Klaus Schulze (4 August 1947 – 26 April 2022) was a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried and was a member of the Krautrock bands Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, and the Cosmic Jokers before launching a solo career consisting of more than 60 albums released across six decades.
Early life
Schulze was born in Berlin in 1947. His father was a writer, and his mother a ballet dancer. He and his wife Elfie had two sons Maximilian and Richard.
Career
1970s
In 1969, Schulze was the drummer of one of the early incarnations of Tangerine Dream – one of the most famous bands that got the nickname "Krautrock" in English speaking countries (others included Kraftwerk and Popol Vuh) – for their debut album Electronic Meditation. Before 1969 he was a drummer in a band called Psy Free. He met Edgar Froese from Tangerine Dream in the Zodiac Club in what was then West Berlin. His follow-up album, Cyborg, was similar but added the EMS VCS 3 synthesizer.
Since this point, Schulze's career was the most prolific, such that he could claim more than 40 original albums to his name since Irrlicht. Highlights of these include 1975's Timewind, 1976's Moondawn (his first album to feature the Moog synthesizer), 1979's Dune, and 1995's double-album In Blue (which featured one long track called "Return to the Tempel" with electric guitar contributions from his friend Manuel Göttsching of Ash Ra Tempel). In 1976, he was drafted by Japanese percussionist and composer Stomu Yamashta to join his short-lived "supergroup" Go,
Throughout the 1970s he followed closely in the footsteps of Tangerine Dream, albeit with far lighter sequencer lines and a more reflective, dreamy sheen, not unlike the ambient music of his contemporary Brian Eno. Some of his lighter albums are appreciated by new-age music fans, despite the fact that Schulze has always denied connections to this genre. By mid-decade, with the release of Timewind and Moondawn, his style transformed from Krautrock to Berlin School.
Schulze had a more organic sound than other electronic artists of the time. Often he would throw in decidedly non-electronic sounds, such as acoustic guitar and a male operatic voice in Blackdance, or a cello in Dune (1979) and Trancefer. Schulze developed a Minimoog patch that sounds uncannily like an electric guitar. Schulze often takes German events as a starting point for his compositions, a notable example being on his 1978 album "X" (the title signifying it was his tenth album), subtitled "Six Musical Biographies", a reference to such notables as Ludwig II of Bavaria, Friedrich Nietzsche, Georg Trakl, and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. His use of the pseudonym Richard Wahnfried is indicative of his interest in Richard Wagner, a clear influence on some albums like the aforementioned Timewind.
Schulze built a record studio in Hambühren, Germany.
This newer style can also be found in Schulze's next release Audentity. Both "Cellistica" and "Spielglocken" are composed in a similar sequencer-based style as on Trancefer, but this is certainly not the case of all of Audentitys tracks; indeed, "Sebastian im Traum" hints towards the operatic style to be found in some of Schulze's much later works. The predominance of sequencing can also be found in the follow-up live album Dziękuję Poland Live '83, although many of its tracks are re-workings of those to be found on Audentity. Schulze's next studio-based album was Angst (soundtrack to the namesake 1983 film). The cold yet haunting electronic rhythms generate an alienated atmosphere. Typical are the Fairlight synth and Linn electronic drums sounds.
Another highlight of this era was En=Trance with the dreamy cut "FM Delight". The album Miditerranean Pads marked the beginning of very complex percussion arrangements that continued through the next two decades.
In 1989, German band Alphaville released their album The Breathtaking Blue, on which Klaus Schulze was both a contributing musician and the album's producer.
1990s
Starting with Beyond Recall, the first half of the 1990s was his "sample" period, when Schulze used a wide variety of prerecorded sounds such as screeching birds and sensuous female moans in his studio albums and live performances. Sampling heavily died down with his 1995 album In Blue.
2010s
Big in Japan: Live in Tokyo 2010 was Schulze's fortieth album, and its release in September 2010 marked the beginning of his fifth decade as a solo musician. The Japan concerts were to be his last live performances.
