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Search Result for Artist SCHNITZLER CONRAD
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CD
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BB 133CD
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"Conrad Schnitzler is undoubtedly one of the founding fathers of German electronica. And his son, Gregor Schnitzler, matched the father's extraordinary level of creative output. They appear to have settled any musical differences amicably. After all, how else could they have 'shared' an LP released by Conrad Schnitzler himself? One half of Conrad & Sohn features music by Conrad Schnitzler, the other, his son Gregor. Two mini-albums on one disc, so to speak. An ideal opportunity to compare them. Judging by the similarities in sound, Gregor clearly had access to his father's music equipment, but the way he uses electronics and his voice could not be more different. Industrial (e.g. Cabaret Voltaire) influences are apparent. The dry minimalism of German new wave (NDW) also left its mark on him. A sense of the end of days in some places gives way to highly-charged hysteria in others. For young, modern musicians in the frontline city of West Berlin, a mix of depression and anger was the natural prerequisite for their uncomplicated, unsentimental and yet emotional music. And the "No Future" claim had not yet lost its validity. Gregor unequivocally took sides; he was with the young. Conrad's music on this album also shows some signs of contemporary influence. As a veteran of the avant-garde and an experienced performance artist, he adopted a different aesthetic stance to that of his son, Gregor. Leaving the bleak, cryptic text of the first track aside, Conrad speaks to the knowledgeable listener in a familiar musical language: sequencer shapes with no end and no beginning, then an uncommonly humorous miniature with a Donald Duck voice, followed by electronic particles travelling from anywhere to who-knows-where. Total abstraction. Father and son certainly offer up drastically opposing musical concepts to our ears." --Asmus Tietchens
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BB 133LP
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LP version on 180 gram vinyl.
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BB 134CD
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"Contempora (1981) is a sort of collection of sketches, reflecting Conrad Schnitzler's inexhaustible creative powers in condensed form. Like light refracting through a multiple prism, shapes and colors constantly change, backgrounds shift through brightness and darkness. Each track on the album could easily double or triple in length without relinquishing any of its magic or indeed becoming boring. Schnitzler grants us the merest glimpses into his diverse soundscapes and sonic armories. He opens one door ever so slightly, only to close it again and open another for just a few minutes. Improvised sonic comets shimmer over Schnitzler's inimitable sequencer patterns, fleeting melodies fade away. Everything happens at breathtaking speed, miniatures without frames or tangible borders. In the early '80s Schnitzler worked primarily with the EMS Synthi A and Korg MS 10 synthesizers, an analog sequencer and analog rhythm machine. All in all, this was neither a particularly complex nor exotic array of equipment for the period. Many electronic artists used these inexpensive instruments, or something similar. Nevertheless, Schnitzler succeeded in setting himself apart from others in the fraternity, in both sonic and compositional terms. Not so much gripped by the need to occupy a unique position, he was simply unable and unwilling to divert from his creative path. Contempora again underlines Schnitzler's noble ethos." --Asmus Tietchens
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LP
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BB 134LP
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LP version on 180 gram vinyl.
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MINIMAL 004CD
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M=Minimal released the vinyl of this classic record last year and as the CD has been unavailable for a long time, too, the label decided to make a special edition. Ballet Statique by Conrad Schnitzler, was originally released in 1978 and recorded at the legendary Paragon Studio, Berlin. This album was first released as Con. The name Ballet Statique was only chosen for a re-release and it was not the idea of the artists to rename it. So M=Minimal decided to give its old name back. This special edition comes with a cardboard slipbox with Ballet Statique on it. If you take off the slipbox, you hold Con in your hands. Also included is a 24-page booklet with photographs and liner notes by Wolfgang "Sequenza" Seidel, Conrad Schnitzler's long-time musical partner. As a bonus track, a copy of the "Red Cassette" is included. On one stereo channel you hear the rhythm part; on the other, the synth track, one side of the cassette on each channel. This more-than 30 minutes' long version has never been re-released before. The cardboard slipbox edition is strictly limited to 1,000 copies.
