Name: Paracon (The Paragon Session Outtakes 1978-1979)
Brand: Conrad Schnitzler

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

BB 355LP

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Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2021-01-22

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Forced Exposure

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

4015698046144

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Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

BB355

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4015698571462

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Conrad Schnitzler

Genre US

Krautrock

Label US

Bureau B

Conrad Schnitzler (17 March 1937 - 4 August 2011) was a pioneering figure in the German electronic music scene for three decades. He studied under Joseph Beuys in the mid-1960s and later joined Tangerine Dream, contributing a unique conceptual approach that helped propel the band to legendary status. After leaving Tangerine Dream, Schnitzler formed Kluster with his friends Moebius and Roedelius, releasing three albums before embarking on his solo career. Over the years, he released numerous albums and recordings on various labels worldwide. Sadly, Schnitzler passed away from stomach cancer in 2011, leaving behind an impressive body of work.
Schnitzler's influence on electronic music cannot be overstated. His experimental style and avant-garde compositions pushed boundaries and challenged conventional norms within the genre. From his early collaborations with Tangerine Dream to his prolific solo career, Schnitzler consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to innovation and artistic exploration.
Despite facing health challenges towards the end of his life, Schnitzler remained dedicated to creating music until the very end. Just four days before his passing, he completed his final work—a testament to his passion and enduring legacy as one of electronic music's true pioneers.

Conrad Schnitzler is incredible. I would dearly have loved to meet him, to have been present when he, Seidel and Baumann were working their magic at Paragon Studio. Fortuitously, Wolfgang Seidel, co-author of these pieces, has opened up his archive of recordings to the Bureau B label. He and Conrad Schnitzler spent many years together experimenting with sound, capturing the results on the two Consequenz albums, amongst others. I had the honour of meeting Wolfgang Seidel at the Golden Pudel Club during the 2018 Eruption Festival. Ken Montgomery, who worked with Schnitzler in New York towards the end of the 1980s, was also there. The concerts and performances were hauntingly powerful, infused with the spirit of Schnitzler's music and utopian vision. These entirely instrumental recordings were created in the late 1970s at Peter Baumann's Paragon Studio. In my opinion, this stellar period gave rise to the finest works: the Con, Consequenz and Con 3 albums, featuring such wonderful pieces as Fata Morgana, Coca and Auf dem schwarzen Kanal. These recently discovered pieces take the aforementioned albums a stage further. Sounds complement each other as they are reprised, whilst continuing to exist in their own cosmos. As you listen, you feel as if you have been transported back into the studio itself while the sessions are happening. One surprise follows another - the third track sounds like clocks ringing at a pitch which only a bat could really hear. Numbers 5 and 6 are not so far removed from abstract techno tracks by Jeff Mills, albeit with rather more swing, floating in upper tone sequences reminiscent of the American composer Conlon Nancarrow. Nr. 8 is an absolute dream/wave piece, sounding like a relation of the (then) emerging Throbbing Gristle project. The 10th piece is my personal favourite, evoking a wave-romantic atmosphere which might lead you to believe that Conrad Schnitzler had been listening to The Cure. Schnitzler is electronica in its purest sense. He succeeds in rendering the unconscious audible. This goes far beyond "music to listen to", it is music which works on different levels, music to move you.

Paracon (The Paragon Session Outtakes 1978-1979)

Music US