Date: Tue, 20 Sep 94 10:42:33 BST Subject: Klaus Schulze News Really-From: Steve Bachini I've had another great information release from Klaus Schulze's manager so here goes... KLAUS SCHULZE NEWS The sensational Ten-CD-Set SILVER EDITION was sold out in May '94. All reactions by fans in letters, telephone calls, or faxes were enthusiastic. We quoted them in a grateful eight pages THANK YOU advertisement. All reviews in magazines, fanzines, and in the radio were also exceptionally excellent. It was not only a daring and crazy idea, to release 10 CDs at once, of a living avantgarde musician - as a result it turned out to be a very successful move: It was the release of the decade! There are no plans to reprint this >>limited edition<< set. From now on it belongs to musical history and each set is a collectors item. Two other e-musicians try to follow our splendid idea to do a private release of a numbered-and-signed-limited-edition-CD (but not ten at once). A certain Steve Roach will do 2000 copies of one CD in exactly this manner, and our friend Mario "der kleine Klaus" Schonwalder did 200 copies of one CD. Good luck, Mario and Steve. (Infos from Mario, A.P. & Th. Beuthe) A new WAHNFRIED was completed in October 1993. For no special reason Klaus dropped the "Richard" of his former "Richard Wahnfried" project. This new production is called TRANCELATION and has modern dance sounds and rhythm, far from any old-fashioned "Berlin School of Electronics" or what some people believe a "typical" KS should sound. Even an old man with eccentric taste and rigid opinions, me: kdm, liked TRANCELATION at once. It's up-to-date. And it's on ZYX 20296-2. One track of this CD was already released on the German sampler VISIONS OF SOUND - BEST OF SYNTHESISER MUSIC ("Aus der Fernsehwerbung") Edelton EDL 2811-2. It contains also a short new title by Klaus Schulze: "GROSSE GAUKLER GOTTES", which is not released elsewhere. This sampler has, sorry to say so, not much to do with neither "BEST" nor with "SYNTHESISER" music. Some additional remixes of one track of Wahnfried's TRANCELATION were also done in KS' studio, by a young man who worked until recently for "The Orb", Andy Falconer. Let's see what'll come out of this musical collaboration: It was the first time that someone else than Klaus himself (!) mixed his music. * * * Beauty is in the ear of the listener. * * * Released is also KS' unusual KLAUS SCHULZE GOES CLASSIC, that was formerly called MIDI KLASSIK, which is of course a less sensational selling-title. This CD contains some famous classical and romantic music from Bach, Brahms, von Weber, Grieg, Beethoven and Smetana, arranged for, and played by KS on the computer. This is not just an interpretation, a cheap "Best of...", or a popular catchy melody plus drums, but the original music, seriously done with today's computer & sampling technique. It's on ZYX 20297-2, and I do like their cover. It reminds me of David Stone Martin's famous Clef and Verve covers from the fifties. Although I gave the record company the very correct credits for this CD, saying:"LAUTENQUINTETT is partly based on Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Flight of the Bumble Bee" and Saint-Saen's "Le carneval des animaux", they forgot to mention the important little word "partly", because just about 3 1/2 minutes of the nearly 11 minutes are based on the given classics. All the typing errors are also their responsibility (the same for TOTENTAG). * * * KS hat seine Musik gemacht, als sie noch nicht modisch war, und er wird sie machen, wenn sie nicht mehr modisch sein wird - und wenn neue Trittbrettfahrer wieder das machen, was damn modisch sein wird. [Das muBte mal gesagt werden. kdm] * * * KS' opera, oh yes. That took a long time to conceive and produce. Already ten years ago KS planned to do his opera, but for some reason or another it never realized. Now it's completed. The long awaited 104 minutes opus is called TOTENTAG. As very often with Klaus Schulze, it's another daring step beyond. Others may repeat all over again the old-fashioned electronic music, once invented by Klaus Schulze in the early seventies, the inventor himself goes forwards. The opera deals about the Austrian expressionistic poet Georg Trakl and his last days in a hospital, anno 1914. Trakl died voluntarily of an overdose of cocaine, as a wounded soldier during World War I. His visions during his last hours are the leitmotifs of Shulze's opera. "Georg Trakl ist fur mich ein Vehikel fur Menschen, die an Rande des Abgrunds positiv agieren, obwohl auch sie dieselben Angste haben die ein Vogel hat, der keinen Baum mehr findet. ... TOTENTAG ist ein Hoffnung und ein Kontrapunkt zum Uberleben." (Klaus Schulze.) [Try to translate that!]