Klaus Schulze
Kontinuum
CD / 3 tracks / 76.22 mins

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It's a busy old time in the world of Klaus Schulze at the moment, what with his new studio album and the almost simultaneous release of the latest of the reissues of recordings from yesteryear. The new CD can boast a pedigree as an entirely new studio album; it's certainly a recording which veers well away from his previous outing, the largely up-tempo 'Moonlake'. 'Kontinuum' coming across as a more refined affair, breaking no new ground, but clearly demonstrating that Mr. Schulze can still turn in a classy album when the mood takes him. 'Kontinuum' finding it's momentum through the implementation of good old driving sequencer runs which push the tracks along, (just like in the good old days!!!). For that reason alone I think it's an album which will fulfil most any SMDers wants and needs from the wild and wacky world of electronica, whilst at the same time remaining true to the format that made Klaus a household name,( in my household at least anyway!!!). This is an album of Mr. Schulze doing everything that he does so very well, compounding those tried and tested methods of composition and proving once again that the twiddling of knobs need not only be a pastime, but also a successful career move!!!

'Kontinuum' comes to us packaged in the now familiar gatefolded clipcard case design,( thoroughly in keeping with the current reissue series) together with a separate 16 page booklet filled with images of Klaus and his musical toys in the studio. The sleeve art is both startling and contemporary in design, so we do appear to be ticking all the right boxes so far, but what of the actual music.......

In goes the CD and straightaway we're into the twenty five minute opening piece entitled,'Sequenzer {From 70 to 07}'. This is a track that is just pure class; as l say its Schulze doing what Schulze does best. A pair of sequencers ticking over in a very analogue sounding way being continually manipulated and modulated. Afew minutes in and another sequence played on an acoustic guitar sample mirrors the opening patterns taking us off on an ever changing journey through a carefully crafted sound. Quite simply everything and nothing happens for some twelve minutes as the layers build. It's not quite retro heaven, but it's pretty darn close. Klaus's familiar chord patterns arrive, drifting along in the background, the whole piece moving along effortlessly. Theres a haunting beauty about the track, one which l just can't simply pigeon hole as a late seventies trip down memory lane. Here there is a delicacy that we just didn't get back then; with his sonic backdrops in full swing l'd have to say that overall l was reminded alittle of the sound and sequencing on the 'Dreams' album from the mid eighties. With about six minutes left on the clock the sequencing has all but completely vanished leaving us with just the chord structure and a drifting synth lead lethargically cycling around overhead.

Track two, 'Euro Caravan',(19.41) is again familiar Schulze territory, the whole piece coming across as a vehicle for a range of vocal samples from an uncredited singer/source. These sung and chanted phrases are expertly pieced together to give the impression of a vocalist being present at the recording session and very effective it is too. From its mercurial beginnings a voice rises up followed at the halfway mark by a mid tempo pulsing Tangerine Dreamesque sequence. Light topset percussion and a bouncy resonant arpeggiation enter the fray as the vocal work subsides. The percussion is overlaid with another light backbeat and the vocals return seeing the piece to a close, the track itself never really building to the intensity that one may have hoped for.

The third and final track is entitled,'Thor{Thunder} which rolls into town at just under thirty two minutes, and yes we do in actual fact get some synthetic thunder during the introduction of the piece!!! Starting off in the doldrums the track progresses from eerie horror soundtrack type material into more regular Schulze fare once the chords and sequencer arrive seven minutes later. Things step up a gear when the galloping topset percussion fires up and Klaus switches between hollow sounding synth leads and string sounds. Unfortunately Klaus doesn't grasp the moment and get into any rip-roaring soloing during this middle section of the piece which is a great shame as it largely washes over me leaving that feeling that something is missing here. Into the last eight or so minutes things revert back to their unsettling beginnings and Thunder brings the album to a close.

So there we have it, 'Kontinuum', or as l prefer to call it, 'same Klaus, different year'. I can cheerfully recommend this album to anyone that has the remotest interest in that school we call Berlin. The opening track stands head and shoulders above all else on the album, but that's my own personal opinion so take with a pinch of salt!!! There's much here to please many Schulze fans who still yearn for those old analogue days, though you won't find any big Moog leads or swashes of Mellotron in the mix. It's quite a noisy recording which again should add another bit of nostalgia for all those amongst you who miss all that vinyl rumble and crackles from their old record collection. Is 'Kontinuum' something new and truly inspired? Errr.....no, but then again it doesn't try to be, it's a modern take on his old classic sound, a sound which so many copyist musicians and bands out there try to emulate time after time. Obviously Klaus can still switch it on any old time he wants and do it better than the best of the rest,( maybe it's time for those bands to stop copying and move onto something else ). There is also a three or four page dialogue in the accompanying booklet by Georg Boskamp,( a friend and colleague of Schulze). He could have written something really worthwhile, but not on this occasion. Well over a thousand words of tripe to tell us that Schulze is just an ordinary Joe like you and l. Likes the odd smoke and a laugh, with a tendency to want the studio equipment to work properly every once in awhile. Klaus is as Klaus does, but that individuality isn't something that makes him special, it is his music that does that and long may it continue. (B22)

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