His next album, Shadowlands, was released in February 2013, quickly to be followed by the release of The Schulze–Schickert Session 1975, a rare long-unreleased collaboration, in March 2013. After a hiatus of several years, he returned to the studio in 2018 for another album, Silhouettes. Much of the album was recorded in a single take. His final album, Deus Arrakis, was released on 1 July 2022.
Richard Wahnfried
Richard Wahnfried, then simply Wahnfried after 1993, is the longtime and only real alias for Klaus Schulze – originally a pseudonym, later an official side project name. Seven albums were released under this name between 1979 and 1997.
The pseudonym's etymology stems from Schulze's love for Richard Wagner:
- Richard, evidently from Wagner's first name. Richard is also the name of Schulze's first son.
- Wahnfried ("Peace from delusion and/or madness", in German), from the name Wagner gave to his villa in Bayreuth (and where he was later buried). After 1993, the albums are simply credited to "Wahnfried", and namedrop Schulze ("featuring Klaus Schulze", "Produced by Klaus Schulze").
"Wahnfried" is the only known alias of Schulze (although on the 1998 Tribute to Klaus Schulze album, among 10 other artists, Schulze contributed one track barely hidden behind the "Schulzendorfer Groove Orchester" pseudonym).
Discography
Albums
Schulze's concert performances are original compositions recorded live and thus listed as albums. An intensive reissue program of Schulze CDs began in 2005, with most releases having bonus tracks, and sometimes additional discs. They are published by the label Revisited Records (a division of German company InsideOut Music), and distributed by SPV.
Source:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Reissued
|-
| 1972
| Irrlicht
| 2006
|-
| 1973
| Cyborg
| 2006
|-
| 1974
| Blackdance
| 2007
|-
| 1975
| Picture Music
| 2005
|-
| 1975
| Timewind
| 2006
|-
| 1976
| Moondawn
| 2005
|-
| 1977
| Body Love
| 2005
|-
| 1977
| Mirage
| 2005
|-
| 1977
| Body Love Vol. 2
| 2007
|-
| 1978
| X
| 2005
|-
| 1979
| Dune
| 2005
|-
| 1980
| ...Live...
| 2007
|-
| 1980
| Dig It
| 2005
|-
| 1981
| Trancefer
| 2006
|-
| 1983
| Audentity
| 2005
|-
| 1983
| Dziękuję Poland Live '83
| 2006
|-
| 1984
| Angst
| 2005
|-
| 1985
| Inter*Face
| 2006
|-
| 1986
| Dreams
| 2005
|-
| 1988
| En=Trance
| 2005
|-
| 1990
| Miditerranean Pads
| 2005
|-
| 1990
| The Dresden Performance
|
|-
| 1991
| Beyond Recall
|
|-
| 1992
| Royal Festival Hall Vol. 1
|
|-
| 1992
| Royal Festival Hall Vol. 2
|
|-
| 1993
| The Dome Event
|
|-
| 1994
| Le Moulin de Daudet
| 2005
|-
| 1994
| Goes Classic
|
|-
| 1994
| Totentag
|
|-
| 1994
| Das Wagner Desaster Live
| 2005
|-
| 1995
| In Blue
| 2005
|-
| 1996
| Are You Sequenced?