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BB 121LP
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180 gram LP version. "Commercial Schnitzler? How quickly, how prematurely are opinions and judgements bandied about when an artist suddenly changes the form of his work. Conrad Schnitzler fell under such a cloud when, after 1978, his songs, for a time at least, did not exceed the catchy compactness of pop songs, while their harmonies and rhythms seemed to be drifting towards pop. Produced by Peter Baumann (Tangerine Dream) the Con (1978) album and the Auf dem schwarzen Kanal 12" EP (1980) ushered in this phase, and the private release of the Consequenz album, also in 1980 -- as the title suggests -- was the logical consequence. Consequenz is Schnitzler's first collaboration with another musician since the days of Kluster long before. In Wolfgang Seidel aka Wolf Sequenza, he found someone who not only understood the 'Schnitzler' principle but was able to expand on it with his own input. Seidel, like Schnitzler, had started early with the development of an alternative language of music, away from the mainstream. Schnitzler actually went a step further: with the best educational intentions, he supplied a schematic drawing to go with Consequenz, illustrating in detail how his music 'functions,' which instruments and equipment he used and how the various elements are interconnected. It is rare for an electronic artist to lay his cards quite so openly on the table, thus prompting the demystification of this new music. Consequenz conveys 12 remarkably short pieces. Remarkable in the sense that Schnitzler's early solo works (e.g. Rot and Blau) were characterized by unending sequences. Not only are the tracks even shorter than on Con (1978), their form has also shifted. Electronic drums can be heard, along with an electric guitar in places; Schnitzler and Seidel sculpt rhythmic-harmonic structures with an analog sequencer, blended with harmonies to create a somewhat unwieldy form of pop music. Little musical motifs are played without really becoming melodies capable of underpinning bona fide songs. The influence of the German new wave (NDW) may also be detected, but not enough to determine the style of Consequenz. The dozen tracks on the album remain firmly rooted in Schnitzler's sonic universe, each an individual facet of his infinitely shimmering aural cascades. And, naturally, Consequenz is electronic pop music, lacking only the commercial added value which was of little interest to Schnitzler anyway -- he didn't give a damn." --Asmus Tietchens. Includes a printed innersleeve with notes from Asmus Tietchens.
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BB 122CD
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"This album saw Conrad Schnitzler head further in the direction of pop music. Like Consequenz, Con 3 (1981) is a collaborative effort with Wolfgang Seidel, alias Sequenza. Con 3 is a really odd mixture of numerous ingredients which Schnitzler was capable of combining with dexterity and taste. His musical handwriting is immediately apparent in the foreground. Effervescent electronic sequences can be heard on all nine pieces, coming from somewhere and appearing to go wherever -- this is Schnitzler alright, this is his musical utopia. Then Wolfgang Seidel, formerly drummer with Ton Steine Scherben: an ideal partner for Schnitzler when it came to programming rhythm machines and sequencers for a minimalistic mesh. Another ingredient in Con 3 is undoubtedly German new wave (Neue Deutsche Welle, NDW). How could it not have touched Schnitzler? He lived and worked in Berlin! Above all, his succinct, absurd-surrealist lyrics would have suited many a protagonist of NDW. In this respect, Schnitzler revealed two hitherto hidden talents: his delivery of lyrics written by himself was both precise and incredibly assured. The fourth component of Con 3 is without question the character in the background, Peter Baumann. As producer and sound engineer, he was to Schnitzler what Conny Plank had been for Cluster and Harmonia and many others. His gentle, discreet impulses, his immense know-how with regard to modern studio technology and his perennial enthusiasm could be detected in all of the productions he created in his Paragon Studio. Years of working with Tangerine Dream honed his studio experience and his intuitive flair for electronic experiments. Those like Schnitzler who were able to work in the Paragon Studio were in exceptionally good hands. There could hardly be a more fertile alliance. Con 3 might have sounded rather disconcerting to Schnitzler listeners at the time. He had long since nailed his colors to the mast of the art scene (Fluxus, Beuys, performance art etc.) and now dared to attempt a balancing act between the high artistic aspirations of the avant-garde and the more entertainment-driven nature of pop music. Not for the first time, perhaps, but particularly emphatically on this album. Many had tried their luck at this tour de force and failed, not least because they lacked the necessary credibility. Not Schnitzler. He remained true to himself, and hence retained his credibility, integrating his new experiences and information resources wisely and creatively into his idiosyncratic and unmistakable music." --Asmus Tietchens
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CD
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BB 121CD
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"Commercial Schnitzler? How quickly, how prematurely are opinions and judgements bandied about when an artist suddenly changes the form of his work. Conrad Schnitzler fell under such a cloud when, after 1978, his songs, for a time at least, did not exceed the catchy compactness of pop songs, while their harmonies and rhythms seemed to be drifting towards pop. Produced by Peter Baumann (Tangerine Dream) the Con (1978) album and the Auf dem schwarzen Kanal 12" EP (1980) ushered in this phase, and the private release of the Consequenz album, also in 1980 -- as the title suggests -- was the logical consequence. Consequenz is Schnitzler's first collaboration with another musician since the days of Kluster long before. In Wolfgang Seidel aka Wolf Sequenza, he found someone who not only understood the 'Schnitzler' principle but was able to expand on it with his own input. Seidel, like Schnitzler, had started early with the development of an alternative language of music, away from the mainstream. Schnitzler actually went a step further: with the