Klaus Schulze
...Live...

I loved Klaus Schulze's music, and the news of his death saddened me greatly. All of his albums from the '70s are classics in their own way: from the first two legendary ones, Irrlicht and Cyborg, where the experimental component was still strong enough for some critics and purist listeners to stop there, to the "Wagnerian" Timewind, the quasi-operatic Blackdance, the serene Picture Music, and the twilight Mirage. But how can we forget Moondawn, a cornerstone of the typical "Schulze sound," or the ambitious double album X, perhaps a bit too redundant at times but still containing beautiful and bold music. Then in the '80s, he released some awful stuff, but this should not make us forget how great an artist he was (and showed himself to be again with new albums, some of which are interesting). Legendary concerts from the '70s are also part of his legacy, now largely compiled in the box set Historic Edition. Nevertheless, other live recordings that are part of his official discography include some quite good ones like ...Live... and Dziękuję Poland (Live '83) concerning those from the golden period of his career.

The aforementioned ...Live... from 1980 is an excellent document of his music. The album is worth purchasing solely for the extraordinary "Sense," a track nearly 50 minutes long that, in my opinion, represents the essence of what has been termed "the Berlin school". The electronic sequences, while remaining static, change imperceptibly in intensity, creating phenomenal and very intense sounds amplified by the percussion. Here, we're on the level of his best work from the '70s. The opening track "Bellistique" is also good, characterized by synth and percussion patterns that become very dark at its end. The opening of "Heart" is atmospheric, with the almost inaudible pulse of a bass and synth in the background. Then the music becomes rhythmic and frantic. In any case, this is another good moment on this album. A different discussion for "Dymagic," which I personally consider the misstep of ...Live..., foreshadowing some of his later poor productions like Aphrica.

Klaus Schulze invented a genre and made the history of electronic music, placing him in the pantheon of great musicians of all time.