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Kontinuum

Klaus Schulze: Kontinuum
Reviews

»Die CD gefällt mir sehr viel mehr als Moonlake. Kann es nicht genau definieren wieso. Ist wahrscheinlich die andere Stimmung in der Musik. Nicht ganz so locker. Dieses mal ist es auch mal dunkler. Und mehr "schwebend". Schwer zu beschreiben«
(Till, Tübingen)

»... es hat richtig gut getan! Die neue CD ist wunderbar und für mich die beste und schönste Platte seit Are You Sequenced?!
Wie soll ich sie beschreiben? Sie klingt in ihrer Gesamtheit sehr warm und an vielen Stellen "Old Fashioned"! KS muss in einer guten Stimmung gewesen sein.
Es sind endlich mal wieder wundervolle Sequencen zu hören und zunächst dachte ich, dass der erste Titel nicht zu toppen ist! Aber mindestens genauso angetan bin ich von Thor, dem längsten Stück auf der CD. Zuletzt bei Are You Sequenced konnte ich so in die Musik "abtauchen"! Gewünscht hätte ich mir bei diesem letzten Stück eigentlich nur noch ein kleines "Sahnehäubchen" :-)) und das wäre ein Solo auf dem Mini Moog gewesen! Während des Hörens habe ich an manchen Stellen gedacht: Jetzt kommt eines dieser unnachahmlichen Solos :-)
Die gesamte CD ist rundum gelungen und vor allen Dingen "typisch" Klaus! Man erkennt sofort, dass es eine Schulze-Platte ist und zwar an jeder beliebigen Stelle! Dies war in der Vergangenheit nicht immer so! Aber was soll ich weiter über die Musik schreiben, man muss sie hören! Und das hätten wahrscheinlich einige dieser Ignoranten besser erstmal intensiv getan, die bei Amazon ihre seltsamen Statements abgegeben haben! Was soll's... Ich freue mich auf jeden Fall über eine wirklich sehr schöne neue CD von Klaus!
Einziger Kritikpunkt ist das schwer lesbare Booklet, das du schon erwähnt hast! Auch kann man über den Text von Georg Boskamp geteilter Meinung sein! Der ist irgendwie zu lang und "Lobhudelei" hat KS ohnehin nicht nötig (auch wenn sich natürlich jeder über Lob freut :-)) Und wen interessiert es, dass der Schreiber "Sir Longhair" genannt wird? :-) Neben deinen schönen Anmerkungen hätten vielleicht noch ein paar Worte von KS selbst ganz gut gepasst!? Aber eigentlich auch nicht so wichtig!! Die Hauptsache ist doch die Musik und die spricht für sich!! Danke KS!«
(Willy)

»Hallo. Bin ein richtig grosser Klaus Schulze Fan geworden. Die neue CD ist SPITZE. Ich bin auch eifrig dabei die Remaster-CDs zusammen zu kaufen.«
(Beat, Switzerland)

»...höre gerade zum ersten Male die neue von KS. Mein erster Eindruck: naja, es gibt besserere Alben. Nach der so vielversprechenden Kritik im Circle habe ich mir mehr versprochen.
Track 1: Ist eigentlich noch das Beste auf der CD, schöne Loops die ein bisschen "an die gute alte Zeit" erinnern.
Track 2 ist am Anfang eigentlich nur langweilig. Erst gegen Ende kommt ein bisschen Schwung rein - aber nicht wirklich aufregend.
Track 3: Alles irgendwie schon einmal gehört. Man könnte es auch "Totem-Reloaded" nennen.
Vielleicht muss man das Album einfach mehrmals hören um sich dran zu gewöhnen. Das Cover und speziell das Booklet sind, gelinde gesagt, eine Katastrophe. Welcher farbenblinde Designer entwirft denn ein Booklet mit hellgrüner Schrift (Punktgröße 8, also eigentlich nur was für Leute mit Lupe) auf dunkelgrünem Hintergrund? Aber da ja der Text leider eh nur wieder komplett in englisch ist, ist es eigentlich egal - man hätte auch schwarze Schrift auf schwarzem Hintergrund nehmen können.
Im Großen und Ganzen bin ich ziemlich enttäuscht. Der Versuch, an alte Zeiten anzuknüpfen, ist meiner Meinung nach misslungen. KS sollte lieber wieder neues ausprobieren, denn das vorletzte Album hat ja gezeigt, dass es geht.«
(Rolf)

