* * * * * * * kdm

Does Klaus play Ambient?
. . . .An American journalist is writing a book and he sent me some excerpts of his writing, in advance. He tried to describe all the seventies' albums by Klaus and to my surprise he marked them all (!) as "ambient" music. ... Therefore, I wrote him:
. . . .Yes of course you can use a modern word for an older music. It's just that there is TOO MANY "ambient" in your reviews that catched my attention; as if KS only, mainly and consciously did "Ambient Music", but the opposite is true.
. . . .Neither KS nor the fans or the press heard Schulze's music at time of release (and many years after) as "ambient" in a way Eno meant it and did it later: as a kind of "Muzak for the educated classes".
. . . .Maybe you should turn up the loudness when listening to Klaus' music? "Moondawn" for instance was very well received when it came out, and I heard many people speak about it, read hundreds of reviews and articles about it, it was in French hit lists, but no one ever said that "Moondawn" is an "ambient" album. Because for this genre it's much too lively. Same with "Body Love" and the rest of your many "ambient" described albums. After 26 years of work with KS I can easily separate all this boring, dead, new age, ambient, and noodling music, ...from the very emotional (which is the opposite of "ambient"), and partly even soulful music of Klaus Schulze.
. . . .It's not that I am a big fan of his music (I prefer completely other music), but I can hear this stark difference. Schulze's music touches the people, it is full of passion. In fact this is Klaus' trademark. Pause. On the contrary, "Ambient" is used to fill the ambient of rooms with nice sounds that does not disturb the people.
. . . .Of course, if you really see it (hear it) your own way, and if you are not just using a fashionable term, feel free to call Klaus' music "ambient", even if - historically & musically - it isn't.
. . . .It reminds me on a scene in a funny Hollywood movie: A hillbilly hears an LP with some Beethoven or Brahms and he proudly announces: "That's classical music, yep? Well, I hear that at once: No singing!" (The KS Circle # 47, from summer 2000)