| 2006
|-
| 1997
| Dosburg Online
| 2006
|-
| 2001
| Live @ KlangArt
| 2008
|-
| 2005
| Moonlake
|
|-
| 2007
| Kontinuum
|
|-
| 2008
| Farscape
|
|-
| 2008
| Rheingold
|
|-
| 2009
| Dziękuję Bardzo
|
|-
| 2010
| Big in Japan: Live in Tokyo 2010
|
|-
| 2013
| Shadowlands
|
|-
| 2013–14
| Big in Europe
|
|-
| 2014
| Stars Are Burning
|
|-
| 2017
| Eternal: The 70th Birthday Edition
|
|-
|-
| 2018
| Silhouettes
|
|-
| 2019
| Next of Kin
|
|-
| 2022
| Deus Arrakis
|
|-
| 2024
| 101, Milky Way
|
|-
| 2025
| Bon Voyage (Live Audimax Hamburg 1981)
|
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Reissued
|-
| 1985
| "Macksy"
| The Ultimate Edition (CD38); extended version on Inter*Face reissue
|-
| 1994
| "Conquest of Paradise"
| Partially reissued on La Vie Electronique 14
|}
(Richard) Wahnfried albums
Composed by Schulze and performed with guest artists under alias Richard Wahnfried or later just Wahnfried:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Reissued
|-
| 1979
| Time Actor
|2011
|-
| 1981
| Tonwelle
|2012
|-
| 1984
| Megatone
| 2021
|-
| 1986
| Miditation
|2012
|-
| 1994
| Trancelation
| 2019
|-
| 1996
| Trance Appeal
| 2007
|-
| 1997
| Drums 'n' Balls (The Gancha Dub)
| 2006
|-
| 2000
| Trance 4 Motion
| 2018
|}
;Notes:
:This album was originally issued as the third disc of Contemporary Works I.
Boxed sets
Between 1993 and 2002 Klaus Schulze released several limited edition boxed sets, all composed of non-album material.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Discs !! Copies
|-
| 1993 || Silver Edition || 10 || 2000
|-
| 1995 || Historic Edition || 10 || 2000
|-
| 1997 || Jubilee Edition || 25 || 1000
|-
| 2000 || The Ultimate Edition || 50 ||
|-
| 2000 || Contemporary Works I || 10 ||
|-
| 2002 || Contemporary Works II || 5 || 2002
|}
;Notes:
:Collecting Silver, Historic, and Jubilee sets, with additional 5 discs.
:A bonus sixth disc included with the first 333 copies.
Reissues from sets
Sources:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! From
|-
| 2005
| Vanity of Sounds
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2006
| The Crime of Suspense
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2006
| Ballett 1
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2006
| Ballett 2
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2007
| Ballett 3
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2007
| Ballett 4
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2008
| Virtual Outback
| Contemporary Works II (2002)
|-
| 2009
| La Vie Electronique 1
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2009
| La Vie Electronique 2
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2009
| La Vie Electronique 3
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2009
| La Vie Electronique 4
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2010
| La Vie Electronique 5
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2010
| La Vie Electronique 6
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2010
| La Vie Electronique 7
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2010
| La Vie Electronique 8
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2011
| La Vie Electronique 9
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2011
| La Vie Electronique 10
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2012
| La Vie Electronique 11
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2012
| La Vie Electronique 12
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2013
| La Vie Electronique 13
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2014
| La Vie Electronique 14
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2014
| La Vie Electronique 15
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2015
| La Vie Electronique 16
| The Ultimate Edition (2000)
|-
| 2016
| Privée
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2016
| Another Green Mile
| Contemporary Works II (2002)
|-
| 2017
| Androgyn
| Contemporary Works II (2002)
|-
|-
| 2017
| Ultimate Docking
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2018
| Trance 4 Motion
| Contemporary Works I (2000)
|-
| 2018
| Cocooning
| Contemporary Works II (2002)
|-
| 2019
| Timbres of Ice
| Contemporary Works II (2002)
|-
|}
"The Dark Side of the Moog"
"The Dark Side of the Moog" Each title is a distortion of Pink Floyd song and album titles.