best educational intentions, he supplied a schematic drawing to go with Consequenz, illustrating in detail how his music 'functions,' which instruments and equipment he used and how the various elements are interconnected. It is rare for an electronic artist to lay his cards quite so openly on the table, thus prompting the demystification of this new music. Consequenz conveys 12 remarkably short pieces. Remarkable in the sense that Schnitzler's early solo works (e.g. Rot and Blau) were characterized by unending sequences. Not only are the tracks even shorter than on Con (1978), their form has also shifted. Electronic drums can be heard, along with an electric guitar in places; Schnitzler and Seidel sculpt rhythmic-harmonic structures with an analog sequencer, blended with harmonies to create a somewhat unwieldy form of pop music. Little musical motifs are played without really becoming melodies capable of underpinning bona fide songs. The influence of the German new wave (NDW) may also be detected, but not enough to determine the style of Consequenz. The dozen tracks on the album remain firmly rooted in Schnitzler's sonic universe, each an individual facet of his infinitely shimmering aural cascades. And, naturally, Consequenz is electronic pop music, lacking only the commercial added value which was of little interest to Schnitzler anyway -- he didn't give a damn." --Asmus Tietchens
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BB 103CD
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On the Red Album Rot, Conrad Schnitzler laid down the direction his musical artistry would take. His second solo , The Blue Album Blau, originally released in 1974, offered confirmation of his intent. Maybe the "Red" and "Blue" tracks were recorded in the same session. The structure, sound and timbre of both LPs are so similar as to suggest that this was the case (an unverified assumption nevertheless!). Far more important than this historical pedantry is the fact that Schnitzler included two brand-new compositions on Blau which followed on seamlessly from the previous album. Quite simply, he had found his way, a course from which he would not stray as long as he lived. The so-called Berlin School (Berliner Schule) -- with Conrad Schnitzler one of their number -- had developed its own style of minimalist music. Clearly distinct from Anglo-American pop music, and no less removed from the minimalist art music of Steve Reich or Philip Glass, the focus here was on electronics and elementary rhythmics. The Berlin musicians showed no great interest in instrumental or vocal virtuosity, nor were they in thrall to exuberant interleaving of rhythm. With the aid of synthesizers and studio technology, they were bent on breaking into territory hitherto considered the province of a privileged elite, clouded in mystery and secrecy, resonating with uncharted sounds and noise. Blau is an archetypal example of this very phenomenon. Courage, the pioneering spirit and artistic brilliance can be detected in each part of the album's two infinite sequences. Inspired by Joseph Beuys, Schnitzler propagated those very tones beyond the musical realm, detached from tradition, the only tones capable of catalyzing the utterly stagnant pop music and new music scene of the day, injecting them with fresh impulses. Questions of harmony, melody and strict form were well and truly rejected by Schnitzler. His aural crystals shine like pearls on a string. Schnitzler uses his ropes of pearls to weave new, fantastic patterns which constantly shift like kaleidoscopes to reveal unexpected facets; they are sign-posts to spatial and temporal infinity. Schnitzler's style was really too idiosyncratic ever to set a precedent, but he was, and still is, one of the most significant inspirations for pop music in more recent times. Digipak reissue with liner notes by Asmus Tietchens, rare photos and six bonus tracks.
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LP
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BB 103LP
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LP version on 180 gram vinyl. On the Red Album Rot, Conrad Schnitzler laid down the direction his musical artistry would take. His second solo , The Blue Album Blau, originally released in 1974, offered confirmation of his intent. Maybe the "Red" and "Blue" tracks were recorded in the same session. The structure, sound and timbre of both LPs are so similar as to suggest that this was the case (an unverified assumption nevertheless!). Far more important than this historical pedantry is the fact that Schnitzler included two brand-new compositions on Blau which followed on seamlessly from the previous album. Quite simply, he had found his way, a course from which he would not stray as long as he lived. The so-called Berlin School (Berliner Schule) -- with Conrad Schnitzler one of their number -- had developed its own style of minimalist music. Clearly distinct from Anglo-American pop music, and no less removed from the minimalist art music of Steve Reich or Philip Glass, the focus here was on electronics and elementary rhythmics. The Berlin musicians showed no great interest in instrumental or vocal virtuosity, nor were they in thrall to exuberant interleaving of rhythm. With the aid of synthesizers and studio technology, they were bent on breaking into territory hitherto considered the province of a privileged elite, clouded in mystery and secrecy, resonating with uncharted sounds and noise. Blau is an archetypal example of this very phenomenon. Courage, the pioneering spirit and artistic brilliance can be detected in each part of the album's two infinite sequences. Inspired by Joseph Beuys, Schnitzler propagated those very tones beyond the musical realm, detached from tradition, the only tones capable of catalyzing the utterly stagnant pop music and new music scene of the day, injecting them with fresh impulses. Questions of harmony, melody and strict form were well and truly rejected by Schnitzler. His aural crystals shine like pearls on a string. Schnitzler uses his ropes of pearls to weave new, fantastic patterns which constantly shift like kaleidoscopes to reveal unexpected facets; they are sign-posts to spatial and temporal infinity. Schnitzler's style was really too idiosyncratic ever to set a precedent, but he was, and still is, one of the most significant inspirations for pop music in more recent times. Includes a printed innersleeve with notes from Asmus Tietchens.
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