Klaus Schulze, German Electronic Music Pioneer, Dies At 74

German electronic music pioneer Klaus Schulze has died, aged 74, his son Max has confirmed.

In a short statement on the musician’s social media pages, he said: “In deepest sorrow we have to inform you that Klaus has passed away yesterday on April 26, 2022 at the age of 74 after a long disease, but all of a sudden.

“He leaves behind a huge musical legacy and is survived by his wife, two sons and four grandchildren. In his name and in the name of the family we would like to thank you for your loyalty and support over all these years – it has meant a lot to him!”

“There’s a lot more to write about him as person and artist but he probably would have told us: nuff said. According to his wishes we will bid farewell to him in the closest family circle. You know him and what he always said: my music is important, not my person…Maximilian Schulze.”

Klaus Schulze was best known as a solo artist responsible for over 60 solo albums, among them such celebrated works as 1975’s Timewind and the following year’s Moondawn as well as Dune, with Arthur Brown on vocals, in 1979. However, he started out as a drummer for Psy Free in 1969, and played drums on Tangerine Dream’s 1970 debut album Electronic Meditation.

After leaving Tangerine Dream, he then formed Krautrock band Ash Ra Tempel along with Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke, but again chose to depart after only a year, this time opting to go solo. He released his debut solo album Irrlicht in 1972.

In 1976 he joined Japanese percussionist and composer Stomu Yamashta in his supergroup Go, which also featured Al Di Meola and Steve Winwood. He also released several album sunder the pseudonym Richard Wahnfried. he would also work with Krautrock supergroup The Comsic Jokers, Alphaville, Lisa Gerrard and Hans Zimmer.

Schulze created work that was pioneering in manifold ways: his epic electronic soundscapes are seen as a foundation of ambient and new age music, while his sense of rhythm, expressed in sequenced electronic phrases, pointed the way to techno, trance, and other dance music genres.

Last month Schulze announced he would release his most recent solo album, Deus Arrakis, on June 10, having recently re-signed with German label SPV.

SPV managing director Frank Uhle said: “We were shocked and saddened to hear the news of Klaus Schulze’s sudden death. We lose and will miss a good personal friend – one of the most influential and important composers of electronic music – a man of conviction and an exceptional artist. Our thoughts in this hour are with his wife, sons and family. His always cheerful nature, his innovative spirit and his impressive body of work remain indelibly rooted in our memories.”