Conrad Schnitzler - Con (1978)

Conrad Schnitzler (1937 - 2011) was pretty prolific in his lifetime; discogs currently lists 151 albums excluding compilations.  Most were self-released in limited editions; this album was one of Schnitzler's few releases on a 'proper' record label, the French prog label E.G.G.

Con - also known as Ballet Statique on reissues - also boasts arguably the most sophisticated production values in Schnitzler's catalogue, with a post-Tangerine Dream Peter Baumann behind the mixing desk.  And most importantly,this is possibly the greatest, most accomplished and satisfying album Schnitzler ever made, and deserves to be a cornerstone of any collection of groundbreaking electronic music.

In sharp contrast to my previous post, this album is notable for its almost total absence of melody. Instead, the album's tracks clank, hiss, drone and squeal in ways that take the blueprint from Side Two of Bowie's Heroes into even starker, near-industrial territory.  'Ballet Statique' has some sort of melody going on, in barely audible wisps floating above a stately, unchanging sequence, and 'Zug' is another highlight, vying with Trans Europe Express as one of the most perfectly descriptive train tracks ever recorded - check out the extended video version below.

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