Trailer - 1999

Compiled: October 1999 by Klaus D. Mueller
First Release: November 1999 on série poème
Performed by: Klaus Schulze & Harald Grosskopf (drums)
Promotional release for Ultimate Edition

La tolleranza (excerpt) 07:32 concert, 1998
In Praise of Idleness 04:15 studio, 1999
Crazy Nietzsche (excerpt) 11:08 outtake, 1978
Darkest Steglitz 07:22 concert, 1976
In cosa crede chi non crede? (excerpt) 05:20 soundtrack, 1976
Discover Trakl (excerpt) 07:20 outtake, 1978
Just an Old-Fashioned Schulze Track (excerpt) 10:20 concert?, 1975
Der Optimismus (excerpt) 06:24 studio, 1993
Man at Work 02:29 bonus, 1996

Total Time: 63:23

It's a trailer for the 50-CD set The Ultimate Edition. Two of the included tracks
(In Praise of Idleness, Man at Work) are not released in The Ultimate Edition or elsewhere

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Klaus Schulze is without a shadow of doubt one of the most important figures in the development of electronic music, whether it be of progressive nature or not. His sonic experiments have managed to retain a quality and sense of evolution that few musicians of such artistic longevity can even aspire to, and his vast catalogue is worthy testimonial of his prolificacy. Now, the problem for those who are barely beginning to know Schulze's work, or who have known it for a relatively short time span, is what to acquire next out of the variety of material available. And while shelling out a considerable sum of cash in order to get the Klaus Schulze: The Ultimate Edition 50 CD box set is one way to go, listening to its sampler Trailer might just be a wiser, if less rewarding, choice.

Trailer is mostly a compilation release that spans figments of Schulze's career both in the seventies and nineties, as well as three tracks consisting of material never released before or afterwards. Even then, however, this is not what one would call an accurate representation of the apparently unending string of releases from this timeless innovator, but more a taste of what would come with the monumental box set that was soon to be released. It is therefore not altogether hard to fathom why the album fails to work as a united front of instrumentals, despite its warmth and the soothing layers of mystery that adorn most of the record's duration. This does not quite manage to erode the highly atmospheric quality of Schulze's work though, and thus keeps Trailer well in line with Schulze's general standards.

As should be expected from those in the know, the majority of the music contained by the record reflects a sparse quality of ethereal grandeur, a collection of subtle musical layers and variations that surround constant thematic structures of a predominant mood. "In Cosa Chrede Chi Non Chrede?" thus recalls a pious feeling of divine encounter with its gentle warmth, "Darkest Steglitz" slowly and subtly evolves in a slightly ominous and perilous tone, and "Crazy Nietzche" concentrates around a lengthy Harald Grosskopf drum solo, before entering evocative layers of sound centered around a somewhat dark majesty.

As mentioned previously, however, not everything is picture perfect. The problem here is that Schulze's habit of concentrating on a particular theme during most part of a track can eventually get to be a tad bit too much after listening to seven instrumentals of similar approach, with only "Der Optimismus" to break the mold. Mind you, perhaps the fact that more than half of Trailer consists of excerpts, instead of full-length tracks (understandable when one considers Schulze's penchant for extended instrumentals), also has something to do with this unfortunate downside. At any rate, however, this is a safe bet for those interested in getting to know what it is that Klaus Schulze does, an interesting pick for those attracted to atmospheric instrumentals guided by electronics, and probably a must-have for all Schulze diehards out there.

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