Electronic Music Pioneer, Klaus Schulze, Dies
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Klaus Schulze, a German electronic music pioneer who was in the earliest lineup of Tangerine Dream and ultimately released over 50 solo albums, died on April 26, 2022, at the age of 74, suddenly, after a long illness. He had recently announced the June 10 release of a new album for SPV Recordings.
In a statement, SPV managing director Frank Uhle wrote: “We were shocked and saddened to hear the news of Klaus Schulze’s sudden death. We lose and will miss a good personal friend – one of the most influential and important composers of electronic music – a man of conviction and an exceptional artist. Our thoughts in this hour are with his wife, sons and family. His always cheerful nature, his innovative spirit and his impressive body of work remain indelibly rooted in our memories.”
Watch Schulze perform in 1977
Schulze, born August 04, 1947, in Berlin, was known as a pioneer of electronic music and notable representative of the so-called “Kraut Rock” scene. He shaped the “Berlin School” and was most influential for various music styles such as Ambient and Techno. He was a member of the earliest lineup of Tangerine Dream in the late ’60s and later, Ash Ra Tempel. He enjoyed a prolific solo career with over 50 solo albums, occasionally under the alias of Richard Wahnfried. He also recorded collaborations with artists as Arthur Brown, Michael Shrieve, Ernst Fuchs, and fellow German composer and producer, Hans Zimmer, who earned an Academy Award in 2022 for the soundtrack of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (with Schulze support).
Of the collaboration, Schulze wrote, “We got on well from the start – just like me, Hans also is a huge fan of Dune – and the result indeed ended up being in the movie. Truly incredible how sometimes circles open up, cross and then close again in the end. However, I was caught again by the deserts of Dune and needed more ‘spice’. Excitedly I returned to my studio and found a cello recording by Wolfgang Tiepold. From there I felt completely unleashed and just played and played…
“At the end of that second private Dune journey I realized: Deus Arrakis became another salute to Frank Herbert and to that great gift of life in general.“
Schulze’s latest album, Deus Arrakis, is being released on June 10.
Related: Musicians and other celebrities we’ve lost in 2022
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationKlaus Schulze was also a member of German space music group The Cosmic Jokers and their 1974 release “The Cosmic Jokers”.
Some of his popular solo efforts were found at import record stores in mid to late 1970’s:
1976 Moondawn
1977 Body Love
1977 Mirage
Was inspired to learn to play the ARP synthesizer in college from listening to his music.
RIP Klaus.