* * * * * * * kdm

Issue #297 has been posted to all Circle members. It contains:

* Two minor memories from 1975 and '76
* BBC's 'Krautrock' film from 2009
* Long guest article: "KS - Dream Into Action"
* Some formerly unpublished photos
... and more.

& an extra for German speaking members:
* German translation of the ''Dream Into Action'' article.

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)

...gab's im "The KS Circle" zum Beispiel dies:

Jemand fragte: Du hast in einem der letzten Circles geschrieben, daß von der 1979er Tour noch etliche Tapes existieren. Ist da auch das aus der Bielefelder Oetkerhalle dabei? Und hast Du irgendwelche Aufzeichnungen darüber in Dein Tagebuch geschrieben? Es war mein erstes Schulze-Konzert (als 18jähriger) und soweit ich mich erinnere, war ich ziemlich begeistert. Anschliessend habe ich dann die mir noch fehlenden Schulze-Platten erworben und sozusagen "auswendig gelernt."

...und ich antwortete:

➪ Die ersten Städte der langen 1979er Tournee sind nicht bei den Bändern mit den Konzertmitschnitten. Also leider auch nicht Bielefeld :-(
. . . .Ich erinnere mich aber daran: Gütersloh & Bielefeld wurden vom gleichen örtlichen Veranstalter durchgeführt und in Gütersloh mussten wir feststellen, dass der für beide Orte eine riesige(!) Laser-Show angekündigt hatte, die wir angeblich beim Konzert machen würden. Dabei hatten wir nur einen kleinen Mini-Laser mit, den wir (unangekündigt) an nur einer bestimmten Stelle kurz und überraschend einsetzten. Wegen dieser völlig überzogenen Vorankündigung entschlossen wir uns, den kleinen Laser in beiden Städten nicht einsetzen. Er hätte die Erwartungen der Zuschauer in Gütersloh & Bielefeld überhaupt nicht erfüllen können; also dann lieber überhaupt nicht. Natürlich waren wir stinksauer auf den Veranstalter, denn wir liebten diese kleine Einlage. Wenn ich mich recht entsinne, hat unser Tourmanager dem Veranstalter verabreicht, was er verdient hat: ein paar Backpfeifen. Das ist meine Erinnerung an Bielefeld 1979.

Please renew your subscription if you want THE KS CIRCLE also in the coming year. Conditions are the same as for last year; more is to find in the December edition of our THE KS CIRCLE which was just posted to all members worldwide.

Einen Tippfehler sah ich erst nach dem Versand (Briefpost & E-Mail) der aktuellen Ausgabe: Bei "mannifaltig" auf Seite 5 fehlt ein "g". Wieso sieht man sowas immer erst, wenn's ein paar Minuten zu spät ist?

Long time journalistic companions from the US of A are still doing their fine job. Currently:

The powerful creative stimulus that came with the first wave of popular electronic instruments was nowhere more intense than Germany in the early 1970s. In Berlin, a young drummer named KLAUS SCHULZE began working with early electronic instruments; he was a founding member of important bands like Ash Ra Tempel and Tangerine Dream, but soon went solo, with a series of groundbreaking albums that established a cosmic sound and a musical language that's still influential today ...

*. .Thanks to Greg
*. ."The true artist" according to Robert Walser (Deutsch/English)
*. .Prices asked for the Edition sets
*. ."Frank Herbert"
*. .40th anniversary of "Trancefer"
*. .(Historic:) Thoughtful from Klaus (Deutsch/English)
*. .Small memories
. . ...and more.

Old stories: During our tours in the seventies we used to have a little gimmick on stage, one different little toy for each tour. I remember when we had a little plastic faucet (water-tap) stuck to one side of the Big Moog, telling faithful fans and journalists this is needed for water cooling of the instrument.
. . . .Then we had a little plastic airplane (two times visible on photos in the Jubilee Edition set). On another tour we had a little Japanese plastic roboter also visibly placed somewhere among the instruments. For the photo collage inside the "...LIVE..." double LP we placed this toy at the right lower corner of the 50 Polaroids that were laid flat on the ground for doing the photo (Claus Cordes did the professional photo of my 50 snapshots). Of course I had the idea to use this photo again for the recent CD release of "...LIVE..." but it was just too small and no fun to the eyes. Therefore I dropped this idea. But it's not lost. Some day ... [PS: see 'Kommentar' below](Issue no.17, August '97, Klaus' 50th birthday)