Klaus Schulze Angst (Reissue) Please go to the Store to buy this item.

'Angst'; an album that's everything and nothing. An album which l always regarded as the Schulze equivalent of TD's 'Thief' with it's abrasive, rocky edge. Yes a soundtrack first and foremost, but at it's heart a thoroughly focused Schulzian recording. 'Angst' from 1984 stands out as an essential part of the Schulze back catalogue due to its power, diversity, (and on a technical level) it's novel and extremely evident use of sampling throughout, a technology that Klaus was exploiting to the full, implemented so effectively on this recording. Following on from his Polish tour in summer 83', ( glad to see that the oft overlooked Dziekuje Poland will feature as release number 16 in the re-issue list, coming shortly) 'Angst' would feature as Klaus's next major solo project. Yes, okay it's a soundtrack, but a soundtrack to a film which was to be edited to fit around the music Klaus produced, (now if that's not a musical compliment, l don't know what is!!!). The music is harsh and cold, at times alittle spartan and l love it. At times sounding like some outcast ideas from the previous years 'Audentity' the music is hammered out in fine style, Schulze at his teutonic best with the most startlingly powerful percussion thrown into the mix too. Folks describe the music as dark and broody, l don't know, maybe it is. To me it's bold and strident, the way the pieces are approached and executed sounding somewhat like 'Metal 1', (a sub genre of the eighties industrial music scene which was also emerging in Germany). The first class production job is again something which has stood the test of time so very well, hardly surprising that Klaus found he was turning into Mr producer for other bands at around this time. The music is not over elaborate so as not to swamp the visuals for which the music was intended, but this all works a treat given the nature of the beast.

The CD is presented in the now time honoured re-issue fashion of inlaid transfers of the artwork upon a gatefolded card slipcase, together with a 16 page booklet to accompany the disc with a write up by Schulze about the making of the album. The first track, 'Freeze' comes across sounding like a leftover from 'Audentity', the glockenspiel/vibraphone sequence being made up from the intermittent loop used in the track 'Sebastian im Traum'. A nice piano lingers in the background, but the main sequence has an awkward delay which for me doesn't really work as it should. Doubtless this was entirely intentional to aid creating a sense of unease for a movie that was afterall about a sociopathic killer……not exactly a kids film, but then again in this day and age……. 'Pain' is a superb track, thumping percussion and rhythmic arpeggiation which push the track along quite fluidly, sounding for the world again like some missing piece from 'Audentity'. A mid paced kick drum keeps everything in check until at about the four minute mark the snare drum cracks in time allowing the piece to break out into full flight, brilliant. Hurtling by in no time the album tries to regain it's composure to no avail with that edginess maintained by the next piece, 'Memory'(4.51). A track with a much more sparse, introspective flavour sounding very ill at ease with itself!!! The harsh calliope sample interweaving with piano, the Sebastian glock/vibraphone sound returning once more.

'Surrender'(8.45) is another of those tracks which you just wish wasn't tied into soundtrack material as developments are kept restrained, damn!!! A superb drum laden piece, so contemporary of the eighties. Again the sampling makes a marked difference to the overall sound, but it's that drum sequence which leads the way without much by way of development - fabulous sounding stuff though!!! 'Beyond' was the last track of the original album and again it's an off kilter sort of piece. The restrained percussion holds the piece together as all manner of sampled and pitch shifted techniques are employed over a simple sequence. The lethargic pace does not change as the track soon shows itself to be one of Klaus's more avant-garde moments with invention and variety galore; the tap is released on that sonic valve of creativity. Onto the mammoth bonus track,' Silent Survivor'(31.40) recorded, l would assume, in the latter part of 1983 in a single take and sounding thoroughly at home with the other tracks presented here. I tell you now, buy the CD if only for this track as it's a real gem. Like a rambling sketchpad of idea's this is not as the music has real direction for most all of the time. The production and quality of the recording is again spot on; this track sounding as though it could have been plucked straight out from the 'Audentity' album set. Four minutes in and a hard edged digital sequence kicks off as the opening voxy pad chords drift overhead. A faster sequence overlays the first and the good old kick drum trick is employed once more to hold everything together. At eight minutes the piece is in full flight – how this material did not surface on a studio album at the time l'll never know. Eleven minutes in and the sequencers transpose up one octave, electronic percussion dancing across the stereo soundfield as the piece morphs into something alittle more intense.