The German composer and sound pioneer Klaus Schulze is dead. The 74-year-old, one of the most important pioneers of electronic music, died last night – after a long illness, but suddenly and unexpectedly, like his son Maximilian Schulze and Frank Uhle, manager of the record company SPV Schallplatten , announced today. The musician was a co-founder of the Berlin School and an influential representative of the internationally recognized “Krautrock”.
Many of the big international DJs respectfully called him “Godfather of Techno”. Schulze is a “man of conviction” and “an exceptional performer,” said Uhle. His company has been working with Schulze for “many years” and a new album is currently in preparation: “This news hits us all the harder.”
Schulze was married, he had two adult sons and four grandchildren. The farewell should take place in the immediate family circle, he expressly wished that – his music is important, his person is not.
“Always ahead of its time”
According to the announcement, Schulze was “always ahead of his time”. He had a decisive influence on all styles that emerged from electronic music – from ambient to techno. For more than 50 years, Schulze, called “Maestro” by the fans, has spread his “enormous carpets of sound”, played his famous sequences and created a “unique “Schulze atmosphere””.
Schulze, who was born in Berlin, experienced his beginnings in bands such as Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel. He has released over 50 solo albums, created numerous film scores and worked with artists such as Arthur Brown, Ernst Fuchs, Marian Gold and most recently Hans Zimmer. He was “always true to his unmistakable way of creating music,” it said. Nevertheless, he was “always open to new, innovative, experimental things”.