»I received the album today. Overall: disappointing! Especially the third track (Thor) lacks any tension and musical movement: it goes on without any inspiration! (Thunder!) Also the sound of Kontinuum is less clear, transparant and dynamic than I used to hear from KS. Kontinuum shows too few sensation, breaks, melody and innovation!«
(Jos, Netherlands)

»...Fantastic the new Kontinuum! Very old style... and i hope in future concerts IN ITALY! «
(Max, Italy)

»...please tell Klaus I like the new album very much. A very reflective offering that encompasses KS of the past with a contemporary mood. I agree with the liner notes too - "less is more" and it definitely works for me. I found your one page of notes more interesting, concise and insightful than the other notes which rambled a bit for my taste.
Also, great artwork design, very striking. I must admit that the green text wasn't easy to read, but I thought it was my poor eyesight, (ha ha). I couldn't read it at all in the soft light of my studio, and had to go into the "light of day" to see it.
I've re-purchased some of my favorite KS albums recently (ones that I only own on LP). I forgot how great they are! It is also quite amazing when I think back, how KS has been a part of my life for so many years. I purchased my first KS album in 1972 - 35 years ago! In that time I have been lucky enough to meet and perform at the same venue with KS, meet and retain contact with your good self and to enjoy myself with very modest music success. At the heart of that has been my love of music (of many styles, not just em) and the respect for KS and in particular, the way in which he has stayed true to himself over the years.
Perhaps as I get older I get more sentimental, but these are good thoughts and good memories to think back on. I thanks you KDM for your part in that. And on such silliness I shall close.......... Kind regards,«
(David Wright, GB)

»Kontinuum: Schulze will stay forever "Schulze" - sadly not much more. For the fans this is certainly more than enough. I find it surprising that someone (a certain Georg B.) can say so little with so many words, in a booklet text. «
(Pete)

»Just listened to Kontinuum what a recording, the best in years! Just shows K.S. can still dominate e.m. Please send Klaus my best wishes on a job well done! Thanks and respect.«
(Gerry)

»... Kontinuum arrived. When I receive new music from an artist I love, I'm always in a hurry to listen to it, and at the same time I try to slow down, because the first listening happens only once. And from the second listening on, it's not completely new music anymore!
Before listening to Sequenzer (from 70 to 07) I thought I should listen to another sequencer title, The Art of Sequencing, which would have been nice, but not very original.
The 24 minutes of Sequenzer (from...)" are a very ambiant piece of music with "guitar sounds" (?) and is not to compare to a track like The Art of Sequencing. The album seems to me just as a pice of ambient music, calm and beautiful. Very different from Moonlake. So, now, I will just continue to listen to Kontinuum and love it for what it is, a new Schulze album, and a new masterpiece.«
(Dominique)

»Kontinuum... hat sich K.S. auch ein schönes Geburtstagsgeschenk gemacht... ohne, daß die Musik 'hätte...', 'könnte...', 'würde...' sein, einfach wunderbar zu genießen und sie unterscheidet sich zur Moonlake für mich um Welten...«
(Christian Drews)

»My first impression of Kontinuum was that this type of cover was completely new for a Klaus Schulze record. I am not sure if ever a complicated structure such as the circuit paths have been used, and the whole cover being nearly completely in green colour. (I am aware, that EACH KS record has a new cover, of course).
From the first introduction in (although black and white here) I liked the cover, and now, as I have it in my hands, I believe it is wonderful, one of the most wonderful ever made. It fits perfectly to electronic music. The strange 24 hour sundial inside of the cavity, having a double 12 hour scale with digits in Roman numerals, reminds of ancient times. Is it already an indication of what to expect on this album?

