Tuesday 28 April 2015

Con-Hertz ‎– "Contrasts" (Auricle ‎– AMC 028) 1988


Compare and contrast this three hour long Con-Hertz release with the earlier "Face On Radio" and you will discover a completely different experience. Conrad has discovered the eighties Digital synthesiser, and tries very hard to be some kind of modern composer like Philip Glass, or someone on Eno's Obscure records;and failing like a teenager tying to be Keith Jarret on his new casio keyboard he got for christmas.
Whereas "Face On Radio" is fantastic in its free bubbling simplicity,"Contrasts" is awful in its pompous "Ich bin ein Composer" pretensions,and those incredibly characterless FM digital presets he is twiddling his fingers with for THREE HOURS! This one could be edited down to a couple of ten minutes tunes only, its that boring!
There are moments when some interesting electronics and sound processing rise from the background to remind us of past glories,but they are camouflaged by that unbelievably bad 'cutting edge'(for 1988) digital porridge. 

Tracklist:

Con Brio Parts 1-24
Including Several Pieces For Small Mock Orchestra
Con Spirito Parts 1-28
Abstract Dances And Bizarre Happenings
Con Fuoco Parts 1-11
Mysterious Sounds From Beneath The Earth
Con Dolore
Con Dolore
Con Moto Parts 1-9
Returning From Whence We Came...

DOWNLOAD this complete contrast to earlier schnitzler works HERE!

15 comments:

STAHLFABRIK said...

EXCELLENT !!!! THANKS !!!!

Anonymous said...

"tries very hard to be some kind of modern composer like Philip Glass, or someone on Eno's Obscure records;and failing like a teenager tying to be Keith Jarret on his new casio keyboard he got for christmas"
Ouch....

rev.b said...

Hard to tell if I want to dnld this one or not! Ouch indeed! Perhaps if it had been done on a Casio that might have improved matters.

Jonny Zchivago said...

Just had a re-listen to see if I hated it as much as before.....I do. If one removed all those awful digital trumpets and pianos,in fact all of the 'melody' bits it wouldn't be half bad. The pseudo-intellectuality (sorry for the americanism) of the self conscious composition really gets on my nerves,and coupled with those shit 1988 digital sounds.....Ouch for my brain.
Out of a hundred albums you gotta have at least one turkey?

rev.b said...

True, eighties digital synth is one area I have yet to be nostalgic for. Even Sun Ra couldn't do much with them. If he couldn't, I don't imagine anyone else could either. I guess I will give this a listen just to see how bad it is. I do trust you though! Got any Casio stuff? As cheesy as it was, I always preferred it to what came later. .

Alan Burns said...

Has its moments, this one, but definitely preferred the previous post! Many thanks for all the Con.

jph said...

you crazy? this is so sick

Jonny Zchivago said...

I am Crazy,but this is not 'sick'......in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

Just a note of thanks for posting so much Conrad Schnitzler work. I just discovered it on your blog and was especially grateful for Con '84 (yeah, i know you didn't like it, but that's a tough one to find anywhere).

xylem777 said...

Well, apart from not having the right to freely share a still in print release, I completely disagree with your comments here. True, it is nothing like Face On Radio, but is still quite remarkable in its own way. The legal way to hear this is from here https://con-hertz.bandcamp.com/releases where you can buy it as top quality from the master tapes, and support the label that financed its release!

xylem777 said...

BTW - no digital synths on this as such. Con is using the new EMU-system that he got a few months before, with which he's doing primitive sampling, including sampling analogue synths.

Jonny Zchivago said...

Just read my review again, and No, i think i was spot on.
This tape is light years away from his best work.

EMU systems?....digital then?

xylem777 said...

Most Conrad Schnitzler, from Contempora onwards used a lot of Digital elements.
I believe "Constellations" was also composed largely with the EMU (or, whatever it was - would have to dig through my files, but Con used it extensively during this era). Actually, I think it was the E-mu SP-1000 (predecessor to the E-mu SP-1200 referenced on the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampler_(musical_instrument) page), which was designed for rhythmic use, hence the nature of his music at that time.
BTW, EMU-Systems started with Analogue Modular systems and then became famous for the Emulator. They are still active today.

xylem777 said...

p.s. Wolfgang Hertz had just purchased one of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mu_Emax which he also plays on https://www.discogs.com/Conrad-Schnitzler-Michael-Otto-Micon-In-Italia/release/136778

Personally, I rate most Con works through to this: https://www.discogs.com/Conrad-Schnitzler-00106/release/183738 - after that I've kept nothing.

Vaykorus said...

THANKS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>✽ ✾ ✿ ❀ ❁ ❃ ❋ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>THANKS