MIRAGE

The music of Klaus Schulze slowly grew on me with an avid interest in Kraut and electronica. I was introduced to his inimitable style with "Mirage" and what an introduction, laced with a tapestry of analogue synth; a dance of Farfisa, Moog and Mellotron. There are a sequenced suite of movements in the piece; '1984 / Aeronef/ Eclipse / Evasion / Lucid Interspace / Destinati'. The icy cold glacial soundscapes are hypnotising and calming to the senses. The celestial beauty of solar winds blowing over icy planets is an image that is conjured by this mesmirising ambience. Far more intriguing and compelling than Tangerine Dream, the music howls through the mind and creates dense atmospheres of haunting dreamy cognizance. As the opener 'Velvet Voyage' builds in intensity I felt drawn into the music like a starship caught in the gravitational pull of a black hole. The lush synthetic beauty is intoxicating and I felt some strong emotions; the serenity and peace of daydreams encapsulates, and I can only shake my head in awe and wipe away a tear as the music envelops my world. The howling at the end fades into oblivion and we are left in the stillness of silence. After such a powerful opening I was looking forward to a different feel on side two.

The masterful ambience continues with 'Crystal Lake' on the flipside of the vinyl. This one is also lengthy taking up the full vinyl side and is presented in a suite of stages; 'Xylotones/Chromewaves/Willow Dreams/Liquid Mirrors/Springdance & A Biento'. At the opening crystalline snowflakes fall from out of a solar star streaked sky. The music locks into a rhythm of chimes and tubular bells. Finally a synth bass sound drops into the frame and the rhythm changes into a new hypnotic melody. I like the way it changes key so patiently several times. At 14:22 the droplets of synth fade out and we are left with bass heavy synths and spacey ambience. The album is dripping with analogue sounds, a ballet of electronic soundwaves. The layers of abstract keyboard waves are an effective sound to conjure images of wintery icecaps looming amidst sleet sheets raining down on glacial mountains. At this point in the album I am transfixed by the splendour of layers of synth, and dark atmospheres. Vangelis, Tangerine Dream and Jean Michel Jarre spring to mind but Schulze has a density to the soundscape that is superior to my ears. He does not go for swathes of synth variation but focuses on a theme and melody and then operates around this as a framework to build a thick intensity. At 20 minutes in there is an organic liquid sound of lush Moog flourishes. Towards the end a bell chiming sound vibrates over the mellotron dance and captivates in its crystalline passages. This 70s album is surely the pinnacle of the genius of Klaus Schulze.