What Happened to Klaus Schultze?
M. Detko | Scarborough, Ontario Canada | 10/17/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This album seems to be where KS changed. The tunes on previous albums were long and changed slowly over their long lengths. At this point he has started to use electronic drums, which is fine, except the beats remain static and he chooses one or two sounds to improvise with over the backdrop he creates. Unfortunately it can get monotonous. At the time I'm sure it was different but now it is somewhat lifeless. The earlier albums featuring analog equipment are similar and also tax your patience with their length and subtlety but sonically it was more pleasing to my ears. Mr S began to use live drums in some of his recordings but when the electronic drums began to permeate it got a little dull. Same thing happened to Jean-Michel Jarre after Magnetic Fields. I can't generate the same enthusiasm for the post-digital Schultze as for the acknowledged classic albums such as Timewind, Moondawn and Mirage."
I Want to Be a Machine
directions | Space Time Foam | 12/31/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I would like to focus my review on the bonus dvd. The actual cd, Digit is the start of Klaus Schulze's digital period (hence the title) and for many fans, including myself this is where they step off. That is why I didn't give it 5 stars. Buy it for the dvd! Okay its not really officially "industrial" music. However, Klaus Schulze playing live at a steel factory with the workers going through a day's work in the background is obviously a nod to the then burgeoning industrial movement. He plays on digital synths but then refocuses his energy and plays some music from "X" (one of his best albums) on his huge Moog set up. This is a television performance and the cross cutting can get a little annoying but when you see Klaus Schulze coaxing fascinating sounds out of the Moog, it makes everything worth it."