TIMEWIND

Timewind was the first Klaus Schulze album to reach a worldwide audience, one of the main reasons why some consider it his best. This is supposedly a tribute to composer Richard Wagner. It won the Grand Prix du Disque award in Europe. Unlike some of his other '70s albums, there is no drums or percussion here. Recorded after Picture Music, this album is even more electronic sounding than it. The main reason being he has acquired even more synthesizers this time around. Still using the EMS Synthi-A and ARP Odyssey, he also adds the ARP 2600 and an Elka string-synth. He doesn't use the "big Moog" he bought from Florian Fricke until the next album, Moondawn. A Farfisa organ is also used. The Schulzenator is really pushing the time limits of vinyl here, with the first track "Bayreuth Return" clocking in at over a half hour(!) This piece was completely improvised on the spot and recorded directly to 2-track. Completely synthesizer based. Generally this has lots of rhythmic sequencers mixed with atmospheric sustained chords. Some synth-generated wind noises go back and forth in the stereo spectrum once in awhile. Some quasi-soloing on the synths here and there. At 27 minutes the sequencers start to increase in tempo, making the music more tense and dramatic. The last 20 or so seconds is a loud crashing sound that goes back and forth fast between the channels. Let's say, hypothetically speaking, you had smoked some mind-altering substance and then listened to this album on headphones; that part at the end would scare the hell out of you. Not that I would know or anything.

"Wahnfried 1883" in contrast was a multi-tracked recording. The long-held organ chords kind of give that away; it's hard to hold a chord on one keyboard and screw around with synths at the same time. Instead of wind noises, there is artificial sounds of ocean waves. Not much sequencer here as the music is more atmospheric and symphonic. Early ambient if anything. Some bubbling sequencers at the end. Intense stuff but not quite as enjoyable as "Bayreuth Return". Although I like this album, I still prefer both Picture Music and Moondawn to it. Recorded in 1975 on analog equipment, this sounds less dated than any electronic music from the 1980s. It's surprising how well this has stood up over the decades. Indeed, there is such a thing as timeless electronic music. 4 stars.