Dark Side of the Moog Vol. 9 (2002)

Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook - Dark Side of the Moog Vol. 9

Track Listing:

1.	Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother Part 1	19:27
2.	Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother Part 2	04:27
3.	Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother Part 3	12:17
4.	Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother Part 4	01:29
5.	Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother Part 5	11:41
6.	Set the Controls for the Heart of the Mother Part 6	05:07

Rating: 5 Stars

The first four tracks are distinct pieces of music. The last two tracks are a single piece of music, so it seems illogical to separate them. All the tracks are edited to run into one another.

The album was originally released on Pete Namlook's private label as a limited edition of 3000 copies. In 2016 it was re-released as part of a box set, which is now also out of print.

This is an incredible album that oscillates between modern electronic music and Klaus Schulze's 1970's style. For most of the album it's difficult to tell the two musicians apart. The sequencer pieces are almost certainly Pete, even though they sound like Klaus. At this point in time Klaus had sold his Big Moog, which he used on all his early albums, to Pete. I get the feeling that Pete was deliberately imitating Klaus' style.

Overall, this is an excellent album. The only weak point is the short fourth track. It isn't music, it's noise. I can overlook this as one minute out of fifty. The two musicians draw the best out of one another.

According to the description on Pete Namlook's web site:

"After a pause of three years Klaus and Pete collaborate again on their successful project. The sound on this CD is very fresh and futuristic as well as incorporating the flair of 70's space music and ambient music. A journey into sound. There is a certain quality of sound that you can only gain with the old analogue synths, but this CD is more; it combines the old technology that provides a  warm and powerful sound with the drumming and sound tools of today. This combination and the compositional power of the two composers makes quite a difference from the music produced by computers alone, which is very hip at the moment. Listen to the rich synth-strings, choirs, Big Moog sequences, Trautonium, atmospheric sounds and the new fluid grooves of Pete Namlook and Klaus Schulze".