“This is an honest compilation which just aims to be a very good guide to the new fan of Klaus Schulze”
CD 1 (71:01) 1 Irrlicht, 1. Satz: Ebene (5:16) from Irrlicht 2 Totem (6:25) from Picture Music 3 Wahnfried 1883 (10:50) from Timewind 4 Floating (11:30) from Moondawn 5 Stardancer II (14:11) from Body Love Vol. 2 6 Ludwig II von Bayern (10:00) from X 7 Death Of An Analogue (12:15) from Dig It
CD 2 (70:36) 1 Weird Caravan (5:04) from Dig It 2 Freeze (6:38) from Angst 3 Miditerranean Pads (14:15) from Miditerranean Pads 4 Dresden Five (8:32) from The Dresden Performance 5 Brave Old Sequence (10:56) from Beyond Recall 6 Silence And Sequence (11:54) from Royal Festival Hall Vol. 1
7 The Dome Event (12:44) from The Dome Event Virgin France 393002
(CD 141:37) (V.F.)
(Mix of analog and digital synth music)
Considering the huge volume of his discography, Klaus Schulze is not an eager for compilations. Up to this date, we are in 1994, THE ESSENTIAL 72-93 is his first compilation. And I'm not sure that he enjoys it because this collection, this overview of his 25 first albums is released only on Virgin France and is not even listed on Klaus' website in his discography section. But to me, and no matter what, it's a must. It's the best way to dip your ears in this titanic adventure in sounds that is the first 22 years of music from Klaus Schulze. Hell to the purist who bawl that it's a sacrilege to only take snippets of giant tracks. I'll say to that that it's indeed the better way to tame anti-music such as works as Irrlicht, Picture Music and even Blackdance. Ad don't get me wrong; I'm a huge fan of Klaus Schulze. But it took me times and this compilation to finally plunge into his wonderful universe full of fear of discovering atonal ambient music. I finally discovered the sense of floating music here. And yes, the name of the album sticks to its. This is more than 2 hours of music which cover the analog era, the digital and the sampling eras of KS. It's the best way to make up your mind and get an idea of the style to choose or to know better. Here you will have the perfect idea of his many facets and styles by choosing his best period to your ears. Some will say that it's indeed a superficial way to discover Schulze. I'll say yes to that, but it's also a good start to follow the evolutionary stages of this undisputed genius of contemporary EM. The choice of the tracks is sensible and rather representative of Schulze's material. Obviously, they are not complete. But they are rendered in real time segments. It's not a mix of the best moments for each tracks. For example, Totem from Picture Music is 6:25 of consecutive music. Thus, this compilation doesn't aim to be a commercial stunt. What you have here is real Schulze in his good and his less good moments. This is the true side of Klaus Schulze. So, hat to Virgin France to be so honest. Nothing here is to trick to possible neophyte of the Schulze early years. Only 2 CD to recount 22 years of career is by far too little. A 3rd one would have been necessary because albums like En=Trance, Dune, Mirage, Blackdance, Cyborg and others are absent. Albums which are still the cornerstone, I think of Blackdanceand Mirage, and which have marked an era with their particular tones. But a compilation remains a best of...So we have to take it as it comes, otherwise we won't finish with it!
All in all, THE ESSENTIAL 72-93 is an honest compilation which just aims to be a very good guide to the new fan of Klaus Schulze throughout his styles and eras of these years. Of course, that speaking of it some 22 years later is like being late, but I thought of it when a friend asked me if there was a compilation, set apart the DSOTM and the contemporary Boxsets, of the early works of Schulze. And I remembered this compilation. And I dug all over the Internet to found out that this compilation is still on sale. And if you dig very well, you will find it at a very fair price. So, you want to discover those years of Klaus Schulze? You want to be introduced to his wonderful universe? This is the perfect way to start!
Sylvain Lupari (February 16th, 2016) *****