Klaus Schulze - Royal Festival Hall Vol. 1-2 (1992)

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Klaus Schulze - Royal Festival Hall Vol. 1-2 (1992)

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Klaus Schulze is a founding member of Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel, two seminal bands in the evolution of synthesizer-based electronic music.
"Royal Festival Hall Vol. 1" is the first album in a trilogy that includes a second volume, also recorded at Royal Festival Hall, as well the third album entitled The Dome Event. On Volume 1, Schulze's 45-minute keyboard suite called "Yen" is broken up into ten different subtitles, but the songs are all fused together by way of single-toned electronic streams and the faint pulsations of analog synthesizer riffs. Any rises or subtle explosions of brightness are few and far between, but the grouping of songs as a whole has a pleasant, mind-numbing effect. This music is extremely trying, and patience is crucial when hearing two straight minutes of a single note. The rhythms and tempos do fluctuate, but without any explosiveness, and the beauty of Schulze's keyboard intricacies lies in the manner in which he uses his electronics to form a mood and an environment. Although the music doesn't produce its chilling results in an instant, the smoothness and overall mechanical feel emerge halfway through, and the synthesizer begins to slowly warm the ears. The second track, entitled "Silence and Sequence," is a studio track in contrast to the live recording of "Yen." This 24-minute synthesized cavalcade contains more differentiation, both in pace and in vibrance. The "Fire-Riser" portion of this track is most entertaining, as Schulze demonstrates his articulation and his wise use of tonal blending.

The second part of a trilogy, recorded on September 10, 1991, "Royal Festival Hall Vol. 2" is made up of the same imaginative synthesizer utilization as the first disc, only this time there are three tracks instead of two. Like Royal Festival Hall, Volume 1, the first track here is 45 minutes long, but it offers a colder, much more intense keyboard crunch. "Ancient Ambiance" features plenty of long, soaring synth washes, but the feel of the piece is aurally darker and a wee bit more intense than the first volume's "Yen." Schulze peaks interest with his subtle, simplistic use of basic keyboard rhythms, especially in the "Primeval Murmur" section of "Ancient Ambiance." Although the atmosphere is frigid, the bewilderment remains in the way this German keyboard wizard produces formative music with electronic noise. "Anchorage" is an 11-minute voyage of much of the same dreamlike music, as is "Variation on B.F.," the third installment on the album. Attentive listening will decipher detailed contrasts in Schulze's artistry, even though his playing might not seem all that spectacular at first. Background rhythms and faint goings-on beneath the main notes make his electronic music both absorbing and, at times, mysterious. Royal Festival Hall, Volume 2 is equally as entertaining as the first volume; both volumes are from the same concert and both represent Schulze's lengthy keyboard excursions and deep, electronic washes.

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Klaus Schulze - Royal Festival Hall Vol. 1-2 (1992)

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Klaus Schulze - Royal Festival Hall Vol. 1-2 (1992)

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