Volume Two (three CDs) in this series reissuing all the material found on the long out of print
Ultimate Edition
box sets (for more background on the series as a whole, see
La Vie Electronique 1
) is much more interesting than volume one, and the pick of the first six volumes. The music comes from 1972-1975 (but mostly 1972-1973), a rich period of experimentation, as
Schulze
was gradually forging what would be known as his "classic" sound, nearly palpable by
"Blaue Stunde,"
the 38-minute piece from 1975 concluding the set. This second installment contains more finished works than the drafts-and-jams-packed volume one.
"Das grosse Identifikationsspiel"
(42 minutes) is a very good suite of rather experimental music written for a science fiction radio drama by
Alfred Behrens
. The 27-minute
"Titanensee"
was done with a ballet in mind, never to be produced; again, it is a strong work in
's experimental vein. However, the undisputed highlight of volume two is a whole album's worth of collaborations with
Hans-Joerg Stahlschmidt
, a project that had been brought to completion, only to gather dust on a record company's shelves. On this set of tracks,
steps outside of his usual style, his partner's acoustic guitar and vocals (
also plays some acoustic backing) drawing the music close to
Popol Vuh
territory. For fans curious about
's artistic development, this volume is the one to get, as you can see him trying out ideas and working on collaborations with other artists, and even other art forms. ~ Francois Couture