Klaus Schulze
Cyborg

THE REVIEW

With "Cyborg," Schulze composes a grandiose cosmic "epic" for organ, VCS3 Synth, and orchestra. This double LP also marks the beginning of the departure from the bold intuitions experimented in "Irrlicht" and will start an endless series of quiet and "easy" electronic albums, yet impactful, which will mark the history of electronic music.

Upon the album's release, the press spoke of "cosmic music": indeed, this double album remains a timeless "classic" of the genre where the cover shows a Klaus Schulze seemingly lost in extra-dimensional visions.

The album is introduced by Synphara where a sidereal organ and electronic percussion slowly bring the music into the listener's mental space, creating a quiet and relaxing dark-cosmic atmosphere. The electronic pulses then dominate the following track, Conphara, a piece where the alien sounds of the orchestra can be appreciated.

Chromengel begins with dark electronic "drones," then makes way for the decadent and "Wagnerian" sound of the orchestra, counterpointed by cosmic hums: the sense of sadness evoked by this music touches the sublime. Neuronengesang is indeed a fitting title: it's truly a "neuron song" gone mad that can be heard in this seemingly endless electronic "trip."

Notably, the Revisited CD reissue includes an excerpt of over 50 minutes taken from a historic concert by Schulze at the Cathedral of St. Michael in Brussels in 1977.