Product Format: CD
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CD Edition of the new KS album released in May 2018 was recorded in the summer of 2017 and it contains 75 Minutes of New Music over 4 Long Tracks!
Released 25th May 2018, the CD and Standard Vinyl Double LP editions of the new KS album are IN STOCK NOW at CDS Towers – The album has been reviewed below, and is now being prepared for shipping to reach our KS fans on or around the releases date of 25th May 2018!
‘Silhouettes’ was recorded in the summer of 2017 and comes in THREE EDITIONS – One EXTREMELY LIMITED! It contains 75 Minutes of New Music over 4 Long Tracks – Check out below just how sensational it is too!
This CD Edition comes as a 6-Panel Digi-Pak featuring sleeve notes and a personal message from Klaus (no booklet included).
Since the early 1970s, Klaus Schulze has repeatedly been referred to by the press as: “King of Cosmic Music” or “Magician on the Big Moog”, his work frequently having been classed as a: “monument of forward-looking music”. Along with his great talent for innovation, Schulze is also considered to be one of the most productive artists of his time. Experts estimate the number of releases featuring KS to be at least 200, but more probably more like 500!
Following the celebrations of his 70th birthday in August 2017, Klaus Schulze, one of the most important figures from the electronic music scene worldwide, announced the release of his new studio recording: ‘Silhouettes’.
Released in May 2018, the album features four pieces: ‘Silhouettes’, ‘Der Lange Blick Zurück’, ‘Quae Simplex’ and ‘Châteaux Faits Des Vent’, all of which he worked on between the summer and autumn of 2017, and just as expansive in terms of playing time and artistic vision as we’ve come to expect from Schulze’s work.
According to the internationally highly respected musician, composer and producer, the new material reflects – due to health problems – a very quiet and for this reason very meditative time. Schulze describes the music on ‘Silhouettes’ as a “reduction to the essential things” and has consciously worked only very sparingly with solos and vocal elements. He explains: “No great distractions, nothing to force your attention in a certain direction, no major effects or gimmicks, no frills or dominant rhythms. It was important to me to paint the pictures in the depth of the space, the sonic fields of tension and atmosphere.”
From the KS Circle Website:
"I have just heard the new album by KS! Yes, there will be one! It has four long tracks, and, yes, his loyal fans that have grown old with Klaus and his music will love it.
I, for instance, love the first track, the title track - a melancholic, soft and environmental sound piece.
The other three tracks have sequencers in the "old-fashioned" Schulze way. Partly with a great finale, as in track 2. On the whole it's nothing really "sensational", or "new", and that's why the listeners will enjoy it.”
The CDS Track-By Track Review of the album…
The ‘Silhouettes’ title track is a really ethereal affair with fantastic waves of “melodic” synth textures and choral effects majestically and gracefully swirling and swaying over a hazy soundstage. Later in the track there are some semblance of rhythms introduced, but these are stripped back and only serve as additional textural enhancements the overall atmosphere, as opposed to generating any real driving sequenced beats. This really is magical stuff that showcases why KS has the standing he still commands in all electronic music circles.
‘Der Lange Blick Zurück’ opens in similar territory to the title track with ethereal choral sounds creating a heavenly atmosphere that just seems to envelope you in its magical spell as it forms this gorgeous flowing haze.
This style of EM just sends shivers through my body and is the kind of thing that can surely send the listener drifting into a dream-like state of consciousness!!!
There is not a sequencer in sight until the 8-minute mark, and even here the effect is minimal, only adding simplistic sounds into the choral cauldron, but after another minute or more synth textures, sounds and effects are layered into the expansive heavenly panorama of choral sounds. As it approaches the 12-minute mark the rhythm takes on a slow, but more solid course as the choral textures all but disappear, to reveal a gathering of synth melodies darting around the soundstage as if they are part of some kind of improvised dance routine. At the 16-minute mark the waves of choral voices re-emerge slowly into the intoxicating mix and take the track back into the atmospheric soundscapes where it all began – Fantastic electronic music!