. The name Georg Trakl is not new to Schulze aficionados. Already on his famous double LP "X" in 1978, a short beautiful track was included, called simply "Georg Trakl". Another famous LP from 1983 had a long track called "Sebastian im Traum" - which is also the title of a long poem by Trakl. In addition to KS' typical music, five operatic voices were used for TOTENTAG, yes, five real opera singers were doing their bel canto in Klaus' studio. He searched for and found them all over Europe and from America. For KS it is important to add: The voices were recorded by Werner Eggert - the info in the credits about Werner was suppressed by the record company. By accident, this doubleCD has the same catalogue number as an old LP from Klaus from 1980 (Thanks to Gilles for this curious info.) The official release of TOTENTAG was the 1st of September 1994, and it's on ZYX 81014-2. (The first edition was sold out after a few days! That's the reason that I had to wait very long for my promotion copies. ZYX had none left for KS and kdm. Seriously!). * * * The last of the KS LPs that is not yet out on CD, is - as most of you know - the double longplay "...LIVE..." from 1980. Already one year ago the responsible man at the record company METRONOME asked KS if he wants to do the mastering for the planned CD release. Yes, Klaus said, just send me the master tapes! He still waits for them. (This is not the first time that this young man from the record company announces something and, h'm. ...forgot about it. I wonder. His latest "promise": A maybe release in October '94. I take bets...). I have to remind again that records are bulk articles. If all pressed copies of a certain CD are finally sold out, the company will not immediately re-press another edition of five- or ten thousand (not even 1000), just to serve the few late-comers. Only if they feel there is still - or again - a huge demand for this specific CD, they will (probably) re-press. Remember, there is plenty of other music outside "electronic", which indeed sells en masse. Regardless of your faith, there simply is no "huge demand" for electronic music. Klaus' Brain CD INTER*FACE is already deleted from the catalogues, and others will surely follow. Remind this, when buying records the next time. * * * LE MOULIN DE DAUDET: Although this soundtrack CD is a strict French release, it is also available elsewhere, if the dealers would care. I can recommend the Scottish CD SERVICES in Dundee; ULTIMA THULE in Leicester/England; the American EUROCK in Portland; and the huge German JPC. All those mail-orders are glad to sell you LE MOULIN DE DAUDET (JPC only inside Germany). Most certainly, those mail-orders offer also the double CD sampler THE ESSENTIAL 72-93, and many other Klaus Schulze CDs. Klaus Schulze's soundtrack for the French movie contains 21 shorter pieces, typical soundtrack music, and slightly different from what is normally expected from Klaus Schulze's more epic style. These short cuts are not parts of longer recordings by Klaus. They are the original & complete recordings, that were made and used for the movie. The French premiere of LE MOULIN film did happen in Paris on the 3rd of May, which was also the release date of the soundtrack CD. This premiere was a success, with a standing ovation etc... The Paris critics also liked it, and KS was pleased with the good sound of his music in the cinema... The film director is pleased, too, and will take more music from KS for his future films... Three weeks later, during our short tournee at the end of May '94, with concerts in Lille, Paris, and Rome, Klaus was invited to attend the Belgian premiere of LE MOULIN DE DAUDET movie in Bruxelles. Because of that, Klaus was invited by the Belgian KING ALBERT, and both spent an enjoyable evening at King Albert's palais, with a few other guests of honour. Two days after, in Paris, Klaus had a similar appointment; this time I had to buy him a white shirt and a decent tie: KS was invited by the French president FRANCOIS MITTERAND to be his guest at the Palais de l'Elysee. Of the other guests KS remembers especially the widow of Salvador Allende. Of the just mentioned three concerts, the one in Paris at the famous La Cigale, and the Roman concert in two hundred years' old baroque theatre were just wonderful, musically. The sound was great, too (thanks to the small but powerful "KS" processor PA system), and the French audience welcomed Klaus with an enthusiastic standing ovation. These two concerts were among the best concerts of Klaus that I can remember. We recorded the events, and the mastering was already done. Klaus still cannot decide which parts to