* * * * * * * kdm

In autumn 1978, when the double album "X" was released, we could not foresee that it will be a historic milestone ...today, 40 years after.
Two reviews, printed in The KS Circle no. 82, when "X" had its 25th anniversary:

(*****) Electronic Music's Greatest Masterpiece.
The influence "X" has had on the current two generations of electronic artists/composers is beyond words but completely understandable. With this 1978 double album, Schulze reached the height of his creative powers, producing a work which bridges the gap between the so-called "progressive" jazz-rock of the day to some of the most original and profound electronic ambient music ever made. Officially titled "Sechs Musikalische Biographien", it moves from high-speed trance sessions like "Friedrich Nietzsche" and "Frank Herbert" to pieces inspired by the Western classical tradition ("Friedemann Bach" and "Ludwig II von Bayern"), to the unfathomable nightmare of "Heinrich von Kleist", which is arguably Schulze's finest half-hour ever. Fellow electronic composer Steve Roach has sited this album along with Schulze's "Timewind" for inspiring him to make a career out of making electronic music and it's simply no wonder as to why. Without question one of the truly great recordings of the past quarter-century in ANY field of music.

(*****) A Relentlessly Dark Oppressive Provisional Masterwork.
There are two rules to KS albums: 1) His best work is completely bleak 2) Almost ALL his compositions run far too long.
Nevertheless, "X" is arguably as good as he gets. If there is soundtrack to hell, personal or universal, this is it.
It all starts with "Friedrich Nietzsche", a 24 minute head rush that would have been just fine at ten or twelve minutes. I keep getting images of the "Dawn of Man" segment from "2001" in it's first few mintues. Still strikeing. "Frank Herbert" may be the ultimate road-rage soundtrack. "Ludwig II von Bayern" makes fantastic use of a full string orchestra in its first several minutes and is probably the best thing Schulze ever recorded. In fact, it's SO good I kept wondering why he never utilized more orchestral arrangements in his later albums. He seems a far better composer than performer. (Another curious note, none of the musicians for the orchestral sections of "X" are credited... seems a bit wrong.)
Those are the highlights.
I recommend this for those looking for some kind of Heavy Metal/Ambient/Neo Classical hybrid. (How's that for a description?) It's definately one-of-a-kind.

PS: The list with the names of the orchestra members were printed in the 'Circle'. Here it is again. The solo violin was played by B.Dragic and the orchestra was conducted by Wolfgang Tiepold.

In a recent feature in the British magazine THE WIRE (September 2018 issue) Klaus Schulze is quoted:

"The media founded names such as 'Berliner Schule' many years after those events actually happened. And yes, there was this 'electronic music launch' in Berlin, and of course some shared characteristics. But that was not our 'movement' and there was no common doctrine or something like that. We just did what we did at the time. I still just do what I do. That's why I try to avoid using terms like this."

Also the rest of the feature about KS written by Phil Freeman is surprisingly readable (and I did not say that all too often about writers during those many years!).

"We only use his first name, the way you just call Miles Davis, Miles. In my world, everyone knows who you mean." ...said our old American friend the radio producer John Diliberto about Klaus Schulze.. . . John is still active, now in the internet, see here ...and just recently (starting at 06:40) here

Glossy British PROG Magazine has in its recent issue a longer interview with KS and a one-page review of "Silhouettes".

Warum denken die Leute immer, dass KS bei jedem neuen Album das Rad neu erfinden muss? Das hat Klaus doch schon einmal getan, als er diese Musikrichtung erfunden bzw. geprägt hat.

Es gibt ein aktuelles Interview mit KS, von gestern, im Radio:
http://srv.deutschlandradio.de/themes/dradio/script/aod/index.html?audioMode=2&audioID=3&state=

Dort bei 'DeutschlandFunk Kultur" aufs Datum 24. Mai klicken, 16:41 Uhr, TONART.
Die 'Krautrock'-Einleitung kann man sich getrost sparen; los geht's ab 02:30, sechs Minuten lang.

"Silhouettes just arrived and I am listening :-)
Please say THANK YOU for KS.
Best regards,
Greg M., Warszawa"

... at the end of April 1993, I had finished the work for the first of our CD sets, SILVER EDITION, containing ten CDs with recent studio recordings of Klaus Schulze and a few older concert recordings. All previously unreleased.

Yep, at the end of April 1993 I had informed the press with an interest in this kind of music, which was at this time mostly the many e.m. fanzines in all corners of the world = I knew 58 different ones, from Agitasjon to Zenith. Also I informed a few hundred individual fans. I had many files filled with our collected letter exchanges; remember: this was a time without websites and mails. I had send them all a personal letter with the info about our SILVER EDITION offer. In some of the e.m. fanzines I also I booked (and paid for) a one-page advertising for SILVER EDITION. It was the very first time that in our genre such a set was released.

We have deliberately omitted the middlemen in this CD selling business: distributors and retailers. We delivered only to single people and to a handful of longtime friends who run a small 'private' mail order service (hello, Archie!). At this time we didn't know if our effort will be successful, if we will really find 2000 people willing to pay the circa 200 DM (100 € today) for such a special release. Luckily we were successful, even if the last - roughly one hundred - sets took a few weeks to find their customers... By the way: 85 copies of this set we have sent for free to journalists, some friends and a few musical collegues. Oh, I nearly forgot to mention: It was a huge success, critics and fans were thrilled !

Two years later I repeated this 10-CD set idea, this time with formerly unreleased historic recordings from Klaus Schulze's concerts or his studio, hence the title: HISTORIC EDITION. And another two years later I even produced a 25-CD set of unreleased music...

And now it's the 25th anniversary of SILVER EDITION.

The back of the 48-pages booklet

I just have asked Lennart, to replace the current photo of Klaus (on the official website's opening page) with a better one, even if it's not new but according to our motto: "Alt schon. Aber gut."