Conrad "Conny" Schnitzler (17 March 1937 – 4 August 2011)
was a prolific German
experimental music
Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...
ian associated with West Germany's 1970s
krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...
movement. A co-founder of West Berlin's
Zodiak Free Arts Lab,
he was an early member of
Tangerine Dream (1969–1970) and a founder of the band
Kluster
Kluster was a Berlin-based German Experimental music, experimental musical group formed in 1969 by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Conrad Schnitzler, and Dieter Moebius. Their improvisational work presaged later industrial music. The original Kluster w ...
. He left Kluster in 1971, first working with his group
Eruption and then focusing on solo works. Schnitzler participated in several collaborations with other
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
ians.
Biography
Schnitzler was born in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
, Germany.
His father was German, his mother was Italian. He had a wife and they had three children,
[Conrad Schnitzler (1937–2011)](_blank)
by Geeta Dayal (20 August 2011) one of whom is son
Gregor Schnitzler, who was born in 1964 in Berlin and who is a film director.
Schnitzler,
Dieter Moebius, and
Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Hans-Joachim Roedelius (born 26 October 1934) is a German electronic music, electronic musician and composer, known as a co-founder of the influential 'kosmische musik, kosmische' groups Cluster (band), Cluster and Harmonia (band), Harmonia. He ...
formed
Kluster
Kluster was a Berlin-based German Experimental music, experimental musical group formed in 1969 by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Conrad Schnitzler, and Dieter Moebius. Their improvisational work presaged later industrial music. The original Kluster w ...
in 1969 after the three had met at the
Zodiak Free Arts Lab.
This trio released three albums: ''
Klopfzeichen
''Klopfzeichen'' is the debut full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster.
''Klopfzeichen'' was recorded on 21 December 1969 at Rhenus-Studio, Gordorf, Germany. Liner notes on the CD reissue on the Hypnotic (record label), Hypnot ...
'' (1970), ''
Zwei-Osterei'' (1971) and ''
Eruption'' (1971). When Schnitzler left the group, Roedelius and Moebius became
Cluster. Around this time, Schnitzler also joined
Tangerine Dream for their debut album ''
Electronic Meditation'' (1970).
Schnitzler provided the introductory music for Norwegian
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band
Mayhem's debut EP ''
Deathcrush'' in 1987, following a meeting with teenage guitarist
Euronymous in the mid-1980s. The instrumental track, entitled "Silvester Anfang", was randomly selected from Schnitzler's archive of works in progress. The piece is still played at most of the band's live shows.
For many years Schnitzler appeared in the comics of
Matt Howarth (particularly ''
Savage Henry'') as a member of the band
The Bulldaggers. His 2006 work Moon Mummy is a collaboration with Matt Howarth based on an included PDF comic.
Schnitzler died from stomach cancer on 4 August 2011 in Berlin.
Discography
1970
* ''
Electronic Meditation'' (with Tangerine Dream)
* ''
Klopfzeichen
''Klopfzeichen'' is the debut full-length album by German experimental music trio Kluster.
''Klopfzeichen'' was recorded on 21 December 1969 at Rhenus-Studio, Gordorf, Germany. Liner notes on the CD reissue on the Hypnotic (record label), Hypnot ...
'' (with Kluster)
1971
* ''
Zwei-Osterei'' (with Kluster)
* ''Schwarz'' (a.k.a. ''
Eruption'')
1973
* ''Rot''
* ''Slowmotion''
1974
* ''Blau''
* ''Work in Progress''
* ''The Red Cassette''
* ''The Black Cassette''
1978
* ''Con''
1980
* ''Auf Dem Schwarzen Kanal'' (EP)
* ''Consequenz'' (with )
* ''Die wandelnde Klangwolke aus Berlin''
1981
* ''Contempora''
* ''Con 3''
* ''Conrad & Sohn'' (with Gregor Schnitzler)
* ''Conal''
* ''Control''
* ''Gelb'' (reissue of ''The Black Cassette'' as an LP)
* ''Grün''
* ''Context''
1982
* ''Convex''
* ''The Russians Are Coming'' (EP, with
Peter Baumann)
* ''Container''
1983
* ''Con 3.3.83''
1984
* ''Con '84''
1985
* ''Con '85''
1986
* ''Concert''
* ''Consequenz II'' (with Wolfgang Seidel)
