Klaus Schulze, Ernst Fuchs, Rainer Bloss - Aphrica

Once someone told me an emblematic line that got stuck in my head ever since: that Schulze didn't get on his golden chair and on his well-affirmed, imposing amazingness only by its own, but by other artists or with other artists just as well. That say leads to three discussions: the musicianship of Klaus Schulze, the influences of Klaus Schulze (this subject - definitely interesting for the fans) and the collaboration albums of Klaus Schulze. Let's not make this a loose speech, the focus of this certain review is based on the third type, one-if the eye is keen enough to observe and the curiosity touch is "aficionado" enough to look after - not superficial and un-mentionable. Made out, then marked, around many years and sufficient periods to make a more interesting perspective, the collaborations Schulze produced or in which he participate (though I strictly mean to refer towards the "with artist X" type of co-work) aren't better than the "solo" deep works, but stay as a reference, as a subtlety, as a breakthrough off the (many times) misconsidered closed circuit, close-minded and solitary activity of the electronic grandmaster.

These encouraging words would be perfect for an example that actually shines in quality. Unfortunately (wasting that opportunity) I made a contrast to the concrete shape in which the collaboration product Aphrica stands. A shape of disastrous proportion, of that disillusioned itch you never ever want to experience, of the vile shock and of the stupid surprise, of ugly music, to which every turn is over-blown and every excuse is compromised. Aphrica is a reference towards a range delimiting the silliness of misconceptions and misconceived, but also the malign seriousness of distorted musical ideas; an album done in the sake of something incomprehensible. For me, of course, it means the sad deplorable appreciation and the rare happening of a sharp flaw, considering the artist. Aphrica is referenced by numerous voices as a failure; ironically, even the official site of Schulze can't find any promotional words, except "peinlich".

Before anything else, I am baffled by two things. One: how could have a Schulze-Bloss work go so wrong; the previous releases being predictable, still acceptably aromatic. Dzekuje Poland (and the polish tour) was a success, though not much of a dual brand, and Drive Inn is plastic beat, but nothing disturbingly under-taken. Two: how could the effective style go that badly shaken? The 80s digital movement by Schulze isn't advantageous by the art side of standards, and the minimal weight of anything except technical importance is actually dangerous; but Aphrica resembles Schulze's style in total deficits and immediate succumbation. Plus, everything "in between" or "up front" coming from the collaborators' impulse is anything but common or of sense and refinement. Drastically terrible. Aphrica is by all means-meaning impressions, principles and symbols-dead, cold, ineffective, in-affectionate.

The extreme(d) culpability makes all the upsets realize a cause and an effect on their own. There can be ways of (dis)regarding Aphrica, despite everything being in a unitary thing the shock, the stir and the sting. The album isn't a rarity, it's an erased entry. Release in limited fashion, it got prevalently rejected, plus an argument between Schulze and Fuchs, so thus it's a deleted catalogue number, a hidden reason for an even more hidden resources, a release which few have it in order to tell the bad intensity moral.and so on. Of Schulze's composition I've already said enough, he misses the picture not by the simplicity or by any monotony, but by the serious value degradation - something usually prohibited, definitely sanctioned anyway. It's not worthy, it just isn't worthy. Aphrica's style, shortly and clearly, is an aroma-hint upbeat model, with its melodic intention and without its vital tempo and its sound respect. Trance in a quirky, crashed way. Ernst Fuchs is one vocalist that says nothing to me (he's actually a painter and a sculptor, how does that come). The talent up in Aphrica, given the exaggerated parlando orientation and the dark-view free form affinity and heard in the despair vocal movements or in the sharp decisively throttled rises down the music moment, is null. There is nothing you can't do when everything up the slippery mess and in the rough headaches treatment. Maybe all this was means as "and now for something different". Maybe it is the accent of taking less familiar by the decent available standard (symbolism, programmatism, melodism by the technical, the digital, the avant-vocal). But certainly not like this, in such a mediocre state.

The relieving end and a "good ridden" exclamation is all I can think of as reaction, going or not into a more colloquial manner of music interpretation. A crashed epic, un-recommended (though it's not the case, it's a vanished release) and uncharacteristic. One star by no redeeming margin, though by what I severely sanctioned as such so far (weak debuts, excruciating play, distasteful remixes, low pop shocks and so one) this is simply failure. Sob.