze fan could listen to this sort of thing forever. The first bonus track 'Short Romance' (originally on the rare promo CD for 'Contemporary Works') consists of synthesised strings over which Wolfgang Tiepold plays a slow solo melody. A sedate pulse then sympathetic sequence do enter near the end and are welcome but it is the moody cello and textures which have the most impact. It is stunningly beautiful stuff and for those who aren't fortunate enough to have the promo will be a hugely welcome addition.

The second CD is even better than the first one. Cosmic twitters and flutey type wind sounds abound on the opening section of 'La Fugue Sequenca'. We then get some distorted stabs and deep ominous rumblings out of which emerges a mean bass sequence. It's a real cracker but better are still to come as yet more sequences arrive, a plucked string one being particularly effective. This is awesome stuff, so much is going on. Yet another sequence enters at the six-minute mark- a high register one then the drums come in. How on Earth he manages to control the maelstrom and then construct a scorching lead line over the top I will never know. It's all extremely exciting and Klaus sounds as if he is having fun.

The pulsating brew momentarily takes a back seat as he gives the lead loads of oomph but it isn't long before the rhythms come back. There is so much going on here that its very hard to take it all in on first listen. It gets my pulse racing faster and faster with each play. 'Cavalleria Cellisticana' is the first of the collaborative tracks with Wolfgang Tiepold and it's absolutely fantastic! Wolfgang's deep cello can be heard over an electronic drone gently but mournfully crying out. It's so serene and relaxing. Each note is a caress as the gorgeous melody seeps into your soul. Half way into the track the mood is changed dramatically as the sequences surge forward- then in come crashing drums taking you by the shoulders and giving you a shake. Initially Klaus takes over lead duties but Wolfgang soon joins him though again subtlety is the order of the day. He doesn't axe it, that duty is left to Klaus, instead he provides colour and texture. For the last couple of minutes its back to the cello over drones combination which worked so well at the beginning.