Kontinuum - even this name electrifies me. This title immediately creates analogies to the space-time continuum. A real good name for Klaus' music. His nearly uncountable number of artworks really need more space than a simple register, or a library, can offer - his music fills already a continuum. Klaus and a few other adventurers started in the end of the 1960s and created a whole new continuum with this unearthly sounds. And today's electronic music would be nothing without this musical continuum full of Klaus' music.

The booklet is of acceptable readability; except the white printed letters with the credits. A bigger letter size in general would have been better, though. The counterargument may be, that this required a bigger booklet due to the amount of text.
But here I must point out that the first text from Georg Boskamp is by far too long, too much overblown and therefore too uninteresting for me. Sorry, Georg. KDM's text is by far better to read, well, what do you expect?

It is a pity that many of the photos are too small to enjoy them. And, in consequence, one may be searching for the "Big Moog and Minimoog replicas". For those who are interested, the instrument on top of that page is the Waldorf Wave, below the Quasimidi racks (Polymorph and Rave-o-lution), then at bottom the replicas. I really fancy the old concert photos, thank you Klaus (KDM) for adding these. [Those are not by me, or from me. I don't use such hazy photos -kdm ]

What to say about the music?
You may have certain expectations to a new Klaus Schulze album, of course. But bear in mind, that Klaus' music changed through the years - this is a continuous process for each professional composer, or should be at last. Oops, Kontinuum again! Some may have expected a "Moondawn II" as Moonlake was announced [? -kdm ] and may have been disappointed. And so, every expectation to a new album of Klaus Schulze must and will be disappointed. Klaus is an extraordinary musician, walking on extraordinary, sometimes extreme musical paths, and opening doors to new musical landscapes "where no man has gone before". Please do not expect him to copy himself.

Kontinuum consists of three pieces, which are combined to one complete artwork. Already from the beginning, the sequencer is running continuously for nearly 20 minutes, a pure clean sound, reduced to an absolute minimum. After about 12 minutes, a typical synthesizer bass sound is added. As in the whole piece, there are no transpositions of the sequence, so it has a subtle but hypnotic effect. Finally it fades out, being replaced by bright soft strings, a softly played solo synthesizer, both fitting perfectly to the mood of the whole piece.
The bright strings are finally (after about 25 minutes) replaced by dark strings, some subtle effects are added, but still there is no haste in the music. After a few minutes, vocals are added, reminding me to the ones used on Moonlake. I must admit that I first disliked them very much. I have nothing against vocals combined with electronic music in general, but they did not seem to fit perfectly in here, as they disturbed the atmosphere the piece had already created. But, after listening to the album a second and a third time, I realized that they have to be here, and they are a part of this atmosphere.
After about 33 minutes, a new sequence starts, being a bit more snappy than the first one, but not too agressive. Just a sequence again, and a few additional effects. Plain, pure music. The vocals return again, now a perfect part of the piece, as they are relatively silent and only a background effect.
After 44 minutes, the last part starts wih a soft thunder, the sequence fades out quickly, and again dark strings, sometimes thunder coming from far away.
The dark strings, having a smooth effect, are joined by some soft solo sounds, and dark but gentle vocals.
Sometimes, the solo is getting sharper, such as a typical Minimoog sound, but not really waking you up from the peaceful atmosphere.
After about 52 minutes a new, lively sequence starts, again accompanied by soft strings and some other solo sounds.
The main sequencer sound stops rapidly after 66 minutes, leaving strings and vocals and gentle background sequencer sounds. Here, and this seems to be new in Klaus' music, sequencer melodies are used as background effects. The whole is fading very peacefully until the end of the album.

Kontinuum is a soft and peaceful album, not loud, not overboosted with bass or bright sounds, a bit melancholic in the beginning, but finally positive and joyful.
Although sometimes attending to be a continuation of Moonlake, it is definitely not a sequel, but a further step on a new musical path.

