LA VIE ELECTRONIQUE 3

There are some people whose names represent more than only letters, people whose legacy might be stronger than one think, people whose quality and skills have been (and will be) noticed by a huge amount of followers, people who have done something good that shall be remembered. If we are talking about progressive rock, and more specific, progressive electronic music, it is probable that the name of Klaus Schulze springs to our minds. And that is because he has been creating music since late 70s, he has shared his magical skills and created several albums worth listening. He is without a doubt, an icon within the progressive rock realm.

During his long career, he has composed lots of wonderful songs, most of them are long songs that can work together while reading a good book, or while resting, or simply while your mind needs to travel to another galaxy and create imaginary figures. Klaus Schulze's music can please the strictest listener.

His discography has a lot to offer, and people around Klaus made a good decision. They have published a collection of several volumes called "La Vie Electronique", albums where one can find different live recordings from his entire career (as far as I know, there are now eight volumes, covering since his late 60s, to his early 80s. I ignore if there will be more volumes).

This Volume 3, features some of his 1975-77 live recordings, a period where some of his better recognized studio albums (Timewind, Mirage) were released, so that might appeal to the listener to get this third volume. It is necessary to mention that each and every of these volumes has three CDs on it, so believe me, you will have a complete trip here. The first CD of this volume was taken from a concert in Munich, in 1975, it had been already released inside the "Historic Edition" 10-CD set. In this first CD you will find three "sections" and a total of six pieces. In "Alles ist qut" you will hear the sensibility and dedication of a musician, but also a human being, who is creating several atmospheres inside one only world, the way his synthesizers can transport the listener to another time, another level, another galaxy, is simply wonderful. There are thousands of different sounds that appear for the first time every single minute, some of them are not easy to catch, but once you are inside his music, you will appreciate its different colors and textures. For more than 30 minutes, you will be rapt and excited. You can simply close your eyes, and let the music do the rest.

Something similar happens with "Well Roared, Lion!" which is a shorter track, however a long one reaching almost ten minutes, where an ambient of tension and nervousness can be found. A song that grows little by little, and offers a pretty nice example of what his synths can do. The last moments are calm and even relaxing; however something new is coming, be prepared! And the last part, named "Der Blaue Glaube" is another over 30 minutes track (divided in two pieces) that contrasts with the end of the previous one, because here you are trapped under a dream, where only the charming sound of the wind appears, but later it will take you again to another place. The song starts progressing and creating fantastic spacey sounds and sometimes dark, sometimes gently atmospheres. And as I told you, be prepared, because here you will have a feast of sounds and images. Also, the sound of drums is remarkable here.

The second CD features four sections; the first one comes from a concert in France in 1975; the second from a concert in Brussels in 1976; the third from a performance in Germany in 1975; and the last one from another concert in 1975. The tracks from sections one and four can also be found in the ten-CD set "Silver Edition", while sections two and three can be listened in the Historic Edition.

This disc has in my opinion, not the best way to begin, because I felt the first tracks are really slow and without a clear goal (I know every song has a goal, but this time I could not find it), the thing is that I felt bored after three minutes because I was expecting something that did not come. Anyway when the third song appears, everything changes because the music began to enter through my veins and brain, so once I was caught, I could not escape. "La Présence d'espirit" in particular has that hook that will trick the fish, its amazing synthesizer sound and all the variety of moods and atmospheres that offers, is another fantastic example of Klaus Schulze exquisite sound.

And finally, the third CD contains live recordings from a concert in 1975 in Munich; but also studio tracks written in the mid-seventies. The last song was probably part of the Body Love outtakes or the X session (this I read from the booklet). These songs can be also found, some on the Historic Edition, and others in the "Jubilee Edition". The first part is entitled "Zeichen meines Lebens" and is divided in four tracks, however, all of them sound as a whole, as just one long and believe me, great track. Here since the very first seconds the music suggests and produces a wonderful sense of excitement that will grow while the seconds pass, until you are totally lost in its sound and atmosphere, the music produces and addiction, so be careful, because you may lose this battle against this good addiction.

Other tracks such as "Wann soll man springen?" or "Experimentelle Bagatelle", have really odd sounds that might serve as the complement of a nice reading, you can have some science-fiction book while those songs are playing, and the result will be an excellent communion between both activities.

Warning: If you are not a follower of Schulze's music, then you must be careful with your choices, I would actually not suggest this volumes for you. However, if you like his music and want to explore deeper his recordings, then I highly suggest you this third volume. Also, if you are not in the mood, don't dare playing all the three CD's in a row, better rest and listen one by one. My final grade will be three stars.

Enjoy it!

'La Vie Electronique III' - Klaus Schulze (4/10)

The third installment in a series of compilations, electronic pioneer Klaus Schulze gives us a more obscure perspective of his music with 'La Vie Electronique III.' As part of a long string of boxsets, the overall purpose of this release is to bring some otherwise lesser- known material from the vault and organizing it into consumable chunks. Bringing the concept of 'spacemusic' to mind, this boxset is complete with three discs worth of cosmic journeying. While it's clear for the most part why this music may have been kept off of more legitimate Schulze releases, 'La Vie Electronique III' provides a relaxing, albeit uninteresting voyage for about three hours.

I believe it was Brian Eno that described 'ambient music' as being something that could be appreciated either in the 'foreground' or 'background.' Such is true with this particular dose of Schulze's music. Generally comprising of studio/live experiments from the late '70s era, the compositions are generally very drawn out, and center themselves around the concept of 'minimalism.' While some of the tracks have more sense of direction than the others (the undeniable highlight 'Alles Ist Gut' for example) many of the tracks seem to drift around and fail to go anywhere truly interesting and exciting. Much of the music consists of light atmospheric synth playing overtop a backing electronic track. While the sounds Schulze employs here are advanced and effective, the overbearing lack of variety here takes it's toll, and it makes listening through the boxset and maintaining a steady sense of interest, a near impossible feat.

Despite a lack of melody, structure or dynamic, Klaus really gets the concept of atmosphere right for this. Despite being the technical apocrypha of his career, the music still conveys the both desolate and enlightening sense of drifting in space that Schulze no doubt aspires to bring forth with his work. Considering there is over three hours of music to listen to here, there is surprisingly little to say; the boxset is essentially a long running exercise in freeform electronic improvisation, cut into sections by discs and track listings. While there is little reason for a newcomer to look into this beyond the desire for a relaxing ambient record, 'La Vie Electronique 3' should appeal to existing lovers of Klaus Schulze's work, and bring a little more to the plate for his dedicated fanbase.

In 1975, Schulze started taking his music on the road. It must have been a huge step for the introvert Klaus, but sitting on his sheepskin, hidden behind those huge machines, there was actually little difference with how he improvised his music in the studio, playing and mixing everything real-time with no overdubs. This boxset covers some of those first concerts from 1975.

It must be pointed out how good the sound quality is here. These aren't audience recordings or bootlegs, but stereo recorded shows that sound almost as good as his albums. The reason is that Schulze taped all his shows on a tape-echo device. A piece of equipment that recorded everything and then returned it back with a slight delay, causing a reverb-alike effect.

CD1 covers a Munch 1975 show from May, a fine performance that doesn't deviate much from the bubbling sequences and long abstract synth waves of "Timewind". The sound quality is slightly less here and while it doesn't offer anything new or unexpected, there's a certain tension in this performance that makes it a great listen

CD2 has an April 75 piece with later shows and studio material from 75. 'Fourneau Cosmique' from April is close to 'Picture Music', which was at that time Schulze's most recent studio recording. The pieces from the October shows are my favorites. 'Die Lebendige Spur' is remarkably concise and lively, 'La Présence D'Esprit' is pure beauty with Schulze's trademark slow build-up and subdued tension, and 'Der Lauf Der Dinge', a studio piece from 75, is the most remarkable piece of the box for me. It only consists of interwoven sequencer patterns that are continuously shifting. There aren't any synth leads or accompanying chords. It's almost proto-techno without the beat. Brilliant.

CD3 continues with a strong 30 minutes from an October 75 concert and a couple of shorter edits and studio pieces of which 'Kurzes Stück Im Alten Stil' is the most mesmerizing.

As with the other sets in this series, Schulze fans can't go wrong with it, 4hrs of music for the price of 1 regular CD. But I must warn that this set is not as revealing as the two that proceeded. Also the next set with 75-76 material comes with greater recommendations.