Klaus Schulze Are You Sequenced?

Those who attended and enjoyed Klaus Schulze's set at the AD Music Festival in Derby earlier this year may be wondering if and when it will be released on CD. Well it has, and this is it - almost. Essentially CD 1 is the same music polished up in the studio. Absolutely no mention of it on the sleevenotes, but the opening sequences are unmistakable for those who attended the concert - a mesmeric barrage of syncopating electronic pulsations backed by a wash of synth pads. The melody constructed by the sequence is truly superb, and results in the best section of music I've heard Klaus Schulze produce in some time. The piece has been titled 'Welcome to the Moog Brothers' on the CD, and for convenience the whole set is split into 11 tracks though they are all one long opus. 6½ minutes in and a pulsating rhythm is added to the mix. In the live setting the dynamics of the music were completely awe inspiring, and it does sound very impressive here too. The sequence undergoes a subtle shift to herald flutey lead synth lines. It's quality material and Klaus obviously agrees because he carries on with the same formula for a further 19 minutes. 'Valle De La Luna' server up 9 minutes of throbbing sequences and wispy motifs before the soundstage explodes again signalling a return to the largely the same rhythm as before. Some brilliant VCS3 effects are thrown in for good measure, and as 'Moogie Baby Goes Solo' suggests the MiniMoog gets a good airing too. The only trouble is, no matter how good the ingredients are, if you carry on with the same "bum-chick" rhythm for too long it starts to wear thin. By the time track 8 arrives it's been hammered for nigh on 35 minutes, and if I tell you that the final two sections slaughter it for another 16 minutes I think you'll get my drift. It's a real shame because, just to re-emphasise, there are some brilliant aspects to this piece which in the live setting overcame the repetitive rhythmics. But on the CD, well if I listen to it any more I don't think I'll ever get that hi-hat out of my mind. But wait a minute! It seems that all is not lost here. On CD 2 we are presented with remixed & edited versions of the music on CD 1. The only "remixer" I recognise is Pete Namlook and on track 1 he performs a master stroke. He takes all the 'Essential' ingredients and distils them down into one brilliant 17 minute package. The difference in incredible, proving how strong the ideas are and how effective they can be if not completely swamped by overkill. Anyone into heavily sequenced music will be completely knocked out by this. 'Voices in the Dark (Lite Mix)' is a rhythmic dancefloor groover with Kraftwerk overtones, and 'SQ 2 (Extended Mix)' distils the essentials down even more into an 8 minute package bristling with sequences and rhythmics, including those superb opening pulsations. 'Flutish Baby (Humate Mix)' is an out-and-out ambient stomp which sounds radically different to anything on CD 1, as does the 'Subsonic Affair Mix' of 'SQ 3'. Two more remixes end the disc, including another by Pete Namlook. The raw material present here ranks alongside the best, and the opening of CD 1 especially is a completely glorious piece. Schulze fans will be well pleased to hear their man in top form, but yet again Klaus demonstrates vividly his penchant for completely thrashing the same idea for way (way way) too long. Luckily Pete Namlook shows that (relative) brevity can be so much more effective and rubber-stamps this CD's claim to being on many people's shopping list. (GG)

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