I like it. It is Klaus Schulze - state-of-the-art.«
(Mr. Modular, Germany)

»Kontinuum shows that this sexagenarian (sexagénaire, 60er) must not think yet about his pension. In a creative way he combines in three long tracks the hypnotic, pulsating sequencers from the seventies, the mechanical, clinical eighties, and the danceable sounds from the nineties. Especially Sequenzer (From 70 to 07) and Thor (Thunder) is melting the decades from Schulze's career in an admirable way. The middle and fortunately shortest track Euro Caravan stays for ten minutes without a direction, swings into a new age version of "Enigma", but tries to reach a respectable end. Despite this weak moment, without any doubt Kontinuum deserves a place among Schulze's best CDs of the last twenty years.«
("Plato-Mania", NL (translation by kdm))

»Kontinuum - ein Meisterwerk der Extraklasse. Diese faszinierende Neuerscheinung ist für mich das Ereignis diesen Sommers, und so möchte ich Klaus Schulze meinen Dank aussprechen.«
(Markus)

»Kontinuum includes 3 new Schulze tracks that all fans will love. The first track Sequenzer (from 70 to 07) with the Schulze typical sequencer sound, will carry the listener back into the seventies. With Euro Caravan the music is gliding towards the present and with the nearly 32 min track Thor (Thunder) Schulze will take us on a trip into the future. This new piece of music shows all facets of his work.«
(Gary, USA)

»Kontinuum is tremendous. Excellent music, excellent artwork. Waiting for more such work from Klaus! «
(Jarek, Poland)

»Nachdem ich eine überaus positive CD-Rezension bei www.musicianslife.de veröffentlicht habe, kann ich mich nicht zurückhalten, Ihnen eine ganz persönliche Meinung zum Album mitzuteilen:

Super Cover - grauenhafte Musik! Nach so genialen Produktionen wie die Contemporary Works auf ein Niveau der übelsten Zombie-Kacke mit tumben Produktionsfehlern zurückzufallen ist verdächtig. Kann es sein, dass Herr Schulze seine misteriöse Erkrankung in musikalischen Impressionen auszudrücken versucht? Dann ist es hiermit entschuldigt! Aber nur dann!

Sie selbst, Herr Müller, haben im Booklet betont, dass Ihnen ein Schulze pur viel lieber ist. Da ist nichts gegen einzuwenden. So pur, wie damals, 1999, in einem Kölner Freibad, wo Klaus Schulze bei einem Techno-Festival den Zuschauern klar machte, wo der Hammer hängt. Wenn diese Live-Mitschnitte jemals auf CD gebrannt werden würden, wäre es das Innovativste, Geilste und Spektakulärste in der Elektronik Szene und ein würdiger Nachfolger der Contemporary Works ... aber so, wie auf Kontinuum ... wo 25, 19 oder 31 Minuten Zeitlimit mit grausiger, enervierender Langeweile gefüllt werden ... so bitte nicht!«
(Will)

»... I've listened to Kontinuum since it was available in Poland - I mean much more than once. For me it's pure, classic KS in his ultimate form. best pieces since Are You Sequenced?. It's amazing how he can keep on such level all these years! Long live KS! and give us more and more of your music! «
(Jacek, PL)

»Je tenais vous dire mon admiration pour ce grand bonhomme qu'est Klaus Schulze. Son dernier album est absolument fantastique.«
(Fabrice)

»...erhielt ich endlich Klaus' neueste CD. Nach erstem Hören kann ich sagen: Ja, das ist wieder jener Klaus, wie man ihn kennt. Es ist eine ganz gelungene Symbiose zwischen den Klängen aus den Siebzigern und den aktuelleren. Gefällt mir ganz ausgezeichnet. Danke, Klaus! Unbestrittener Favorit für mich ist im Augenblick Track 3. Ganz salopp gesprochen behaupte ich einfach mal, dass Klaus alles, was er kann, in diesen Titel gelegt hat. Der Titel "atmet" wieder, er hat diesen geliebten weichen Background, er verfügt über diese wunderbare, immer nur kurz anklingende Melodie... Wie gesagt, unbestrittener Favorit.«
(Micha)

»Kontinuum is beautiful!«
(Andy)

»Superb!«
(A fan from Chile)

»I would heartily recommend Kontinuum to anyone who likes the dark, mournful, reflective side of Klaus Schulze's music«
(Graham from Scotland)

»I thought Kontinuum was marvelous. Very nice to hear Schulze solo once more... Cheers!«
(Michael, Ph.D., USA)

[Kontinuum - Main Page]

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