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Klaus Schulze - Timewind CD (album) cover

TIMEWIND

Klaus Schulze

 

Progressive Electronic

4.24 | 354 ratings

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Bonnek
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars Schulze is one of the most prolific musicians of popular music. He's also been one of the most innovative and without doubt the most sensuous electronic music composer ever. The list of superlatives to bestow on Schulze is endless, especially so for this defining album Timewind.

Timewind is the earliest artistic highlight of Schulze's evolution from abstract eerie electronic music to the more melodic and pulsating type of progressive electronic that he is best known for. There is no moog yet on this album but all synths have a similar warm and bright sound, the kind that would be cloned by JM Jarre on Oxygène.

Compared to the dark droning pulses of Tangerine Dream's Phaedra and Rubycon, Schulze has a decisively more dreamy and melancholic touch. Also the construction of the pieces is different. Schulze's music is always largely improvised and he has that unique gift to make his music progress in a very organic way. It seems as if the music is continuously the same, yet it constantly changes. This music flows almost unnoticeably from A to Z, and you wouldn't be able to cut out a minute without hearing an abrupt jump. Quite the opposite from modern metal, which looks very dynamic on the outside but is actually perfectly fit for seamless cut and paste jobs. This is no valorisation mind you, I like both styles, it just exemplifies the point very well.

Bayreuth Return is an excellent piece, it has a bit of an unexpected ending, sounding as if Klaus's partner came in and accidentally tripped over the equipment while he was still in the middle of his continuous symphony. The second cd of the 2006 reissue contains an alternate take (Echoes of Time ) which is actually superior, it just ended up too long to make it onto the original album. So obviously, the 2006 re-release is the recommended issue.

Wahfried 1883 is a more abstract piece, without any sequencer pulses but with those gorgeously flowing melodies that keep developing endlessly, without ever settling to a fixed tonal centre (check Wagner for more theory about the technique). This piece is pure genius. One of the most beautiful pieces of electronic music and the pinnacle of Schulze's output together with his album Mirage.

This is pure progressive music, not for everybody obviously and progrock and metalheads especially should approach with care. This is very far removed from the busy nature of your usual prog treat.

Bonnek | 5/5 |

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