X

Each track on X or "Ten" (since it's Schulze's tenth release ) is titled after famous German personalities, but it's the provocative electronic music within the names that makes this one of his best albums. On this two-CD set, Schulze's sequencer is joined by electric guitar and drums, that pleasingly brings an earthy, simplistic feel into his pastiches. Still captivating and alluring with his multi- keyboard entourage, the tracks each exhibit a personality all their own. "Friedrich Nietzsche" is the most vibrant of all six, harboring a complex but attractive aura. The 24 minutes of this synthesized voyage involve imaginative sculpturing using both the Moog and Mellotron. Extreme washes of sturdy tones and pulses make up this wonderfully crafted track, one of Schulze's best. In the same manner, the rest of the album is pure electronic bombardment. With 12 different types of sequencers and synthesizers molded, merged, and fused together, the musical landscape created is overwhelming. On both the 29-minute "Ludwig II Von Bayern" and the equally lengthy "Heinrich Von Kleist," a foreign atmosphere is bred through the multitude of variable electronics, both of the guitar and keyboard type. As each track begins to take shape, the music is dissected and laid out, but not before it forms lasting images and intricately conveys mood. A true pioneer at his craft, Schulze's X is one of the more definitive albums of his career, since it's length and instrumental combinations make for a multifaceted electronic piece. ~ Mike DeGagne