‘Quae Simplex’ opens in a much more airy and sprightly fashion, with high register synths dancing delightfully and weaving in and out of the spiralling web being created by this master of the EM genre. As the 5-minute mark passes faint textural waves of choral voices flow into the mix and when we hit 7-minutes a lovely flowing rhythm seems to just blow in a take over, as a multiplex of electronic sounds converge around the core of the growing sound vortex.
At half way though the 11th minute the rhythmic glow disperses to leave a gorgeous wave of ethereal stings and phased choral voices to create a haunting short atmospheric break that precedes the arrival of a drum beat rhythm overlaid with jabbing synth embellishments before the arrival of a breathtaking melodic stream that takes things up onto an altogether higher level. But it doesn’t hang around for long and leaves you wanting more (just the way it should be too)! The pulsating synth rhythms remain on standby, taunting and teasing as they go and moving from high to low in the mix, but in reality drawing us towards the track’s finale passage, where more strong melodies are waiting to converge onto the soundstage, but it’s all played out in typical Schulze subtlety.
The pace then accelerates slightly towards the close with drums again keeping a tight reign on the graceful flowing feel the music is generating. The sound of the final two minutes briefly venture into the “grandiose”, but fade off into the distance almost as soon as they arrive. Truly wonderful stuff!
‘Châteaux Faits Des Vent’ opens in a spacey kind of atmosphere, with deep keyboard tones merging with hi-register textural synth sounds and after just 90 seconds a real sequencer run quickly emerges to take on a well-structured rhythm that takes the lead role. As we head towards the 5 minute mark a solid wave of textural synthesizer kicks in to starts to build a solid wall of amazing sound that is like a sort of mix of chorals and strings set over that simple, yet effective rhythmic structure.
Tiny melodic synth fireflies can be heard fluttering around the track’s core as it moves toward its final few minutes, and as the rhythms close down at just past the 12-minute point these sounds are then joined by the re-emerging choral textures that formed so much of the earlier stages of ‘Silhouettes’.
Finally the track, and the album, closes on a sombre sea of smoothing, wistful synth textures, then it’s gone!
Quite simply, this is a stunning album that really shows the man at his best as far as I’m concerned, and what the Schulze camp have said in their pre-release notes (as seen above) have been entirely accurate in my opinion.
Conclusion…
Regardless of your favoured style of EM, I fail to see how any genuine fan of the EM genre can fail to be moved in some way by the music KS has performed for us on this album – Whether it’s the hard-core “Berlin School’ brigade or the fans of the more cosmic variety, or even the melody lovers among you, its all here for you on one wonderful flowing work of electronic art. True, it is not an album full of powerful sequencer runs, but those that are present fit the mood perfectly within the general sombre feel of the album as a whole.
This is absorbing music for the soul with an “other worldly” edge, surrounding and enveloping throughout and taking the listener to “another place” entirely.
Surely this has to be a reflection of where than man has been in recent times?
In my opinion it is certainly not overstating the case to say that the “QUALITY” word can be used to describe ALL of the music from start to finish – This really is glorious, inspirational, expansive and panoramic electronic music of a style that if you are the type of synth fan who wants to be drawn deeply into what he (or she) is listening to, and open to giving it an emotional response, then you need look no further than ‘Silhouettes’ to get your fix.
There is also a short, but very moving message of “thanks” written by Klaus himself in the sleeve notes, and these seem to tie in with the general feel that emerges from the music on ‘Silhouettes’. I’ll leave you to read this yourself as you listen to this beautifully crafted album.
‘Silhouettes’ is to be released 25th May 2018
‘Silhouettes’ is also available as a High Quality Double Vinyl LP+CD Edition – Stock # 2059136
‘Silhouettes’ is also available as a MEGA-LTD HQ Double RED Vinyl LP+CD BOX Edition – Stock # 2074319
KLAUS SCHULZE: SILHOUETTES CD Track List:
01. Silhouettes (15:48)
01. Der Lange Blick Zurück (22:15)
02. Quae Simplex (21:48)
03. Châteaux Faits Des Vent (15:09)
TPT – 75:02