Irrlicht (album)

Last updated
Irrlicht
Irrlicht Klaus Schulze Album.jpg
Cover of 1975 Brain Records reissue
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1972
RecordedApril 1972 in Berlin
Genre
Length50:27 (original)
74:27 (2006 reissue)
Label Ohr
Producer Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze chronology
Irrlicht
(1972)
Cyborg
(1973)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [1]

Irrlicht is the first album by Klaus Schulze. Originally released in 1972, in 2006 it was the sixteenth Schulze album reissued by Revisited Records as part of a series of Schulze album reissues. Recorded without synthesizers, Irrlicht's set of "early organ drone experiments" is "not exactly the music for which KS got famous". [2]

Contents

Overview

The album's complete title is: Irrlicht: Quadrophonische Symphonie für Orchester und E-Maschinen (in English: "Will-o'-the-wisp: Quadraphonic Symphony for Orchestra and Electronic Machines"). Its atmospheric drone music tone is similar to Tangerine Dream's album Zeit , released the same month.

In 2005, Schulze said, "Irrlicht still has more connections to Musique concrète than with today's electronics. I still never owned a synthesiser at the time." [3] Schulze mainly used a broken and modified electric organ, a recording of a classical orchestra rehearsal played backward, and a damaged amplifier to filter and alter sounds that he mixed on tape into a three-movement symphony. [3]

Irrlicht, despite its highly unconventional nature, was originally released on the krautrock label Ohr. Because Schulze was signed to them while a member of Tangerine Dream, the label asserted that his solo album belonged to them too; [3] Schulze's reaction was, "I was just glad that Irrlicht was released at all. Any other company would have probably turned me away with this record." [3]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Klaus Schulze.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."1. Satz: Ebene"23:23
2."2. Satz: Gewitter (energy rise—energy collaps)"5:39
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."3. Satz: Exil Sils Maria"21:25
Deluxe edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
4."Dungeon"24:00

Notes

Personnel

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References

Notes

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Both quotes from re-release producer Klaus D. Mueller (from the website and the booklet, respectively).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Irrlicht CD booklet.
  4. Original 1972 LP booklet as quoted at Discogs.