choose for a release, because the whole music is so beautiful. This live CD release is scheduled for later this year, also on the German ZYX label. For the near future there are no further concerts planned. Of course we always get offers, but mostly from what I call: amateurs. Sorry, gents, we only work with professional concert promoters, and we ask for a certain amount of money. * * * Miscellaneous: During the two nights of 17th and 18th of August Klaus Schulze has some wonderful private meetings with Gilmore, Wright and Mason of PINK FLOYD who were touring Germany at this time. It came out that all three know and have all of Klaus' records, and that they are, if I may say so:"fans" of his music... On 4th of August, Klaus received a phone call from Barcelona. It was the guitar player ALVIN LEE who wanted to say hello and "Happy birthday, Klaus" (Klaus met this English guitar hero during the Far East Family Band recordings in the English Manor studios, back in November '75 [Alvin had his house nearby]. As many of you already know, KS produced this Japanese group, that had an unknown keyboard player, who later got famous as "Kitaro"). >From the 20th to the 25th of August Klaus was in Los Angeles (Hollywood) to talk about some filmmusic for the Walter Mirisch Film Co. (who did in the past The Pink Panther, the Billy Wilder films, etc). More about this, hopefully in coming "KS news". The TV film in three parts, Spurensicherung, with the music of Klaus Schulze - see Silver Edition, Disc 1 - was repeated on German ZDF TV, on 22nd and 29th of August, and on 5 September, late at night. You remember the Elisa Monte Dance Company from New York? They still dance to Klaus' AUDENTITY, and they tour Europe in November '94. Sadly I only have info about one date: On 10th of November they dance at the "Theatre Municipal de Bethune" in 62400 Bethune (France). >>I had so much success, because I never listened to the people who told me again and again, what to do to have success.<< (Jack Nicholson) I wonder why still some inept journalists cite Karlheinz Stockhausen as a forerunner of electronic music as we all know it today. Most certainly they have not followed Stockhausen's output during the last 25 years? (And what he did before was mainly not at all "electronic".) Recently I heard some modern organ playing on the radio that indeed reminded me stark of TD's early pre-synth music, also of Klaus Schulze's organ playing during his early years 1971 to '73. Have a look in the record shelves for some organ compositions by the great GYORGY LIGETI. You'll be surprised. The most vehement negative reaction on WAHNFRIED: TRANCELATION I got from English writer Alan Freeman. I could foretell his reaction, 'cause I know his exquisite but also exclusive(!) taste. Sometimes I speak wittily about his musical preferences: Every music that is more popular than CONRAD SCHNITZLER belongs to inferior pop music. Of course I still love and revere what Alan is writing. Together with all other reactions on the new WAHNFRIED, we have until today: excellent (42%), mixed (25%), bad (33%). A more positive article about Klaus I found in an American magazine, that printed this summer: He's the Godfather of electronic keyboard music, the synthesiser Messiah incarnate, and along with Brian Eno, one of the most powerful influences, either directly or indirectly, on the world's greatest contemporary musicians. For over 20 years Klaus Schulze has been out in front of the pack and has never looked back... and-so-on. Nice isn't it? Another detailed eight(!) pages interview with Klaus was in the August edition of the American KEYBOARD magazine. And the (non-electronic!) glossy American A.P. music magazine printed three pages of KS praise, also in their August issue. At the end of September KS will flight to London to visit PHIL MANZANERA. Let's see what will come out of this meeting, musically... In the meantime Klaus is working with a certain Pete Namlook in his Moldau Studios. Some reviewers and critics who want to know more about the pieces of art they try to write or speak about, should check out the books of a certain Ernst H. Gombrich (they are translated into most languages). And finally: >>Was nicht originell ist, daran it nichts gelegen.<< (Goethe) compiled by kdm, 10 September 1994 infos: Klaus D. Mueller, Lankwitz, Kurfurstenstr. 24, D-12249 BERLIN Fax: (030) 772 61 55 - --------------------------------------- By the way, Alan Freeman runs the mail-order shop Ultima Thule with his brother Steve. They both produce the magazine Audion. I actually bought Alan's copy of Trancelation off of him, he disliked it so much!! That's it for now. Steve Bachini - sbachini@uk.mdis.com