Published
Wed, Apr 27, 2022, 18:29
- Known for inventive productions with early analog synths, his discography spanned Berlin school electronic music, ambient, techno and more.
Klaus Schulze, an early pioneer of electronic music composition, passed away on Tuesday, April 26th, at the age of 74 after a long illness.
The Berlin-born artist was famous for his style of step sequencer patterns and long, spacious soundscapes that often hit the 30-minute mark. Rich in atmosphere and trance-like textures with sparse melody and classical influences, his work was characterized by a degree of depth that has paved the way for modern-day techno and ambient. In a 1994 interview published on his official website, he described his craft as "finding and combining sounds, building and using the structure to create emotions with sounds."
Schulze's early compositions primarily used early analog instruments such as the Minimoog synthesiser, the Mellotron and the Farfisa Duo organ. A gear aficionado, he later moved onto digital tools in the '80s before eventually returning back to older equipment in later years. Speaking to Sound On Sound in 1996, he expressed a dislike of modern equipment, observing how people often overuse the same presets and effects. "When you edit digital instruments, you're hampered by the pages system, which doesn't allow you to be very intuitive," he described.
Emerging on the scene in 1969 as a drummer for influential Krautrock band Tangerine Dream, Schulze later moved onto join Manuel Göttsching's ensemble, Ash Ra Tempel. He started his solo career in 1972 with the release of Irrlicht and went on to churn out at least 50 records that spanned studio albums, live recordings and soundtracks.
One of his new albums, Deus Arrakis, will be posthumously released on a triple-vinyl boxset on June 10th via SPV. Based on Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune, it comprises three new tracks.
Several friends and fans have shared tributes to the veteran artist on social media. Read some of them below.
Visit Klaus Schulze's official website for more information on his life.