Klaus Jänich

On August 4, 2007, Klaus Schulze celebrated his 60th birthday. Most electronica providers of 2007 and 2008 were not as old as Schulze, but then, Schulze is someone who - like Brian Eno and Kraftwerk - was using synthesizers before they were truly in vogue and before many of today's electronica artists were even born. Thankfully, Schulze hasn't run out of ideas after all these years, and on Farscape, he fulfills a longtime ambition: collaborating with Australian singer Lisa Gerrard (of Dead Can Dance fame). This two-CD set is best described as an extended piece that lasts 153 minutes; that piece, which is titled "Liquid Coincidence," is broken down into seven parts. Schulze handles the electronic programming on this 2008 release, while Gerrard provides all of the vocals - and all seven parts of "Liquid Coincidence" have a floating, airy, atmospheric quality…

Goes Classic is a Schulze's adaption of masterworks by the old classical masters, done with his usual cosmic flair. The arrangements of the pieces don't sound updated or original. Except for a very few novel sounds, the synthesizer patches sound like basic programs and samples found on many mid- level synthesizers of the early nineties. The recordings sound too much like a synthesizer trying to replicate an orchestra, rather than reinterpret. The innovative sounds that made the seventies Schulze albums enjoyable are nowhere to be found. Nonetheless, the album makes good background music. While the synthesis does not capture the excitement of a live orchestra, Schulze manages to keep the recording from sounding robotic.

This is Schulze's first attempt at opera, and it has yielded mixed results. Klaus Schulze has been deeply influenced by Richard Wagner and his music. So it is natural that he would compose, produce and perform (except the vocals) the world's first electronic opera. Totentag: Oper in 7 Bildern (roughly Death Day: An Opera in 7 Scenes) is a monumental achievement. Klaus, in keeping with a tradition started by Mozart, composed the opera in his native German. He recruited five virtuoso vocalists to play/sing the roles. The opera, again in the truest German tradition, is tragic. It tells the story of a young man and his drug induced hallucinations and visions.

The present box is the fourth of five. Together it's 50 CDs of music by Klaus Schulze. It includes the former sets Silver Edition (10 CDs), Historic Edition (10 CDs), Jubilee Edition (25 CDs), and five new albums made especially as bonus for The Ultimate Edition.