European '72

So here I am, on vacation - doing what I always do: reading people's Top 10 lists. And I notice on Demdike Miles' list at Boomkat that he's included Conrad Schnitzler Live '72 in there. I remember getting a free .mp from this (Vol. 8 comp coming soon!) and was interested, but it might have been while my computer/internet was down last year. So I never did order it...

Schnitzler was undeniably a living legend, until he died recently in August 2011.



from Live '72 by Conrad Schnitzler (2011)

Boomkat's sold out of the 2xLP, no digital-dowload version there, and not among Con's records at Forced Exposure (but that Trigger Trilogy 3xCD does looks intriguing). Although the Boomkat product description sounds impressive, they pretty much always do. So I thought, just live to order another record.



But then I noticed: the record label. I've never heard of Further Records, but I figured an internet search couldn't hurt. Not only are they on the WWW, but they run it run it as Bandcamp, and you can stream Live '72 from there...



And they still have "61 remaining" copies to sell as of this posting - for $20! (That's after I ordered my copy.)

Here's that glowing Boomkat entry:

**Edition of 500, housed in hand screen printed DIY black french paper jacket** Conrad Schnitzler is without a doubt one of the most important figures in 20th century electronic music. His CV includes a prominent role initiating the seminal Zodiak Free Arts Lab in Berlin circa 1967, essentially creating the nucleus of what would become known as the Kosmische movement. From this he became a founder member of Kluster and collaborated with the likes of Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, laying the foundations for future generations of Techno and Ambient electronic musicians. It's not often that unreleased material of his comes to the surface, but Further Records have somehow gained access to this 1972 live session, salvaged from cheap old tapes. Considering the time frame, this stuff is just incredible, spanning twelve tracks of signature metallic pulses and starry synth plumes framing his beautifully restrained melodic arrangements. What separates Con from the rest of the crowd, and makes him so important to the development of electronic music and Techno in particular, is that intuitive and engrossing element of restraint and repetition, especially when coupled with his knack for darker, moodier melodies and that brooding sense of space. No hyperbole intended, this is a genuinely exceptional piece of work, easily one of the very best reissues we've encountered in the recent deluge. Mastered by CGB at D&M, Berlin

And the direct label link again: to stream or order.