* ''Micon in Italia'' (with Michael Otto)
* ''Face on Radio'' (with Wolfgang Hertz)
* ''Con '86''
* ''GenCon Productions'' (with
Gen Ken Montgomery)
* ''Conversion Day''
1987
* ''Congratulacion''
* ''Contrasts'' (with Wolfgang Hertz)
* ''Black Box 1987''
* ''Contra-Terrene''
* ''Conditions of the Gas Giant''
* ''
Deathcrush (Silvester Anfang intro)'' (with
Mayhem)
1988
* ''ConGen: New Dramatic Electronic Music'' (with
Gen Ken Montgomery)
* ''CS 1 – CS 13: January 1988 – December 1988''
* ''Concho'' (with Michael Chocholak)
* ''GenCon Dramatic (GenCon Live)'' (with Gen Ken Montgomery)
1989
* ''Constellations''
* ''CS 89/1 – CS 89/12: January 1989 – December 1989''
* ''The Cassette Concert'' (with Gen Ken Montgomery)
1990
* ''Kynak (Camma)'' (with Giancarlo Toniutti)
* ''CS 90/1 – CS 90/12: January 1990 – December 1990''
* ''Confidential Tapes''
* ''00/001 – 00/004: Confidential Tapes''
1991
* ''Contempora 00/014 – 00/031''
1992
* ''Tolling Toggle'' (with Jorg Thomasius)
* ''Tonart Eins'' (with Tonart)
* ''Ballet Statique'' (reissue of ''Con'')
* ''Contempora 00/032 – 00/039''
1993
* ''Clock Face'' (with Jorg Thomasius)
* ''Tonart Zwei'' (with Tonart)
* ''Con Brio''
* ''Contempora 00/040 – 00/044''
1994
* ''Blue Glow''
* ''Con Repetizione''
* ''Contempora 00/045 – 00/053''
1995
* ''Charred Machinery''
* ''Electronegativity''
1997
* ''00/106''
* ''The Piano Works 1''
* ''00/44''
1999
* ''Construction''
* ''00/071: Piano''
* ''00/063: Piano''
* ''Con/Solo/1''
* ''00/121: Piano''
* ''00/139: Concert''
* ''Con/Solo/2''
* ''Computer Jazz''
2000
* ''The 88 Game''
* ''5.5.85 (Concert)''
2001
* ''Conal2001''
* ''Acon'' (with
Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Hans-Joachim Roedelius (born 26 October 1934) is a German electronic music, electronic musician and composer, known as a co-founder of the influential 'kosmische musik, kosmische' groups Cluster (band), Cluster and Harmonia (band), Harmonia. He ...
)
* ''00/142-8'' – MHz Records. Germany
2002
* ''Con '72''
2003
* ''Live Action 1997''
* ''Gold''
* ''Contakt''
2004
* ''Con '72 Part II''
2005
* ''Mi.T.-Con 04'' (with Michael Thomas Roe)
2006
* ''Moon Mummy''
* ''Zug''
* ''Aquatic Vine Music'' (with Michael Thomas Roe)
* ''Conviction''
* ''Con 2+''
* ''ElectroCon''
* ''Klavierhelm''
* ''Trigger Trilogy''
2007
* ''Mic + Con 07'' (with Michael Thomas Roe)
2008
* ''Kluster 2007'' (with Michael Thomas Roe and Masato Ooyama)
* ''rare tracks 1979–1982'' (with Remixes by Dompteur Mooner) Erkrankung durch Musique Records
* ''20070709'' (with Bernhard Woestheinrich)
2009
* ''Aquafit'' (with Big Robot) – Karisma. Norway
* ''Kluster 2008: Three Olympic Cities Mix'' (with Michael Thomas Roe and Masato Ooyama)
* ''Horror Odyssee'' (with Big Robot) – TIBProd. Italy
2010
*''Kluster 2009: Three Voices'' (with Michael Thomas Roe and Masato Ooyama)
2011
* ''Consequenz 010B'' (with Wolfgang Seidel) – Mirror Tapes
* ''Kluster CMO 2010'' (with Michael Thomas Roe and Masato Ooyama)
* ''Against The Grain'' (with Håvard Tveito, Ole Christensen,
Kjetil Manheim, Johannes Stockhausen Hektoen, Fredrik Owesen, Tord Litleskare, Nils Martin Haugfoss, Marius Håndlykken, Shawn Ytterland and Vigleik Skogerbø)
2012
* ''Endtime''
2015
* ''GEN CON Barbarella'' (with
Gen Ken Montgomery, Arvo Zylo,
Mama Baer,
Kommissar Hjuler Kommissar Hjuler (born Detlev Hjuler; 1967) works as a sound recordist in the field of Noise (music), Noise and Post-industrial music, visual artist, film maker and police officer at Flensburg, a town on the German border with Denmark. He often work ...
) – Psych.KG
* ''GEN CON FLUX'' (with Gen Ken Montgomery & Mama Baer, Kommissar Hjuler) – Psych.KG
* ''genconhjulachinsky'' (with Gen Ken Montgomery,
Steve Dalachinsky & Kommissar Hjuler) – Psych.KG
2016
* ''Kontraktion'' (with Pharmakustik) – Rotorelief. France
2018
* ''Extruder'' (with Pharmakustik) – Rotorelief. France
2021
* ''Schubkraft'' (with Pharmakustik) – Rotorelief. France
References
External links
Conrad Schnitzler Official (CON-tribute)*
Mi.T.-CON
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnitzler, Conrad
1937 births
2011 deaths
German experimental musicians
Tangerine Dream members
German people of Italian descent
20th-century German musicians
Deaths from stomach cancer in Germany