Source:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Pink Floyd Title
|-
| 1994 || The Dark Side of the Moog: Wish You Were There || "Wish You Were Here"
|-
| 1994 || The Dark Side of the Moog II: A Saucerful of Ambience || "A Saucerful of Secrets"
|-
| 1995 || The Dark Side of the Moog III: Phantom Heart Brother|| "Atom Heart Mother"
|-
| 1996 || The Dark Side of the Moog IV: Three Pipers at the Gates of Dawn || The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
|-
| 1996 || The Dark Side of the Moog V: Psychedelic Brunch || "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast"
|-
| 1997 || The Dark Side of the Moog VI: The Final DAT || "The Final Cut"
|-
| 1998 || The Dark Side of the Moog VII: Obscured by Klaus || "Obscured by Clouds"
|-
| 1999 || The Dark Side of the Moog VIII: Careful With the AKS, Peter || "Careful with That Axe, Eugene"
|-
| 2002 || The Dark Side of the Moog: The Evolution of the Dark Side of the Moog ||
|-
| 2002 || The Dark Side of the Moog IX: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother || "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"<br />"Atom Heart Mother"
|-
| 2005 || The Dark Side of the Moog X: Astro Know Me Domina || "Astronomy Domine"
|-
| 2008 || The Dark Side of the Moog XI: The Heart of Our Nearest Star || "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"
|}
The Evolution of the Dark Side of the Moog is a compilation album, containing excerpts from the first eight volumes. The series was announced as officially concluded with volume ten when on 21 March 2005 at 14:52 CET, Pete Namlook sold the Big Moog synthesizer that was the symbol of the series. Volume eleven appeared on Namlook's website on 15 April 2008 (and was included in a complete box set).
Collaborations
Source:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Collaborator
|-
| 1970 || Electronic Meditation || Tangerine Dream
|-
| 1971 || Ash Ra Tempel|| Ash Ra Tempel
|-
| 1973 || Tarot || Walter Wegmüller
|-
| 1973 || Join Inn || Ash Ra Tempel
|-
| 1973 || Lord Krishna von Goloka || Sergius Golowin
|-
| 1974 || The Cosmic Jokers || The Cosmic Jokers
|-
| 1974 || Planeten Sit-In || The Cosmic Jokers
|-
| 1974 || Galactic Supermarket || The Cosmic Jokers
|-
| 1974 || Sci Fi Party || The Cosmic Jokers
|-
| 1974 || Gilles Zeitschiff || The Cosmic Jokers
|-
| 1974 || Planet of Man || Code III
|-
| 1976 || Go || Go
|-
| 1976 || Go Live from Paris || Go
|-
| 1977 || Go Too || Go
|-
| 1979 || French Skyline || Earthstar
|-
| 1984 || Aphrica || Rainer Bloss and Ernst Fuchs
|-
| 1984 || Drive Inn || Rainer Bloss
|-
| 1984 || Transfer Station Blue || Michael Shrieve and Kevin Shrieve
|-
| 1987 || Babel || Andreas Grosser
|-
| 2000 || Friendship || Ash Ra Tempel
|-
| 2000 || Gin Rosé at the Royal Festival Hall || Ash Ra Tempel
|-
| 2009 || Come Quietly || Lisa Gerrard
|-
| 2013 || The Schulze–Schickert Session || Günter Schickert
|-
| 2021 || Grains of Sand from The Dune Sketchbook || Hans Zimmer
|}
Promos
- 2003 Andromeda
- 2004 Ion
- 2009 Hommage à Polska (with Lisa Gerrard)
Compilations
- 1979 Rock On Brain
- 1980 Star Action
- 1988 History (for promotional use, limited to 1,000 copies)
- 1991 2001
- 1994 The Essential 72–93
- 1999 Trailer
<!--===Lone tracks===
This list includes only the tracks remaining uncollected after Lone Tracks (CD 50 of The Ultimate Edition) and La Vie Electronique volumes.
- 1993 "Nachtmusik Schattenhaft"– On the A Brief History of Ambient – Volume 2: Imaginary Landscapes compilation
- 2002 "Manikin Jubilee" – On the Manikin Records: First Decade 1992–2002 compilation limited to 777 copies
- 2003 "CrazyShow" – on CrazyShow (Alphaville)
- 2003 "The Opium Den" – on CrazyShow (Alphaville)
- 2008 "Zenit" – On Sehnsucht Live (Schiller)
- 2008 "Invisible Musik" – On the Muting the Noise 01 compilation
- 2011 "Train by Train" – Chrysta Bell (Klaus Schulze Remix)-->
See also
- Berlin School of electronic music
- Kosmische Musik
- Urs Amann, illustrator of Schulze's early records