“Seth, Part #6” by Klaus Schulze

With his extensive, decades-long discography, as well as stints in Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze is widely considered a true pioneer of electronic music. Sadly, Schulze died in April 2022 following a battle with renal disease. Prior to his death, though, he recorded one final album: Deus Arrakis, which was released in July 2022.

As indicated by its title, Deus Arrakis pays tribute to Frank Herbert’s Dune. Schulze had long been fascinated by the novel; in 1979, he released an album titled Dune and even contributed to Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack for 2021’s Dune: Part One. After the Zimmer collaboration, Schulze returned to his studio inspired, and sought to create a new Dune-inspired work. Consisting of three tracks that span nearly 80 minutes, Deus Arrakis forgoes the exotic chants, tribal rhythms, ominous strings, and celestial choirs heard on Zimmer’s soundtrack, though it’s no less vast in its sound or scope.

Schulze’s trademark synth arrangements flow throughout the album, especially in its final piece, “Der Hauch des Lebens” (“The Breath of Life” in English), which is particularly affecting when you realize that Schulze likely composed it in the final weeks of his life. But my favorite moment on Deus Arrakis comes near the end of its second piece, “Seth.” There, Wolfgang Tiepold’s somber cello emerges to blend with Schulze’s mind-expanding synths in a deeply moving and transportive manner.

Deus Arrakis is currently available from SPV Recordings.