MIRAGE

Probably the peak in Schulze's entire career. This is one of those albums where everything just fell into place and sounds great. Right time right place, using the technology and ideas he'd built up during the previous five years. That's how long it took him to finally release a faultless electronic album.

If you can skip past the frankly awful sleeve you could be in for a treat here. 'Mirage' is very professional and precise in execution and in choice of keyboards. Schulze certainly knew what he was doing and exactly what he wanted by this point.

'Mirage' is quite similar to 'Timewind' from two years earlier - which itself is a superb album. Here though - the results just sound far more complete and accomplished. This is a very smooth and polished instrumental electronic recording with every bloop and bleep carefully inserted into the score. There's no hurry or urgency - things just develop at their own pace in huge waves of artificial sound.

I just love those old 70's Berlin electronic recordings . They're copied unashamedly today by the likes of 'Redshift', 'Free System Project' and 'Radio Massacre International' - all of which sound remarkably like 'Mirage'. They even use the same equipment to try and recapture that realism that digital technology fails to do.

A beautiful, clean cut and precise album which sits comfortably alongside 'Ricochet' and 'Rubycon' but without the heavy arpeggiator sound of the latter. 'Mirage' is probably more aesthetically pleasing and can be played late at night without neighbours banging and shouting in complaint.

One of the last great analogue electronic albums that is a match for anything Tangerine Dream produced 74-76. All that and not a guitar, bass guitar or drum to be heard!