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Rating: “Picture Music” is one of Klaus Schulze's classic albums from the '70s: the German musician debuted with an authentic milestone like Irrlicht (1972), followed by the grand cosmic symphony of Cyborg (1973) and the surreal and fluid Blackdance (1974), in my opinion one of his best works and, personally, perhaps my favorite album. In 1975, “Picture Music” was also released, although it was recorded before “Blackdance”. It must be said that avant-garde purists saw a sort of betrayal in Schulze's production after Irrlicht,: for example, in the renowned and valid book by Al Aprile and Luca Mayer dedicated to European progressive rock (“La musica rock progressiva europea” is indeed the title), it is openly discussed how the declared cultured influences of Ligeti and Stockhausen were abandoned in favor of easy electronic consumption, unwittingly a precursor of new age. This point of view does not agree with me at all: I believe that Irrlicht is a masterpiece but, at the same time, I always prefer accessibility. And the Klaus Schulze of albums like the aforementioned and magnificent Blackdance, the Wagnerian and epic “Timewind”, the classic “Moondawn” and this “Picture Music” managed to invent a new language for electronic music. In this sense, “Picture Music” remains one of his most atmospheric and accessible albums: we are faced with easier electronics compared to his debut: the opening track “Totem” is calm and meditative: the music manages to transport the listener into a state of cosmic quiet, bringing them into another dimension. Certainly, this music is not far from a certain new age aesthetic but manages, in any case, to maintain its dignity and depth without ever degenerating into sound wallpaper. The second track “Mental Door”, after a minimal and twilight beginning, becomes much more dynamic, recalling certain atmospheres of Pink Floyd (a band loved by Schulze) but, if possible, with greater power. Overall, “Picture Music” has lost none of its charm and still shines today with a timeless cosmic aura.
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By giovanniA
This record makes the task easy for us to sketch a mental image if listened to at night, when darkness has fallen and the noises have subsided.
We’re in 1973, yet it seems like ambient music ante litteram; Autechre will arrive twenty years later, but here they seem already visible in the distance.
