DEUS ARRAKIS

One of the true pioneers of Berlin School progressive electronica and kosmische Krautrock with bands such as Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel and the jam session turned real recordings band The Cosmic Jokers, KLAUS SCHULZE's 70s works remain unparalleled in creative expressionism, in the realms of electronically produced ambiance and atmospheric alienation. If you count collaborative efforts, the man has released well over 60 albums and has gone down in history as one of Germany's most creative musical minds not to mention the #1 hero of atmospheric keyboard and synthesizer worshippers worldwide. It saddens us when our great heroes leave this Earthly plane and moves on to the next chapter of their consciousness journey but at the way too young of age of 74, SCHULZE passed in April 2022 just before this album DEUS ARRAKIS hit the scene in July 2022.

It was a long ride from early drummer turned synth-wizard to the end of his days but as legendary as his 70s output may remain, SCHULZE never rested on his laurels and continued to crank out and unthinkable number of albums during his career not only as KLAUS SCHULZE but under the assumed alias of Richard Wahnfried. SCHULZE teamed up with Pete Namlook for a number of ambient recordings in the 90s as well as Dead Can Dance siren Lisa Gerrard. After 50 years on the music scene his latest DEUS ARRAKIS proves that the man never lost his touch and could still magically conjure up some of the craziest surreal sounds right up to the end. This album's sixteen tracks is better thought of as three very long tracks. SCHULZE always loved ridiculously long album lengths and this one is no different. At over 77 minutes long, "Osiris" is a mere 18 1/2 minutes compared to the near 32 of "Seth" and the 27 of "Der Hauch des Lebens.

Nothing new under the sun here really. This is the same kind of ethereal escapism SCHULZE has been cranking out since his debut album "Irrlicht" which was released in 1972, a whopping half century before this final chapter (although i'm sure we'll be experiencing archival releases for years to come). Beyond words really in describing SCHULZE's work as his music seems divinely downloaded to eke out every possible emotional response at the exact right moment. DEUS ARRAKIS is no exception. Granted i haven't heard even close to every SCHULZE release but out of the 15 or so releases i have relished, i find his musical expressions to remain not only timeless but utterly unlike any other artist past or present. Hypnotizing, eerie and elegant, SCHULZE took his gifts to the grave but pumped out one last feast for his frothing fans before his untimely passing.

"Osiris" is basically a four part nearly 19 minute space ambient trip. Mellow and new agey, this albums starts out making you think SCHULZE has lost some of his mojo. After all he has cranked out dozens of albums. Perhaps he's all dried up. It takes a close listen to this sort of music to really appreciate the nuances. It helps to realize that DEUS ARRAKIS is the continuation of the 1979 "Dune" album in theme and the three multi-part themes evoke the emotive content. The simplicity of this first offering presumably reflects the sparse sandscapes that the Frank Herbert sci-fi film of the same name presented. ARRAKIS was the name of the planet in the novel and film. This "track" also expresses the calmness before the storm on a planet where there are many.

The real gem comes with "Seth," a seven part Berlin School instant classic which showcases not only SCHULZE's propensity as a composer, keyboardist, arranger, mixer and producer extraordinaire but also features a lugubrious yet magnificent cello performance from Wolfgang Tiepold. The "track" also features some excellent spaced out electronic whizzing, oscillating as well as other transistor circuity weirdness. Something of a mix of Berlin School and chamber hall modern classical, the track exudes the fingerprint of a master. Something of a slow oozing flow where the cello slinks across the vastness of sound, the "track" is vibrant and dynamic beyond words.

"Der Hauch des Lebens" is a five part "track" that employs a droning effect that sustains the beginning of this sprawling 27-minute opus. As part one feels like a gentle glide through vacuous space, part two finds ethereal wordless vocal utterances from Eva-Maria Kagermann hauntingly undulating through the sinuating sonicsphere like a cosmic mermaid navigating the astral plane. Slowly but surely the abstract ambience increases Berlin School key stabs introducing a more tangible melodic underpinning until in the middle of part three is the dominate aspect relegating the eerie ambience to the role of backdrop. Schools out (Berlin style) for part four where ambience rules once again with swirling synth loops pulsating about like jellyfish in the deepest recesses of the sea.

Although i have not heard much of SCHULZE's music of the last 30 years (i much prefer his earliest freakery), i'm still never disappointed when i dabble into any given era. One thing KLAUS SCHULZE proved was that you could retain quality despite a rather large quantity. To be honest, the fact that DEUS ARRAKIS is as good as it is a half century into this man's career is nothing more than outstanding. A true gift to the world has been taken but one thing is for sure and that is that KLAUS SCHULZE left in his wake more music than the average soul can endure. As far as a last call on this physical plane, KLAUS SCHULZE couldn't have hoped for much better as a farewell offering to the world. On DEUS ARRAKIS he effortlessly displays his electronica wizardry in perfect form with only death keeping him from continuing on. While not quite as engaging as some of his earliest releases, this final statement is something to be quite proud of for sure.