LA VIE ELECTRONIQUE 3

In 1975, Schulze started taking his music on the road. It must have been a huge step for the introvert Klaus, but sitting on his sheepskin, hidden behind those huge machines, there was actually little difference with how he improvised his music in the studio, playing and mixing everything real-time with no overdubs. This boxset covers some of those first concerts from 1975.

It must be pointed out how good the sound quality is here. These aren't audience recordings or bootlegs, but stereo recorded shows that sound almost as good as his albums. The reason is that Schulze taped all his shows on a tape-echo device. A piece of equipment that recorded everything and then returned it back with a slight delay, causing a reverb-alike effect.

CD1 covers a Munch 1975 show from May, a fine performance that doesn't deviate much from the bubbling sequences and long abstract synth waves of "Timewind". The sound quality is slightly less here and while it doesn't offer anything new or unexpected, there's a certain tension in this performance that makes it a great listen

CD2 has an April 75 piece with later shows and studio material from 75. 'Fourneau Cosmique' from April is close to 'Picture Music', which was at that time Schulze's most recent studio recording. The pieces from the October shows are my favorites. 'Die Lebendige Spur' is remarkably concise and lively, 'La Présence D'Esprit' is pure beauty with Schulze's trademark slow build-up and subdued tension, and 'Der Lauf Der Dinge', a studio piece from 75, is the most remarkable piece of the box for me. It only consists of interwoven sequencer patterns that are continuously shifting. There aren't any synth leads or accompanying chords. It's almost proto-techno without the beat. Brilliant.

CD3 continues with a strong 30 minutes from an October 75 concert and a couple of shorter edits and studio pieces of which 'Kurzes Stück Im Alten Stil' is the most mesmerizing.

As with the other sets in this series, Schulze fans can't go wrong with it, 4hrs of music for the price of 1 regular CD. But I must warn that this set is not as revealing as the two that proceeded. Also the next set with 75-76 material comes with greater recommendations.