Picture Music cover

Picture Music

Released

Schulze’s fourth album was actually recorded before its predecessor, 1974’s Blackdance, but held back. It consists of two side-long tracks, with a 33-minute bonus track added to CD reissues. The first, “Totem,” is a Tangerine Dream-esque journey through deep space, with some electronic pulses to create rhythm but an overall feeling of timelessness and floating. The second, “Mental Door,” is much more active and even hard-charging; some of Schulze’s playing verges on rock organ à la Jon Lord of Deep Purple, and he also sits down behind the drums (his original instrument), slamming out a mechanistic beat that boosts the energy level even higher.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
Engage cover

Engage

Dave Douglas
Urban Bushmen cover

Urban Bushmen

Art Ensemble of Chicago
Sunrise in the Tone World cover

Sunrise in the Tone World

The Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, William Parker
Thoughts cover

Thoughts

Bill Dixon
Crumbling Brain cover

Crumbling Brain

Full Blast, Peter Brötzmann
Levels and Degrees of Light cover

Levels and Degrees of Light

Muhal Richard Abrams
Horizontal Structures cover

Horizontal Structures

Moritz von Oswald Trio
Actions cover

Actions

Fire! Orchestra
+/- cover

+/-

Ryoji Ikeda
Bitches Brew cover

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis