[Review] Klaus Schulze: Moondawn (1976)
Schulze’s most impressive work to date, now featuring Harald Grosskopf on drums.
Kronomyth 6.0: Moon to man to damn to dawn.
Life is pain; music is release. Klaus Schulze, released from this world of pain, has left us the keys to our own escape through his music. Moondawn is one of his most interesting avenues of escape. Recorded with drummer Harald Grosskopf, the album features two side-long sound journeys: Floating and Mindphaser. The addition of Grosskopf brings a dynamic tension to the music that was missing on earlier albums. Moondawn also benefits from an eclectic panoply of electronic instruments including the Farfisa Syntorchestra, Synthanorma SQ312 Sequencer and keyboards from the Italian manufacturer, Crumar. These instruments are used to generate a rich palette of space sounds that give Moondawn exceptional depth. I’ll admit that, when I was first exposed to Klaus Schulze, his music seemed improvisational, almost accidental. If the compositions on Moondawn are, in fact, improvised, they’re living, pulsing proof of the man’s genius. Everything fits together perfectly, with far too many moving pieces to be arranged on the spot unless the composer was in a state of higher consciousness. I’m not ruling that out. There is something deeply meditative about the music of Klaus Schulze, a kind of electronic trance where sounds are shaped by the energy of the universe. In fact, “music” may not even be the right word for what this is. Instead, it’s a lifeforce that lives in a state of sound. All art, I suppose, is intended to transcend our own mundane reality. Moondawn does this better than most works of art and may end up being the most perfect form of Schulze’s muse, when all is heard and tallied.
Original elpee version
A1. Floating (27:15)
B1. Mindphaser (25:22)
Music composed by Klaus Schulze.
Expanded CD bonus track
3. Floating Sequence (21:11)
The Players
Klaus Schulze (the big Moog, ARP 2600, ARP odyssey, EMS Synthi A, Farfisa professional organ, Farfisa Syntorchester, Crumar-keyboards, Sequenzer Synthanorma 3-12) with Harald Grosskopf (drums).
The Pictures
Photos by Guido Harari.
The Plastic
Released on elpee in April 1976 in Germany (Brain, brain 1088), Canada (Bomb, BOMB 111), France (Isadora, ISA-9001) and Japan (Brain, 22S-38).
- Re-issued on compact disc on July 2, 1996 in the UK (Thunderbolt, CDTB-093) and on December 16, 1996 in the US (Magnum America, MACD-67).
- Re-packaged w. Miditerranean Pads on 2-for-1 2CD on May 11, 1999 in the UK (Thunderbolt, CDTBT-002).
- Re-issued on expanded compact disc in 2016 in Germany (MIG, MIG 01542 CD) with one bonus track.
