PLANET OF MAN

Always described as Klaus Schulze's side project, Code III is essentially the work of Manfred Schunke and friends. This debut and last effort is a surprising, solid experimental essay in electronics, sonic soundscapes. The whole thing remains austere, featuring a lot of noisy interferences, avant folk eccentricities and various abstract, haunted electronic vibrations. The atmosphere tends to be unrealistic and ethereal. "Formations / The genesis" opens this amazing musical voyage with hypnotic electronic collages and narratives. This glacial and dark opening carries on a celebration of earth with in its bucolic nature. The musical illustration contains careful acoustic guitar lines, tranquil hippie like vocals. "Dawn of an era" features Schulze on drums for a ritualistic, esoteric drum / choir session. The sound is really deep, obsessional, oppressive...really weird but fascinating for adventurous listeners. "Countdown-Phoenix rising" represents the submit; a persistent strange experimental noisy piece built around an intense psych rock freak out. The composition starts with hesitant, spectral noises then goes into a repetitive hypno-rock theme led by a continuous bass line and electronic gadgets. The tempo goes faster to finally open on a vicious psycho-cerebral nightmare with plaintive, tormented voices in the distance. The last 10 minutes are a considerable exploration into sinister, ecstatic drone- like voices, including distorted guitar lines and cosmic effects. A magnificent, elegiac end...This album is obviously recommended. A unique recording.