Search - Wahnfried :: Trance Appeal

Interesting

03/03/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Richard Wahnfried, for those of you who don't know, is actually Klaus Schulze. By releasing albums under this pseudonym (usually working with other artsts - in this case Jorg Schaaf, whose own solo works aren't available through Amazon), Schulze can take a different approach to music making without alienating fans who want their Schulze to sound, well, "Schulzian". Perhaps not surprisingly, the name "Wahnfried" is connected with Richard Wagner, as it is the name of his estate at Bayreuth, and also where he is buried. On 'Trance Appeal', Wahnfried tackles a number of different musical styles, including ambient, industrial, and relatively straight forward techno. Surprisingly, he manages to make it work. The only times I get down on this album are when he works with the more industrial sequences, but he refrains from using the obligatory harsh beats and clanging pipes, etc, so common to most industrial.This isn't a bad side project, but make no mistake - it is a side project, and so probably won't be as enjoyable to most Schulze fans, and techno fans in general may not appreciate the varied styles displayed here. Still, the production is excellent, and so makes for a nice listen, when you want something a little different."