DEUS ARRAKIS

1. "Osiris (Parts 1-4)" (18:28) though it starts out somewhat simply, almost New Age-y in its pace and sound palette, these are definitely Klaus Schulze key changes. Even moving into the second movement we get little change or development. As a matter of fact, it might be pointed out that there is considerable simplification and reduction of inputs until the introduction of a new, buzz-saw-like synth into the sequence in the ninth minute. Then, a few new chord/key changes from the baseline synth wash occur before we enter the third phase when the chord sequences begin to rise on the pitch scale and the floating saw-synth takes on a more prominent role. We also hear the addition of an oboe-like instrument and more layered weave of sequenced sounds moving around the soundscape. Cello seems to join in as well--though the long-held notes seem more synthesized than acoustic or electrified. The final section, Part 4, is the most dramatic and dynamic one minute of the whole suite! Overall, the song is pleasant but under-developed; the melodies and Schluzian key shifts alone can do nothing to make it anything special. (34.25/40)

2. "Seth (Parts 1-7)" (31:47) spacey old synths float through the airwaves for the first two minutes. The second part is just slow-moving waves of synth washes. The third and longest movement of the suite is made up of an upbeat click-and-pop rock-beat sequence with layers of other individual synths woven into the mix beneath which the synth wash chords shift, leading the music into interesting directions. There is an actual structure and repeating flow to this section which makes it feel like a song. The end of the third part finds the addition of some guitar-like sounds and other incidentals while the pace and chord-melody structure remain fairly consistent. For the fourth Part, we find all sequence and flow interrupted by the treated saw synth and cello playing within a field of space- radio noises. It's pretty cool but I don't get what it has to do with either the previous movement or the topic of Seth. Part Five is the second longest movement. It finds a 1980s synth sequence overriding and, eventually, replacing the radio-cello motif of Part 4--though the beautiful and plaintive cello does manage to remain and contribute significantly (and contrarily) to the effectiveness of this rather ambiguous motif. (Two themes being presented simultaneously, seemingly at diametrically opposed purposes, makes for an interesting if contentious listening experience.) Part 6 is, again, taking us in a different direction: this one back to gentle, slowly shifting synth washes over which some of those space radio noises flit and flash. After about a minute, the cello again joins in--this time sounding more effected by reverb, delay, sustain other engineering effects--and also supplanting the space-radio "bugs"--getting quite expressive and speedy the further we go into the movement. (It's quite exciting, this virtuous cello player!) The seventh and final movement, Part 7, is three minutes of saw synth and lower register treated-cello play. Very pacifying--as if trying to put its listeners to bed--though the rather sudden/quick fadeout is a bit disconcerting--as well as a bit of a surprise The contributions of the lovely cello certainly do make this composition more engaging and enjoyable. In fact, this piece, "Seth," feels far more symphonic in its form and intent than the opener, "Osiris." I like this one very much! (59.5/65)

3. "Der Hauch des Lebens (Parts 1-5)" (27:08) low droning note opens this before synth glass-bell-horn joins in with ethereal voices whispering around in the background. Three minutes of this Blade Runner-like soundscape changes to add more quotidian incidental sounds (like street and/or playground & circus/fair voices) while a more common organ-like synth delivers slowly morphing chords beneath. The end of Part 2 slips into a more eerie, sinister scape before the organ chords shift to a new, more ambiguously evocative progression. It's pretty but it's also cold, lonely, unsettling. Part 3 sees the appearance of a more typical KS computer sound sequenced in a way that any Berlin School devot'e would, all the while the gentle "organ" synth continues providing its soothing, if sometimes disconcerting chord washes beneath. It sounds very familiar ' la Laurent Schieber's SEQUENTIA LEGENDA work over the past decade. The longest movement of the suite, Part 3 also sees the development of more speed and dynamics as well as layering of other subtle instrumental lines into the musical weave. By the halfway point in the suite, we are feeling very much immersed in a classic Klaus Schulze piece of music--maybe even one going back to the late 1970s or early 1980s. A few sudden and usually quick "surprise" chords alert us to the "newness" of the piece, but, overall, we find ourselves feeling quite comfortable in the familiar weaves of Sancta Klaus. Part 4 finds us being stripped of all worldly fabric to leave us in the heavenly, love-affirming chord progression of the synth wash chords. In fact, it's so comforting that I find myself moved to tears. Such is the power of simple chords, especially those magical major and minor seventh chords, for therein are contained the summation and spectral range of the human emotional experience. Beautiful ' with just enough edge to remind us that we have not yet, in fact, left this mortal coil--that we are still committed to confronting the foils and spoils of our --which is precisely what the fifth movement does: it slowly brings us back from our heavenly, out-of-body Preview, gently depositing us back into the Earthly bodies to which we have volunteered our attention. Yes, this is the Breath of Life! And we were just taken on a guided tour down the River Styx, through Bar-do, to the Mists of Avalon, and back to Middle Earth! How masterfully Klaus (and his collaborators) have engineered our conscious experience through the purposeful manipulation of sound! Ingenius! No wonder we hold the Maestro's esteem up to such lofty heights! (52/55)

Total Time 77:23

What amazes me about this album of music is the demonstration of Klaus Schulze's skill: from the Understated (and perhaps, underwhelming) simplicity of the first suite, to the complex, mutli-part story-telling of the second, to the psycho-spiritual manipulation of the third. I am so grateful for this man's contributions to my life, to my love and appreciation for the possibilities of all things musical (and emotional). Three cheers for the King. Long live the King!

A-/five stars; a marvelous exposition of Berlin School Electronica from the master himself--a truly wonderful addition to any and all music collections.

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